Date: Wed, 01 May 1996 11:29:31 -0600
Subject:  Women's oppression, Adam and Engels ?



Ryan writes:
>  > The point is that capitalism does not create patriarchy, and nor
does  > patriarchy create capitalism -- not only is it bad politics
to claim that  > women's oppression stems from capitalist
exploitation, it's also bad  > anthropology.

Adam:  Class society created women's oppression, not capitalism. 
But, the specific form women's oppression takes in any society is
determined by the needs of the ruling class in that society. In the
case of capitalism, these needs have changed over time and so
therefore has the precise nature of womens oppression.
[snip]
Ruling class women, while they suffer to an extent from women's
oppression, benifit from the system that creates it. They have no
interest in getting rid of it. 

Lisa:  Well of course rich women have different interests than
poor/working women.  They don't need public or workplace creches,
they hire nannies or refrain from wage work.  This is part of the
struggle within feminism that I was talking about, that is occurring
in the US at least, point this out and show how well-off white women
"leaders" have excluded the interests, the participation, the views
of other women.

But I'd still like you to explain _how_ class society created women's
oppression or patriarchy [which is not quite the same thing,
perhaps].  If you're going to rely on Engels, I want you to start
defending him.  Perhaps you could start with a brief explication of
some aspect of Engels' argument.  What was the first form of private
property of means of production?  How do we know that?  Why did men
own/control it, not women?  How do we know that they did so?

Regards,
Lisa




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