Capitalism Vs. Gender Inequality?
by Ricky Egeland
When I read the Nov. 30 letter to the editor titled "System of Oppression" and found out it was an attack on Capitalism, I almost fell off my chair at the appalling contradiction. Ms. Loubert's compliment for the Nov. 28 article "Where we should be going" is only a sentence long before she goes off on her absurd theory that Capitalism is to blame for gender inequality. Capitalism is the economic and political system where private owners are free to trade for mutual benefit and profit. This contrasts Socialism, where economic activity (production and trade) is controlled by the state. Nowhere in Ms. Loubert's scattered rant does she explain how on earth "sexism is essential to Capitalism". It is entirely independent of the idea of the nuclear family, because at its core Capitalism deals with individuals. In Capitalism it is recognized that individuals have the right to life, liberty, and property -- group concepts like the nuclear family are not needed or mentioned.
Each of Ms. Loubert's grievances can much more easily be explained by other sources unrelated to Capitalism. The pressure to be a homemaker stems from tradition far older than a country that employs Capitalism. Occupational trends for women stem partly from tradition, partly from the free choices Capitalism allows women. The conflict over the legality of abortion and contraceptives stems from a popular moral dilemma that places the value of a potential baby higher than the value of a woman's body and life. There is no grand conspiracy in Capitalism to create a class of cheap labor from impoverished mothers.
In this country women have a choice on how to live their lives. Though statistics will show that women don't work the same jobs or receive the same wages as men, you don't have to be an average woman because you are an individual. You are free to excel and raise that average, and that is what the women's movement should be focused on today -- excellence in women. Many fights for equal rights under the law were won during the last century, and the fight for a woman's right to control her own body needs to go on and be settled once and for all. But be careful what you wish for if you wish for a limit on freedoms such as Socialism would provide. Given the record of history and tradition, it is likely that the leaders of such a system would use the power of the state to appoint women to their traditional roles of homemaker and service worker by force, and issues like abortion would be up to the whim of the party or dictator in charge.
Discuss this Article (5 messages)
|
