Women and Socialism: Class, Race, and Capital

by Sharon Smith

More than forty years after the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s, women remain without equal rights. If anything, each decade that has passed without a fighting women’s movement has seen a rise in blatant sexism and the further erosion of the gains that were won in the 1960s and 1970s. Yet liberal feminist organizations have followed the Democratic Party even as it has continually tacked rightward since the 1980s.

This fully revised edition examines these issues from a Marxist perspective, focusing on the centrality of race and class. It includes chapters on the legacy of Black feminism and other movements of women of color and the importance of the concept of intersectionality. In addition, Women and Socialism: Class, Race, and Capital explores the contributions of socialist feminists and Marxist feminists in further developing a Marxist analysis of women’s oppression amid the stirrings of a new movement today.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Social Justice, Economics

260 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2015

About the author

Sharon Smith is an American socialist writer and activist. She is the author of Subterranean Fire: A History of Working-Class Radicalism in the United States and Women and Socialism: Essays on Women's Liberation.

Reviews

[Quin Rich · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before I explain why I didn't like this book, I need to clarify what it is. It is not a collection of socialist feminist thought; it is not an extended historical study of women's participation in socialist movements; it is not (despite it's subtitle) a theorization of how "class, race, and capital" work in conjunction with sexism to oppress women. These would all be laudable goals. Instead, this text aims to convince readings that a very particular understanding of Marxism is the only adequate theoretical framework through which to pursue women's liberation. Conveniently, this brand of Marxism is exclusively available through the International Socialist Organization, the organization that owns this book's publisher and to which the author belongs.

As a committed feminist, I found this book intellectually and politically unsatisfying in several ways. First, it relies on broad generalizations and caricatures of the rich, inspiring, and deeply necessary diversity of thought that comprises historical and contemporary feminism. In order to clear the ground for her argument that only a particular version of Marxist politics can secure women's liberation, Smith has to first present other forms of feminism as irredeemably limited. She does this by raising salient and trenchant critiques of racist, neoliberal, and imperial forms of feminism, and then presenting these as if they characterize all forms of feminism that do not adhere to her favored brand of Marxism. Similarly, she pillories feminist theory which is not explicitly and solely Marxist as "postmodern," a concept she uses more as a bogeyman than as an actual critique.

Second, Smith instrumentalizes Black and women of color feminisms in order to bolster her case for the ISO's strain of Marxism. In what is arguably the best chapter in the book, Smith discusses Black feminism and the concept of intersectionality. However, she only does this to advocate for a Marxist class struggle form of politics that erases Black women as autonomous political actors. In doing so, she homogenizes the vibrant body of thought that is Black feminism, extracting only those quotes and concepts which can be fitted into her narrow Marxist frame.

Third, Smith reduces all forms of oppression to resulting from the vague concepts of "capitalism" and "class power." In a telling quote, Smith explains why she believes intersectionality is useful to Marxist politics: "Exploitation is the method by which the ruling class robs workers of surplus value; the various forms of oppression [sic] play a primary role in maintaining the rule of a tiny minority over the vast majority. In each case, the enemy is one and the same" (p. 160). This rhetoric is repeated throughout the book. Together, it paints a picture of a small ruling cabal that organizes all oppression to stay wealthy. While economic inequality is certainly one form of social injustice, and no true liberation can be won under capitalism, this formulation obscures much about how oppression operates in the world. Racism is not a ruse by the wealthy elite; it manifests systemically in the daily lives of white people and people of color to privilege the former at the direct expense of the latter.

I have many other problems with this text, but I hope to have made my case that, if you are interested in learning about feminism without being recruited to the ISO, then this text will be less than helpful to you.

Instead, I would suggest many of the wonderful books that actually /do/ theorize and historicize the interlocking systems of capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy. Two superior texts which draw from Marxist thought (while not becoming beholden to a single interpretation of it) are Angela Y. Davis' "Women, Race, and Class" and Silvia Federici's "Caliban and the Witch."

TL;DR: Do not waste your time with this text if you want to learn more about the rich, vibrant, and urgently necessary social movement that is feminism. This book is a recruiting tool for the International Socialist Organization.

[Twilight O. ☭ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive improvement over the original edition of the book. Greater attention is paid to social reproduction theory, debates within socialist feminism, and the intersection between gender and race than in the original, rectifying virtually every issue I had with it. A remarkably high-quality resource and my new go-to book to recommend on the subject.

