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Scottish Socialist is anxious to provide a regular platform for all those struggling against capitalist oppression. For this issue, we have invited a leading
At the Women's Liberation Movement's conference in Newcastle last year it was agreed to establish a regional network for the "socialist current" in the movement. Many socialist women felt a need for the opportunity to engage. in political discussion in relation to their involvement as feminists, while trying to avoid the sectarianism into which past "Women and Socialism" conferences had degenerated, often forcing splits within the movement. Regional contact lists were compiled, and in many areas there have been workshops on feminist-socialist practice. The newsletter "Scarlet Woman" was established to co-ordinate the various discussions and maintain à contact between the regional groups. This has encouraged the reformation os socialist women's groups, marxist study groups, and so forth in many towns. The purpose of an organised socialist network is to strengthen the position of socialists in the movement by providing the opportunity for theoretical discussion in areas of work, thus improving the level of political understanding, and also to give support to feminists active in trade unions and mixed organisations.
Discussions in the regional workshops and in the newsletter have covered many topies — unemployment, and women working; abortion and other aspects involved in demanding a woman's right to choose; sexuality; the role of women in Northern Ireland; and at a recent Scottish meeting held in Edinburgh women were very aware of the need for a more concrete theoretical position on the socialization of housework,
militant in the women's movement in Scotland, to explain how she sees the fight for women's liberation ties in with the fight against capitalism.
in response to the potentially reactionary demand for "Wages for Housework". While the papaers have been varied in quality and approach, many women have found immensely valuable the chance for serious discussion from a feminist basis. Plans are now underway for a national "Women and Socialism" conference, probably in January.
There is an urgent need for all socialists to examine the nature and causes of women's oppression. Capitalism creates a web of ideology which keeps it together and makes it's absurdly unjust system appear natural and unavoidable. If we look at the six demands of the movement, we see that they are not just for equality in the present system, but raise a challenge to the entire organisation of society through division of all kinds sex, colour, skill, class, etc. The demands are not the substance of the movement, but its unifying factor - the autonomy of separate groups has always been a prime strength of the movement making it a melting pot of ideas from the grass roots. Feminism questions all institutions. Being a feminist means making an absolute commitment to women and to the selforganisation of women in the struggle against our oppression, and in collective attempts to redefine ourselves against the distortions enforced on us in order to maintain the current system. Socialists should recognise the revolutionary potential of feminism, and participate in attempts to work out a clearer socialist analysis of women's oppression as part of the way towards the liberation of women.