Feminism and Socialist Politics - Report Example

FEMINISM AND SOCIALIST POLITICS of Feminism and Socialist Politics Introduction Politics or political actions are characterized by a number of ideologies that set standards for decision-making process. It is an evident fact that every political action undertaken by a specific body or government affects almost every institution of its respective region. The implementation of political ideologies is done in order to evaluate, apply or revisit the impact on institution. It is for this reason that a number of political ideologies have been developed over the years. Among these political ideologies, socialism and feminism are two schools of thought that have created a lot of resonance in the past to tailor the impact of decision-making process undertaken by government. Socialist and feminist politics have been focused primarily on the representation of women in politics and on the conduct of tailoring the impact that has been widely underwent by women. These silent features of socialist and feminist political movements adhere to the class, rights and representation of women in the political sphere. This paper serves the purpose of addressing issues of socialist and feminist politics within the context of America. The analysis of the issues will be done by presenting a discussion for both the ideologies in distinctive sections that will enhance the timeline of development and theory published so far. In order to grasp a closer look on the issues of socialist and feminist politics, a span of twenty years i.e. from 1920 to 1940 will be taken under consideration. Understanding Socialist Politics Socialism is among those radical groups or political ideologies that have a number of concerns with the manner in which American society is governed1. It is imperative to understand the roots or origin of socialists’ political ideology before evaluating its underlying issues. Socialism has been well defined by a number of intellectuals. Majority of the literature that has been published so far to reflect and understand socialism explains it to be an economic condition or system where the ownership is considerably public. This indicates that socialism is against capitalism where a private owner exploits labor for personal gains by giving a negligible amount of return for the overall production. Thus, socialism is against private ownership and centralization of capital within a little level of the society. In this manner, socialists tend to convey their message to the giants of the society to come up with ways that will result in equal distribution of the capital received2. On the other hand, there are various other researchers as well who have explained the ideology of socialism through the lens of democracy. Socialism is considered to be democratic in nature. It is merely the agenda of democracy that makes the claim of socialist politicians to be in favor of personal needs not profit. Conservatives claim that socialism is not applicable because its nature is domestic in nature. It is also noted that socialism is a political ideology or a way of economic systemization that presents a comparison against capitalism. In real terms, capitalism remains as an ideology that inhibits a global reach and impacts states on a broader spectrum. Therefore, in order to apply socialist view to a society then capitalism should be defeated at a global level3. The aforementioned assertions are general descriptors of socialism as an ideology. There are certain types that have been created in order to fully develop socialism and its point of view. These types include Marxism-socialism, Leninism-socialism, Trotskyism-socialism and finally socialism-feminist. The type of socialism i.e. the core focus of this paper remains socialist feminism since the paper discusses about the representation of women in American politics and the developments of their rights over the span of twenty years. Socialist Politics in America The development of socialist school of thought was marked in American history with its origin in 1901. The origin was marked by a radical communities mainly characterized by women as well as socialist giants such as Norman Thomas. Socialist feminist ideology was later discussed and applied in the political sphere of United States after the introduction to other types of socialism as discussed above. Socialist ideology was established as a base by the Europeans that later found its way to United States with the help of anarchists such as Emma Goldman. Talking about the socialist ideology pertaining to women presentation in United States, it has been on the agenda that women were given equal rights or gender equality was to be made equal in every possible manner. It is also referred the stance of the first wave of socialist feminism in United States that began right after 1870s. The second wave of socialist feminism that began after 1940s rather got a strong backbone of reasoning and change with the help of assertions put forward in the first wave of socialist feminism. Later on, the development in the stances and literature was noted in terms of middle class women who were not able to make their respective contribution within the society. The fact remains that the socialist political ideology struggled with the fact that women were not given consideration while government undertook decisions. It was the after the period of suffrage that the women were able to represent themselves but even in that scenario, there were critical aspects concerning the equality between the two genders. Socialism being an ideology of equal opportunity in terms of economic gains completely overthrew the subject of economic dependence of women on men. The conservatives of the socialist ideology presented their view stating that women were to serve their purpose at home because it was yet a very difficult task to fulfill. However, such a consideration was literal and there were no programs or opportunities that were made available to women. Herein, it should be noted that the political representation of women through the lens of socialism should not be made limited to the equality at work but also decision pertaining to abortion, divorce etc. The issues pertaining to the socialist ideology has been criticized by a large number of intellectuals and conservatives. As a matter of fact, the number of conservatives who proposed their claims against socialist ideology was of the view that it did not fully address the general view of the society. In simpler words, it can be said that the government could not just think about the advantage of equality. At many times, governmental bodies are supposed or forced to take actions that cannot take the factor of equality under consideration. There needs to be a factor of achievement and economic gain that is needed to run all institutions of a society. It has also been asserted that in order to achieve a