conference often became bogged down in abstract debate about some of the least creative areas of Marxist thought.
30
Socialist feminism appears to adopt some of the same tenets of Marxism, but instead of focusing on economic determinism as the primary source of oppression,
the socialist feminist sees the oppression as having psychological and social roots.
31
They share a genuine concern for women that transcends politics. Their focus is on people, not profits. To the socialist feminist, the prostitute is a victim of the
corruption of a society which accompanies class distinctions. The oppression of class in a materialistic society degrades people by categorizing them in a particular class
and objectifying them so that they are merely parts of a mechanism that can be replaced by other parts of the same description. In both the socialist feminist and
Marxist feminist perspectives prostitution is discouraged, but neither school of thought seeks a legal remedy for its elimination. They believe that the cause of
prostitution is in the structuring of society, and that is where the solution will reside.
32
d. Marxist feminism
In Britain in the 1970s and 1980s, Marxist and socialist played a pioneering role in the development of feminist theory. It is inspired by second wave radical
30
Cheris Kramarae and Dale Spender 2000, op.cit. 826
31
Simone de Beauvoir “believed that one of the keys to a woman’s liberation is economic, a point she emphasized in her discussion of the independent woman.” Rosemarie Tong, Feminist
Thought: A Comprehensive Introduction Boulder and San Francisco: Westview Press, 1989, p. 211.
32
Ibid. p. 192.
feminism texts from USA, women in Britain, often from the New Left, set out to develop a Marxist feminism which might account for both patriarchy and capitalism
and the connection between two.
33
According to Marxist theory, in capitalist societies the individual is shaped by class relations; that is, peoples capacities, needs and interests are seen to be
determined by the mode of production that characterizes the society they inhabit. Marxist feminists see gender inequality as determined ultimately by the capitalist
mode of production. Gender oppression is class oppression and womens subordination is seen as a form of class oppression which is maintained like racism
because it serves the interests of capital and the ruling class. Marxist feminists have extended traditional Marxist analysis by looking at domestic labor as well as wage
work in order to support their position.
34
Soenarjati has stated that Marxist Feminist literary criticism is to analyze woman character from point of view of classes in the society, Feminism as a
conscious intervention in the hierarchically organized regime of gender power. In other words, the Marxists approach the national question exclusively from a class
point of view. For the Marxist feminist the source of problem of oppression is in
33
Chris Weedon, Feminist Theory and the Politics of different Massachusetts: Blackwell publisher 1999, p. 134
34
Marxist Feminist, Answer.com. Accessed on July 30 2007. http:en.wikipedia.orgwikimarxistfeminism.com
. p. 1
classes social-economy and patriarchy.
35
It is the same with the attitude of Marxists towards the oppression of women.
Marxist feminist took its socialism from Marx, and its feminism from radical feminism. When Marx’s analysis was applied to an understanding of women’s place
in capitalist society it led to the conclusion that women’s liberation was subordinated to the goals of class struggle.
36
The “marriage” of Marxism and feminism has been like the marriage of husband and wife depicted in English common law Marxism and feminism are one,
and that one is Marxism. This political stance produces an analysis that absorbs feminism into the class struggle.
37
As Raymond Williams Patrick McGuire and Donald McQuarie1994:48 in keywords, the history of the term ‘class’ is complex. Class has, of course, long been
used as a general term of classification and in the educational context. In addition to this, Williams 1976: 59 identifies three significant further uses:
1. An objective social or economic category; 2. Rank, i.e. relative social position determined by birth or social mobility;
3. A formation which Williams defines as a perceived economic relationship and social, political and cultural organization.
35
Soenarjati Djajanegara. Kritik Sastra Feminis. Jakarta: Gramedia Pustaka Utama,2003, p.30
36
Caroline Ramazanoglu 1997, op.cit, p. 26
37
Lydia Sargent, Women and Revolution: A Discussion of the Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism Boston: South End Press 1981, p. 2.
The main distinction in play in these different uses is between those restricted to social and economic position and those which imply particular forms of culture
and social organization.
38
Marxist Feminists believe that class distinction is the greatest evil, that the very ownership of private property, a basic tenet of capitalism, oppresses women. The
hierarchies that govern most businesses make most capitalist organizations untenable to a Marxist, and a Marxist feminist believes that in too many businesses, hierarchies
of power oppress women.
39
In order to bring about the socialist revolution, it is necessary to unite the working class and its organizations, cutting across all lines of language, nationality,
race, religion and sex. This implies, on the one hand, that the working class must take upon itself the task of fighting against all forms of oppression and exploitation, and
place itself at the head of all the oppressed layers of society, and on the other, must decisively reject all attempts to divide it - even when these attempts are made by
sections of the oppressed themselves.
40
Finally, contemporary Marxist offer various theories of the impact of gender ideology on women’s continued subordination as material constraints to women’s
labor force participation diminish.
41
38
Chris Weedon 1999, op. cit 134-135
39
M. Louise Ripley, Gender Issues in Management, Marxist feminism. Accessed on April 8, 2007. http:www.atkinson.yorku.ca~lripleypgresearch.htm.
40
Alan Woods, Marxism versus feminism: The class struggle and the emancipation of women. http:www.marxist.commarxism_v_feminism.html
, p. 1
41
Patrick McGuire and Donald McQuarie 1994, op. cit 47
Generally, feminism objective is to end sexism, though because of its relation to other forms of oppression, this will require efforts to end other forms of oppression
as well. We might characterize feminism schematically as the view that women are subject to sexist oppression and that is wrong.
However, the main purpose of feminism is to raise women’s status in social life.
42
Feminism is both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in all forms. However, there are many
different kinds of feminism. Feminists disagree about what sexism consists in, and what exactly ought to be done about it; they disagree about what it means to be a
woman or a man and what social and political implications gender has or should have. Nonetheless, motivated by the quest for social justice, feminist inquiry provides
a wide range of perspectives on social, cultural, and political phenomena. Important topics for feminist theory and politics include: the body, class and work, disability,
the family, globalization, human rights, popular culture, race and racism, reproduction, science, the self, sex work, and sexuality.
43
Based on the story of La Cucina, the writer uses the feminist approach to study the characteristics of Rosa Fiore and the feminist values of hers. Therefore the writer
provides more theories or explanation related to Feminist in above.
42
Djajnegara, opcit. p.4
43
Topics in Feminism, Stanford Online March 2004, Stanford Encylopedia of Philosophy. July 25, 2007 http:plato.stanford.edufundrising.com p 2.
CHAPTER III RESEARCH FINDING
