Letter: A new view of woman's place (1975)

Letter to the Editors from the October 1975 issue of the Socialist Standard

A new view of woman's place

I would like to comment and enquire on the following factors and the SPGB’s attitude on them.

First, that women under capitalism are voluntarily ideal economic slaves, not by what they do but what they don't do. For example one never hears of women doing smash-and-grab raids and bank robberies under present conditions.

Second, at one time the SPGB made great emphasis on the economic threads of religious ideas. Religions are based upon conserving private property interests, that’s why we hear bible-bashers saying “Thou shalt not steal” — just what the capitalist class want — not to steal their property! But the recent Socialist Party presentation is that industrial and scientific developments alone have discarded religious hokum and a recent article in the Socialist Standard makes no reference to the economic and political significance of religion.

R. Phillips 

London W.9.

Reply:

Some hardened married cynics claim that bourgeois marriage is a smash-and-grab raid: smashes up your life and grabs your money.

If you have not heard of women bank-robbers you cannot have been paying attention. What about Patti Hearst? “Bonnie and Clyde?” The chief partner in the Bader-Meinhof terrorist gang is a girl.

There is no such thing as a voluntary slave. The reason why women have been enslaved throughout the ages is because private property (until recently) was almost entirely vested in rich men.

The Socialist Party has not altered its viewpoint regarding religion and its real (economic) explanation. You are quite right about “Thou shalt not steal”, “Work for the night is coming”, “Blessed are the meek”, etc. The situation is simply that we have not had an article on it for some time, and will endeavour to produce one before long.

APOLOGIES TO CORRESPONDENTS still waiting. We hope to reply to them in the next issue.