state where socialism can fully be applied along with its silent features of gender equality and class equality then there needs to be a supernatural society or a welfare system to be followed from the scratch. The aforementioned claims had created a lot of nuance for the socialist politicians to bring their voices to the world. Hence, more and more development had to be done in order to send out the message of public ownership while keeping women independent economic-wise. Such a condition became one of the reasons behind the removal of types of socialism from the society such as socialist-democracy. In the wake of understanding socialism, it was noted that more and more understanding was being brought regarding the movements for women empowerment and equality of both the genders. Left wing perspectives are also reflected in the sociologist ideology. The left wing ideologies of perspectives have rather asserted that the women have been differentiated not only on the basis of gender but also class and race. In comparison, white women in America, right after the era of suffrage, at least got the right to vote for their representation. They were also given opportunities for secretarial jobs. On the other hand, African women were not given their right to vote even after the era of suffrage. This shows that the left wing perspective clarified on the inconsistency of views concerning women. Therefore, the consideration has been well given to the left wing perspectives concerning women and equality in terms of class. History has proven that women in America were dwelled towards a comparison between whites and backs. This war among the races of women was then clearly justified in the movements conducted by the left wing. Another major point to be noted here is that people following the right wing was forced to join the left wing. The assertion was also made concerning the need of housing ownership to be made open not only for the white Americans but also for the African Americans. The issue of women getting ownership of their houses seemed more of a dream during the developmental era of socialism in America from 1920s to 1940s. It is clearly marked here that when one discusses about the criticism concerning socialism then it is not about the concepts and claims of the concept in general but rather its assertions and movements. There is a lot of debate that has been put forward against the fact that socialism is only a theoretical assertion. It cannot be implemented on a practical ground at all. However, the defendants claim that it is the voice of the majority and they wish to implement it. The only nuance or the barrier is the power shift or control of capital in the hands of few giants within the society. The major welfare systems of the world have recognized the need of equality in terms of economic equality. This idea was basically replicated from the European way of economic actions. Another stronger claim that has been put forwarded by the masses is the aspect of liberty that is infringed by the public ownership. It is asserted that the capital gain is basically a democratic right of any person in a society4. This merely shows that by limiting the gains of an individual would only take away the freedom one is appointed to have in a free state. Back then, it was closely accepted that women being provided with lesser management jobs was legit because they did not have enough skills to make decisions on a management level. Such criticisms were regarded as a very cynical view of women’s role within the society. Notwithstanding, more and more ideological out breaking was marked during the 1925 and 1930. There were a number of socialists’ movements that resonance with the help of socialist leaders including Alexandra Kollontai and Rosa Luxemburg. However, till date significance of the assertions in order to counter the criticism regarding the skills of women in managerial position are still present and requires a thorough response from socialist politicians. In the very early stages of the implication of socialism, it was noted that a claim was passed against it that had a very profoundly negative impact on the movements concerning socialism. This was basically regarding the inability of socialism to calculate the cost of bringing women to the political representation or economic front by putting home nurture on stakes. Also, as for the economic share or public ownership, it was stated that socialists did not calculate the value production would provide to the society. If a system like such cannot understand the manner of in which financial calculation can be done then it does not qualifies to be appointed within any society. Keeping up with the economy with a centralized theory is quiet impossible as well because the information that is accumulated from the center system can never be enough for the entire state system. Issues pertaining to the applicability of socialism within a society are not just limited to economic share but also on the theoretical justification. It is said that economic activity can never be stable. It is because the economy remains in a state where it is affected by the overall performance of the industry as well as production level that would speed up the number of capital gained. Therefore, equal distribution remains a dream or impossibility. Critics also mark that if socialist can come up with a formula then there is likelihood that all the issues or shortcomings concerning the economic calculations can be overcome. Thus, it can easily be stated that there were a number of issues that were noted during the development of socialism within the twenty years right after suffrage. Critics do not affirm to the ideologies proposed by socialist politics because they claim it to be theoretical instead of practical. Therefore, it is about time there is an avid need of development regarding socialism. One thing is for sure that the implication of socialism can only be done in a society in the form of amalgamation. One can make use of the ideology with the help of fusion of ideologies not solely on its own5. Understanding Feminist-Politics The formal definition of feminism states, ‘It is the equality and advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of sexes’6. On a broader perspective feminism is said to be a set of movements and ideologies that are aimed at identifying, establishing, or defending the equal rights of women in the field of politics, economy, culture, and other social rights. The term also illustrates to establish equal rights for women in the sector of employment and education. In order to understand feminism there are numerous theories and political activism. The abundance of political activism in feminism is due to the profusion of gender inequalities which resulted in different feminist political ideologies. However, it should be noted that such theories on feminist political ideologies, helps a person