Seminar about the Women’s Question: Press Statement of KKE
“On the role of communists in the struggle for the parity
and emancipation of women”
The seminar of Communist and Workers’ Parties on the role of communists in the struggle for the parity and the emancipation of women was held in Brussels on March 26, with the participation of 26 communist and workers’ parties from 24 countries: Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Communist Party of Belarus, Workers' Party of Belgium, New Communist Party of Britain, Communist Party of Cuba, AKEL-Cyprus, Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia, Unified Communist Party of Georgia, Communist Party of Greece, Hungarian Workers' Communist Party, Tudeh Party of Iran, Communist Party of Ireland, Workers’ Party of Ireland, Party of the Communists of Kyrgyzstan, Socialist Party of Latvia, Lebanese Communist Party, New Communist Party of the Netherlands, Portuguese Communist Party, Communist Party of Russian Federation, Communist Workers' Party of Russia - Revolutionary Party of Communists, Communist Party of Slovakia, Communist Party of Peoples of Spain, Communist Party of Sweden, Syrian Communist Party, Party of Labour [EMEP] along with Pôle de Renaissance Communiste en France as special guest.
Head of the KKE’s delegation was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Greece, cde Aleka Papariga, who also delivered the opening speech to the Seminar.
The 100th anniversary since the establishment of the 8th March as International Women’s Day gave the participants the chance to exchange views and assessments of the role of communists in the struggle for gender equality and women’s emancipation in the course of a century.
At the same time the seminar discussed according to which strategy and tactic will the international communist movement tackle with the deterioration of women’s position under the conditions of the capitalist crisis, as a special issue and integral element of the life of the worker’s families.
The participants underlined that the historical limits of the capitalist system appear more distinctly under the conditions of the crisis. This is evident in all issues and in the women’s issue as well. The capitalist system made certain legal and institutional concessions, especially in the more developed countries and continents of the imperialist pyramid; it improved women’s educational level, it established a limited number of social foundations for children and family in order to achieve its main goal, namely the biggest possible exploitation of the women’s labour, as well as of the youth and immigrants’, their political and social manipulation in the name of equality.
The bourgeois political parties gave the women of the bourgeoisie and the upper strata the role of MP, minister, even prime-minister and president of republic, soldier and general with the aim to set the example for the women of the working class and the popular strata, to substitute and manipulate them.
The discussion confirmed that these assessments do not apply for all countries as in Africa, Asia and in other countries women suffer forms of oppression that reflect the uneven capitalist development and not the particularities of the so-called patriarchism or Androcracy.
Capitalism and bourgeois governments were forced to make some concessions despite their will, under the pressure of the labour, people’s and women’s movement that was emancipated from the influence of the few progressive bourgeois women. In addition, the unprecedented gains of women in socialist countries exerted a strong influence on the capitalist system.
The participants stressed the vital role of communists in the development and strengthening of the organised women’s movement, in the promotion of women in the labour and people’s movement.
Almost all participants highlighted that apart from the deterioration of life there is also a danger of a dramatic increase in the gap between the contemporary needs and the situation that will be formed in the near future.
It was stressed the need to attract in the organised class struggle, in the movement, broad working and peoples’ masses, women and men. It was also underlined the importance to advance the alliance of the labour movement, of people’s movement in general with women’s radical movement on the basis of the exacerbated problems of women and with goals of struggle against the monopolies and their power in order to repel the anti-people’s measures and to bring positive changes in the correlation of forces, to pave the way of the perspective, of socialism.
It was also underlined the need to highlight the historical origins of radical women’s struggle, namely the communist movement and the theory of scientific socialism, as well as to draw conclusions from the history of the struggle for women’s emancipation.
It was stressed the importance of highlighting the historical achievements of women in the socialist countries that were incomparable with the conquest of women at that time in conditions of capitalism.
It was underlined the significance of ensuring that the women’s question constitutes an inextricable element of our work in all sectors of the working class, the peasantry, the self-employed, in the education, health and environment sector, everywhere. Underlying the class nature of the women’s question is the most appropriate way to confront any derogatory perceptions at the expense of women that still exist although under the mantle of modernism and cosmopolitism.
It was expressed the need to stand by the side of women, especially of those who experience greater pressure due to personal and family difficulties.
It was also expressed the willingness to exchange experience in a more systematic way between communist and workers’ parties in order to specify our strategy in women, for the coordination and the reinforcement of the international women’s radical movement.
This period gives us the benefit to exert influence on the masses as regards the main issue, namely that there are two paths of development, two paths of internationalisation and international cooperation. The one is determined by the interests of the capital, of the monopolies and the other by the satisfaction of people’s needs. The two paths differ as regards the question of the political power.
The whole discussion confirmed that the national field remains the basic field of class struggle because from this derive the positive changes in the international correlation. Of equal importance is also the internationalisation of the field of struggle, the coordination and the high level of class solidarity.
This year on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the declaration of March 8 as the international working women’s day, it should be highlighted the theory of scientific socialism for the liberation of women from the class exploitation and double oppression.
Finally, the seminar adopted three solidarity statements with socialist Cuba, with the Palestinian People and with the women of Iran.
26/3/10
e-mail:cpg@int.kke.gr