What is socialist feminism?

Socialist feminism is a branch of feminism that argues that liberation for women can only be achieved by eliminating capitalism. Socialist feminists view the profit-driven capitalist system as the main bulwark of patriarchy, and the driving force behind labor exploitation, poverty, racism, homophobia, anti-immigrant bias and war.

Classic Marxist writings in the 1800s by Frederick Engels (The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State) and August Bebel (Woman and Socialism) put forward a powerful explanation of the link between gender oppression and class exploitation.

In the 1960s and '70s, socialist feminism was a strong current of the women's liberation movement. Two groups, Radical Women (www.radicalwomen.org) and the Freedom Socialist Party (www.socialism.com) represent a socialist feminist tendency that has existed since the mid-60s. These organizations emphasize the leadership of the most oppressed -- especially women of color -- as crucial to achieving social change.

Writings on socialist feminism include:

• Bebel, August. Woman Under Socialism. Schocken, 1971.
• Cook, Blanche Weisen, ed. Crystal Eastman on Women and Revolution. Oxford University Press, 1978.
• Engels, Frederick. The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State. International Publishers, 1995.
• Fraser, Clara. Revolution, She Wrote. Red Letter Press, 1998.
• Holmstrom, Nancy, ed. The Socialist Feminist Project: A Contemporary Reader in Theory and Politics. Monthly Review Press, 2002.
• Lenin, V.I. The Emancipation of Women. International Publishers, 1969.
• Martin, Gloria. Socialist Feminism: The First Decade, 1966-76. Freedom Socialist Publications, 1978.
• Radical Women. The Radical Women Manifesto: Socialist Feminist Theory, Program, and Organizational Structure. Red Letter Press, 2001.
• Trotsky, Leon. Women and the Family. Pathfinder, 1973