to understand the nature of that feminist movement in particular, or sometimes feminism at whole (as it helps its audience to disclose the purpose of the political activism and what it is aimed for). Furthermore, it should also be noted that feminism is not a fresh term which has been recently coined. History reveals that there have been numerous incidents and events in which inequality between the sexes was witnessed in various political aspects. This led towards the critical examination of the gender injustice being done to the female sex and resulted in the form of ‘feminism’. After the establishment of feminist ideologies in the political industry, the basic aim was to investigate the issues related to gender inequalities and how it affected the female gender. Furthermore, it also helped in improving and creating a balance between the two variables i.e. gender and politics. Awareness regarding feminist rights in the field of politics and other sectors were available for general public once feminist movements and theories came to the forefront. Despite of the prolonged history of feminism, the issues are still present and there are numerous feminist political activists campaigning and working for the equal rights of this gender in the area of politics. Feminist-Politics in the United States (1920 – 1940) Almost every country has witnessed gender inequality in every sector, particularly in politics. United States being one of the largest countries in the world has faced it enormously right from the beginning. As it has been aforementioned that feminism and political ideologies are not new phenomenon, United States had been facing the issue of feminism since colonialism. However, this paper is only going to discuss feminism in America between 1920 and 1940. Only a few people are aware of feminism and the women’s right in American politics during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The era is known as ‘progressive era’ regarding women’s right as many decisions were made in favor of these activist movements. It is during this era that the 19th amendment was also passed by the United States government. Despite the fact that so much advancements were made in the field of feminism, women were still considered as outsiders in the formal structures of the country i.e. its politics. During the 1920’s, women became a subject of discrimination in the field of politics. For this reason, they were often marked as secondary citizens. Women did not have any legal standing in the country and were principally governed by their marital status. Their political / legal rights were quite few. Compared to men they did not have any political or legal authority. This bounded her from various legal and political aspects. For example, since women did not have any separate identity she was known from that of her husband’s. Having no identity means the woman is unable to stand for elections or for any federal designation. She did not have the right to file any case in the court nor she could sue or get sued. This is certainly a glance over the denial of rights that was common during that period. It is evident that such a society where women were denied of their legal and political rights reflected an underlying ideology i.e. a poor and conservative ideology on women. It clearly demonstrated a realm in which work and politics were confined only to men while women had no place in the political structure of the country. Women were considered as domestic items that did not have any influence on the legal or political structure of the company. America was already under economic crisis at that time. The political campaigns and the feminist movements were also not working in favor of the women. It was believed, ‘women belonged in the home and not in the workplace. It was difficult for public to mark their voice and concern over the issue as the magazines and newspaper were hardly giving any importance to feminism and political rights of women in the US. The Equal Rights Amendment that was introduced in 1923 was also unable to make an influential change as Congressional committees and other political authorities did not want women to come to the forefront. The government in order to stabilize the economy was trying its best to escalate and encourage Americans; in particular they were focusing and targeting American men. They wanted them to get back to work and take legal decisions of the country7. The higher authorities and those who did not want women to get in the political structure of the country tried to draw the attention of others (those who were working on the rights of women and feminism) on other issues. The society was noticed as more male dominant wherever females were left at home to take care of their husbands and children. The women, individuals, political activists and other feminist campaigners who supported that woman should have equal gender rights were few in number and had to face numerous obstacles. Since they were in a minority therefore they had to face larger segment of the society who was antagonistic in nature. Such segment did not show any interest in what these feminist movements or political activists had to say, they were quite stiff regarding their ideologies. Their ideology that mainly thought of women as a domestic item did not allow them to see beyond it and consider that women can do well and can also use their talents in the field of politics. According to Albert Jay Nock, women have the same potential as men and they could do well and sometimes better than their male counterparts. He was of the idea that women have the ability to civilize a society whereas men cannot. Sadly, the majority of population did not second Nock’s thought on this. The majority of US citizens and federal leaders were not convinced to believe the fact that women could civilize the society by acquiring governmental positions or roles as legislators or administrators. The feminist school of thought was constantly failing to attain their goals because of such issues and obstacles. It should be noted that during this period i.e. 1920 – 1940, when many feminist movements and female political activists were campaigning and fighting for gender discrimination in the politics of the country and female’s right in the legal structure of the country, there were a number of women who were already employed. According to a 1930 census the number of women who were employed in the United States was 11 million. It showed that as little as 24.3% of women were employed in the country. However, further division of this survey revealed that 30% of this percentage was working in domestic labor. Domestic labor refers to the working of women as a maid, cook, etc. As many as 75% of women were in the education and nursing industry and were providing their services either as a teacher or a nurse. 