among women.
Although it Is Ollen claimed that position society has greatly improved. today's feminist demands aren't that different from those Women are still fighting Jor Dasic rizus.
The idea of a special day for women originated among women socialsts. In 1910, at the Second Inemmabora concrcue or Socialist Working Women. Clara Zetkin from the German Social Partv. U1 U posed an annual celebraLOBA Thus & March was proclaimed Women's Day.
The date memorated garment workers in York, led socialist women. In 1917, a strike by women textile workers in St Petersburg (now Leningrad) on that day was the spark which fired the Russian Revolution. This Revolution, started by struck the most wollicul powerful blow against women's oppression that had ever been struck.
The Russian Revolution wasn't centred around the demands of women, but the need to eradicate special oppression of women to just, socialist society was clearly understood. The Bolshevik fove cilland troduced civil legal rights for women.
The first legislation after 1917 introduced abortion on demand and freer divorce, and removed the category of illegitimacy. A women's department was sel up, by Alexandra deal WILl special problems. Attempts were made to establish collective child care facilities and communal kitchens laundries.
Progress towards the emancipation of women crumbled as the RevoluINTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY, celebrated since the beginning of this century, has recently reemerged as a symbol of international solidarity tion degenerated. The rise of Stalin and the seizure of control by ine bureaucracy he led, resulted in reaction on all fronts, including the progress women had achieved. By the 1930s anti-abortion policies had been introduced and the basic institution of the family was reasserted. The Russian experience shows socialist revolution can open the road towards women's liberation. It also shows that seizing power trom une capitalist class does not, itself, guarantee. the emancipation of women.
Women suffer double oppression: their dependent status within the family, their super-exploitation as wage for women's oppression is Jocaled the which is the cheapest way of reproducing and maintaining the labour force, sector of the reserve army ot labour. It plays a further, ideological role by providing a justification for the low-paid menial jobs women workers are consoned co The institution of the family divides men from women. used undermine the struggles of both men women workers. The sexual division of within society act as a barrier to working class unity.
The understanding, of oppression pioneered by socialists like Zetkin and Kollantai has been eunched ov tae newwave women's liberation of the asu years. Today's. feminists have developed a stronger understanding of&. the depth of the ideologicalcultural anti-woman bias in society After the quiescence of FEDE TIONAL the 1950s, the 60s brought world-wide radicalisation which expressed itselt revolutionary struggles the colonial world, uprisings in the Soviet bloc, and student and worker • struggles in the West. Women ›egan again to openly challenge the structures of an oppressive society. The women's liberation movement America Western Eurone todav was born at the end of the 1960s, with this radicalisation.
The MOVE ment has not always linked with the organised movement. The main reason for this has been the refusal of the labour bureaucracy to defend the rights of women. This feeds into two conVAN VALVE 1 MAC tradictory trends: radical feminism on the one hand, of some left currents to understand the progressive role of women's ment in the struggle for socialism.
Radical feminism has This ped on a desca.
ideology of revolution, rather than main vehicle social Chance.
Its fundamental tenet is that all men enemy, regardless of class. Despite nuances, this view leads women away from demands that challenge the capitalist state towards collaboration will une insututions or ine state, in order to achieve reforms.