Red Valkyries

Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women

Abstract

“Socialist women’s activists understand that capitalists benefited from women’s oppression and would therefore fiercely resist demands that might erode their profit margins (p.8).”

Kristen Ghodsee’s fascinating expositions of the lives and work of five socialist feminists makes the point that their examples have been consistently omitted from compendia of feminist thought. Western feminist thought, she argues, tends to focus on victories on the individual level. Socialist feminist thought, however, recognizes that capitalism is the real enemy and so equality will only be possible when it is replaced. Meanwhile, greater equity for women in the existing system can be achieved through “… the expansion of social safety nets in the short term and for a more just economic system in the long term (p.9).” It is, therefore, more convenient for corporations to protect their profits by hiring a few female executives rather than providing social services for all employees.