7% women were working in the auto industry while 25% were engaged in some kind of electronic business8. The aforementioned statistics clearly shows that during this era no women were employed in the federal legislation or in the government or administration, etc. This is a clear indication that women did not have any place in the legal structure of the country. Many leaders and anti feminists theorists and activist talked about these employment ratios however it should be noted that these statistics clearly shows the absence of the female representation in the American politics or other legal and administrative sectors that were largely dominated by men9. Among some other notable issues that were faced by women during the time period from 1920 to 1940, the issue of minimum wages was an important one. Although women did not participate in any legislative or administrative position in the country, those who worked in domestic labor sector or electronic sector were not rewarded with their basic wages. The feminist activist also marked their voice regarding this issue as it was again disapproving the basic right of females during that period10. The issue of equal pay became equally important during the 1930’s. The employers were taking loads of work from these women while they were being paid very less. This also sparked a conflict between the feminist political activists and those who were against it (Engle 2010). It is obvious that the basic aim of feminist political philosophy was to reconstruct and advance feminist concerns. Since, it include members from both the feminist branch and the political society therefore it served as a bridge for women during the 1920’s to enter the political world. Without feminist political theorists and activists it was difficult to address these issues on a broader forum. Even if they were voiced then they it was poorly depicted. It was with the help of feminist political activist and their efforts that the women got power (in an unusual long period) but new ideals and practices were being presented and developed that justified gender discrimination in political institutions in the United States. There are certain criticisms surrounding the feminist political activism and campaigns. Since, there were many political leaders and authorities who participated in these campaigns and became a part of these women / gender rights. Using the label, some of the political leaders and activists often tried to promote their personal interests11. At different intervals, many political personalities used the platform in a negative manner which again sparked conflict in the society. However, the feminist activist was not doing it purposely and did not know about it but those who tried to become a part of it for gaining personal interest raised criticism against feminist political campaigns12. It is important to mention that while feminist political activist were trying to get the rights for women in the American politics and were fighting against gender discrimination issues in the legislation and administrative departments of the country, there were leftists who had a broader ideology13. According to leftists, gender discrimination was a negative aspect of society and also agreed to the fact that women should be equally placed in American politics and legislative jobs but they also opposed the idea that not only should white women should have these rights but black (African American) women must also have all these rights. Where on one hand they were supporting women’s right on the other hand they also asserted pressure that woman should be given jobs and positions in the government and not on the basis of racial or ethical profiling or class discrimination. They wanted that gender inequality should be diminished along with the end of racial and ethnic discrimination. This was the only difference where leftist and feminist political activist did not match each other regarding their ideologies14. Conclusion Through the above assertions, it can be well stated that women were kept at the back-end for domestic purpose only. They were not given political representation as well as disparity in term of wages in comparison with men. This was further made complicated with the difference between women from different races. However, women were provided with their basic rights after the era of suffrage but they were liable or dependent upon men politically and economically. It took a lot of movements that have been discussed in this paper to bring and raise the voices of women to the front. The two radical thinking processes or the groups namely socialism and feminism within the context of politics were defined as political ideology, social democracy and economic system. Socialism was developed by reflecting on the perspectives of the left wing politics that ended up voicing for the share of capital among all the institutions. On the other hand, feminist politics pertained to women rights clearly voiced over the concerns of equality among gender. It is an evident fact that both the radical groups have brought a lot of assertions on the front and explained with possible grounds of logic. Nevertheless, they have been criticized widely on the basis of calculations to be conducted on the basis of production. The economic gains and the aspect of employment for all genders remained the goals of both the groups for which they have been researched and widely accepted by the masses. Likewise, any other political ideology, these have flaws when it comes to implication of rules and regulations on the entire system. Bibliography Abbott, P, C Wallace, and M. Tyler. An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives. Psychology Press: Bredford, 2005. Case, Sue-Ellen. Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre. New York: JHU Press, 1990. Chapman, Jennifer. Politics, Feminism and the Reformation of Gender. Washington DC.: Routledge, 2004. Collins, P. "The politics of black feminist thought." In Black Feminist Thoughts, by P. Collins, 1-44. New York: Routledge, 2000. Engle, Eric. Marxism, liberalism and feminism : (leftist legal thought). New Delhi: Serials Publications, 2010. Felice, William F. The global new deal : economic and social human rights in world politics. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010. Femine Insprie. "Political Correctness and Freedom of Speech: Where Is the Line?" Femine Insprie, April 14, 2014: Online. Fielden, S, and M. Davidson. International Handbook of Women and Small Business Entrepreneurship. London: Edward Elgar Publihsing, 2005. Guenther, Katja. Making Their Place: Feminism after Socialism in Eastern Germany. London: Stanford University Press, 2010. Gunew, Sneja . Feminist Knowledge (RLE Feminist Theory): Critique and Construct. Washington DC.: Routledge, 2012. Jagger, Alison. Feminist Politics and Human Nature. New York: Rowman & Littlefield, 1983. Martin, Gloria. Socialist Feminism, the First Decade, 1966-76. Chicago: Red Letter Press, 1986. Read More