IWWD Panel: Communism means liberation from sexism

The following articles cover some topics discussed at the International Working Women’s Day celebration. To view, click here
March 28 – Dozens of Progressive Labor Party (PLP) members and friends gathered virtually today for a bilingual panel celebrating the International Working Women’s Day  and communist anti-sexism. Across at least four countries, workers shared personal experiences, reflected on historical movements, and discussed political theory as key pillars in advancing the fight against capitalism’s sexist culture and exploitation.
Sexism is one of the most powerful tools in the bosses’ arsenal to divide and attack our class. Due to their experience against capitalism’s sexist and racist attacks, we have throughout our history fought to have women workers—particularly Black, Latin, and Asian women workers—give communist leadership in the Party and in the class struggle.
The fight against sexism necessitates workers of all races, genders, ages, and backgrounds unite in an international struggle to eradicate it materially and ideologically through revolution.
Events like this panel are essential in growing our revolutionary unity and struggle. We learn to reject the bosses’ poisonous ideas within the mass movement and embrace the Party as the weapon through which we will create an antisexist, antiracist world.
Abolish the foundation of sexism: class society
The sexist organization of advanced capitalist society has had a profoundly negative impact on the way workers and others think about themselves in relation to the social system. On the one hand, housework and childcare were necessary for the reproduction of the workforce; that is, it is relevant to take care of the daily needs of workers and raise the next generation of workers.
But these activities do not produce surplus value for the bosses, so, in capitalist terms, they are not "productive labor", since capitalists consider "productive" only labor that produces profit for them. As such, their essential nature to our survival is constantly degraded under this system.
Under a communist society, having abolished production based on profit, the entire working class together would work to share labor inside and outside of the home. The distinctions between domestic work and all other labor will be eliminated and will be performed collectively. The responsibility to provide the needs of our class will be the responsibility of all workers.
In sharp contrast to dehumanizing capitalist culture, workers would use media such as movies, music, and art, along with meetings and other activities to promote antisexist imagery that stresses equality among all workers.
A powerful struggle will continue after we smash the bosses and seize state power to win the entire working class away from sexist ideologies and practices.
Capitalist identity politics fail workers
Maintaining aspects of sexism in a society where we are trying to destroy capitalism would be like maintaining racial segregation, or separate nations, or wages. It would mean keeping elements of capitalism, which would create the basis for its restoration. So, it is important that we understand the particularities of sexism in today's capitalist society. Fighting against these particularities, our movement creates the foundation to destroy sexism once we take power.
Theories of identity politics are bourgeois political debates, the possibility of struggle is bourgeois. Identity politics reproduces the appearance of an alienated individual under capitalism; hence its struggle takes the form of equality of oppression between groups or individuals.
Identity politics is the classic nationalism wrapped in a new bow. We will fight for a classless, collective society that allows us to express ourselves freely in all our multifaceted activities.
An antisexist world worth fighting for
The necessity to overthrow this sexist, racist capitalist system becomes more urgent by the minute. Throughout the pandemic, it is women workers who have been among the hardest hit within our class.
According to the bosses’ own statistics, official women’s unemployment in the U.S. stood at 6.3 percent, rising to 8.4 percent for Black women workers, 9.1 percent for Latin, and 11.4 percent for women workers with disabilities (ABC 7, 1/20).
In Latin American countries, domestic violence against women workers has skyrocketed, increasing by 94 percent in Colombia in the first months of lockdown (nautilus.com).
In contrast to feminism, we don’t just want a select few women to advance to get a “seat at the table” and become exploiters and apologists of an inherently sexist system. We want to smash the “table” entirely, and liberate the entire international working class through revolution.
International, multiracial, and anti-sexist panels and events are a representation of the egalitarian communist world we are fighting for. Onward to revolution with PLP!