a sentiment that is widespread among marxists, particularly the men, is the idea that placing the dismantling of patriarchy and women’s liberation at the forefront of the movement is divisive, and will not lead to the liberation of the working class.
this is nothing but willful misinterpretation of marxist theory by leftist misogynists who are insistent on ignoring everything written on the women question. leftist men lose all critical analysis when it comes to women's conditions.
“The first class opposition that appears in history coincides with the development of the antagonism between man and woman in monogamous marriage, and the first class oppression coincides with that of the female sex by the male.”
there are many criticisms that can be made in regards to marx and engel’s analysis on female oppression, but at the very least they affirmed that the relations between men and women constitutes a class antagonism of sorts. engels and other theorists of his time asserted that the subordination of women is the original oppression. men seeking to control women’s sexuality and biology has possibly preceded the appearance of private property to maintain reproductive capacity in society.
plenty of marxist men will sooner identify with male supremacy at the expense of class consciousness. they will declare everything to be a matter of financial status and dismiss the very existence of sex and gendered dynamics between men and women, which are directly caused by patriarchy. they are unwilling to address the blind spots that arise as a result of their resistance to view women’s oppression tangibly. they do not see women’s oppression as real enough to tackle misogyny at its core.
it is no surprise to see more women aligning themselves with radical feminism when acknowledging the long history of leftist men stabbing them in the back. the most recent and prominent betrayal is purposely overlooking sex as an axis of oppression. socioeconomic class is not the only form of class oppression, and taking this stance is overtly reductionist.
"The first division of labor is that between man and woman for the propagation of children."
- origins of family, Friedrich Engels
materialist feminist analysis on the dynamics between men and women views the roles that both genders partake in as a class. men are a class which perpetuate violence against women for the purpose of exerting power over them. this goes beyond rich and poor.
"The most oppressed man can oppress one being, his wife. She is the Proletarian of the Proletarian himself."
the ussr did not dismiss the necessity of women’s liberation. they considered it to be a priority to liberate women from the home in terms of its relation to class struggle. even then this did not prevent the sexual exploitation of women within the ussr, and soviet leadership reinstating patriarchal norms. women were back to being told their worth lies in their reproductive capabilities. the family became the basis of soviet society, and the women who birthed the most children were heroines of the revolution. the men refused to partake in any housework, and after the revolution the obligation of maintaining the house and family was once again the responsibility of soviet women, in addition to doing the same work as the men.
marxist men will stake claim to the title of feminist, but still maintain the belief that once the class system is abolished that all issues with be magically revolved. it is of utmost importance to consider a feminist perspective in marxist thought, less marxist men will continue to get away with openly supporting the preservation of their ability to commodify women’s bodies stigma-free. there is a long history of sexual exploitation within leftist spaces. none can be more obvious than so called revolutionary men who’ll frame the sexual coercion of women as a necessity, and warping the meaning of sexual liberation to accommodate their own entitlement.
this all boils down to feminism making men uncomfortable. there is no liberation if the specific needs and issues of half of the human population are not being addressed
