Claudia Jones--"Complete emancipation of women is possible only under Socialism."

[socialist_n_TN]

2. The liberation of women under socialism.........

is in the same category as the liberation of other oppressed minorities under socialism. The basis of the oppression is economic. A chauvanist, like the racist, only has power insofar as he has control over the economic welfare of the oppressed. When that power over economic well being is erased under socialism, it becomes merely a personal bias with no power to control or harm.

As to the "considerable resistance to women's lib within the socialist movement", I'm not sure that was actually very widespread. Women have ALWAYS paid a large part in the socialist movement from it's inception. And to the extent that there WAS some "resistance", it must also be taken in context with the times. Even Marx thought capitalism was an advance over feudalism, like feudlism was an advance over slave owning culture. Ergo, a movement that gave a more equal treatment to women COMPARED to the surrounding culture was progress. Which was the case with women and socialism in the early part of the movement.

Of course at this point, ANY differential in treatment between men and women (as between black, white, Latino, Jewish, etc.) is categorically wrong and is definitely NOT progress. Ideas alone today should differentiate between good and bad for the movement, NOT who came up with the ideas.