[Fadillah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Radical feminists organized some of the most visible and unapologetic protests for women's liberation in the late 1960s and early 1970s. But within a few short years, many reached the conclusion that sexism was insurmountable and turned toward a strategy based on separate organizations for women. Separatism ultimately privileged the fight against women's oppression over the fight against class exploitation and all other forms of oppression, including racism. While the label "radical feminism" remained, it devolved from its initial commitment to transformative social change, turning decisively rightward--toward a more conservative worldview--despite its sometimes-radical terminology and slogans.
But radical feminism was a product of its time, and it would be wrong to assume that women radicals who later became separatists began their political journey favoring separatism over other forms of struggle. On the contrary, the history of the 1960s movements from which radical feminists emerged shows that many women radicals first unsuccessfully sought to integrate the struggle for women's liberation inside the broader activist left before splitting.
- Women and Socialism : Class, Race and Capital by Sharon Smith
.
.
A very dense reading - not necessarily a bad thing considering the nature of this book that dealt with politics of gender, history of marxism and at the same time discourse on working class women movement. BUT 90% are the analysis that was tightly relevant with United States. Another 5% was related to Russia and some other countries mentioned briefly took about another 5% of the book. I honestly will not buy this book if i know that it highlighted majority details from USA only. I was under the impression that this book is going to capture a complexity of working women that basically were pushed into it due to the scarcity of men during the World War 2 and ultimately being shamed for it when decided that they are not going to surrender themselves to their biological purpose. I was taken aback that it was not the case. The general overview of Marx and Engels Idea on Feminism is taken a huge portion of the book with a little bit of discussion on class struggles aligned with intersectionality and activism. I have almost zero to none of knowledge when it comes to socialism which is why i wanted to read this book but the way author wrote about Marxism felt unsatisfying and i felt a huge gap in understanding how Marxism connected to feminism. It felt lacklustre and i was left with more questions instead of answers by the end of my reading. Socialist feminism could have been expanded and highlighted more in the book. Too bad that the author decided not to do it. Of course not all things are bad, i genuinely learned a lot. I can appreciate that Marxism recognised majority of domestic labor were unpaid and being taken for granted from women themselves. Another things that i think deserved a spotlight when feminism started to become more mainstream and the focus issues has been more diverse. But that itself presenting a double edged sword as the issues of working class women were no longer the central issue. Capitalism and it’s domineering impact on women particularly Black Women and Women of Colour are outlined in the book especially on how they were being paid less than white people both men and women. The income inequality and oppression that further continued due to racism and discrimination exacerbating the class differences were also explored by the author in the book. Overall, the book offered a broad review of socialism but I can’t overlook many inconsistency of the points she has made in the book. It’s a bit rich criticising Islam as a religion that oppressed women when you overlooked other religious beliefs.

[milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Krystina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book about family structure, domestic labor, the thick history of women fighting for socialism, and the intersectionality of Black Feminism and women’s liberation.

My only critique is that the author writes in a strong activist voice. Even though I agree with her viewpoint, taking this approach makes what would be academic into something that feels very biased.

[Ryan O'Malley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I feel this book tried to do too much. It often lacked a consistent structure and jumped around from topic to topic. While an interesting read, especially as an introduction to Socialist Feminism, I would have preferred the author to hone in more on a structured argument

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapters 1, 7 and 8 are the meat of this book

[Camille McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book gives a broad overview of feminist movements in the United States and how leftist politics and particularly Marxism interacted with feminist politics through the decades. It is helpful to see how various movements interacted and how their politics changed through the years, from the suffragettes of the 1920s to the Combahee River Collective of the 1970s.
One of the most interesting topics, to me, is the cause of women's oppression in the first place. It seems that people have theories about pre-class societies and the role of women, and it does seem like such societies of hunter-gatherers are actually more equal, but no one knows for sure when this oppression started. It seems odd that half the world is subjugated to the other half in varying degrees but nobody knows how this first started.
It was also helpful to read about feminism turning mainstream and abandoning working class women's issues such as child care and abortion to focus on the 'glass ceiling' which affects career women, as this is often what rubs women the wrong way when they think of 'feminism.'
The book also goes into depth about Marx and Engels' ideas on feminism and how leftists have traditionally interpreted and expanded their ideas to have a more material idea of women's oppression and women's labor. One thing I have always appreciated about Marxism is the focus on domestic labor as unpaid labor done for social reproduction and the idea that this is another way capitalism is subsidized - on the backs of women.
While this book is key for a Marxist perspective on feminism, it is very broad and mostly gave only very brief overviews of large periods of time and it is a little dry and hard to relate to at times. A book I would suggest that was more modern and a little more engaging and in-depth is "We Were Feminists Once," by Andi Zeisler.

[Brian Noe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharon Smith presents a concise but complete history of the struggles for women's liberation, plus a theoretical framework that lights the continuing path to freedom. This is essential reading for those who are interested in the subject, and ought to be required reading for men who call ourselves socialists.

[Kennedy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very good read, but it was one of the most challenging books I've read in a while to get through, just by nature of the fact that the writing was incredibly dry and academic. It is a very dense and enlightening book and is a wonderful source for finding even more writing on the subject, but there is very little emotion in the writing. It reads like a textbook, a wonderful textbook, but a textbook nonetheless. The "primary source" writings which are written about in Women and Socialism (bell hooks, Audre Lorde, etc.), read with emotion and passion as well as reason and analysis, while this book reads more as a recounting of events.

[Uzma Said · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like to think of this book as a textbook or bible instead of just a non-fiction-feminism-book
5 stars because the author mentioned the feminine mystique for about 5 times lol
very very informative, if you need only one book about feminism and socialism then this is it

the main point of this book is, the number one reason of gender inequality is capitalism and the only solution is, socialism

[Tim Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This updated edition of Women & Socialism is an incredibly rich introduction to the politics of women's liberation from a Marxist perspective. Smith covers an impressive range of issues: from the history of feminism in the United States; to Marxist theories on the origins of women's oppression; to intersectionality and the struggle of women of color against racism, sexism, and class oppression; to the efforts let by revolutionary women in the early Soviet Union to overturn their oppression -- and much more. Geared toward an activist audience, I found it to be a very useful work that was accessible but also challenging, as it inspired me to go back, re-read passages, and look up further readings. Smith's work is an important contribution for a new generation of activists.

[Adam Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a good albeit broad review of socialism and women's rights. Some issues: focusing on Islam while mostly ignoring other religions' stances, and reducing postmodernism to nihilism and blaming it for neoliberal attacks on feminism.

[Mills College Library]

305.42 S659 2015