A-Infos (en) Germany, LIKOS: Feminist Strike 2024 - Speech (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

Dear comrades, dear passers-by! On today's Feminist Day of Struggle, 
women* and other people oppressed by their gender are joining together 
in many places to go on strike. ---- First of all, a note: We are aware 
that patriarchy, in all its brutality, also and especially affects those 
who do not see themselves in the man-woman binary or who simply do not 
identify with the term "woman", and either still be read as such or were 
previously read and thus experienced or are experiencing the brutality 
associated with this reading. The realities and self-images of those who 
experience patriarchal violence differ massively from one another. When 
we talk about "women" in the following, it is done explicitly with this 
remark in mind and in an attempt to connect feminist international 
struggles through a social and political category over which, 
unfortunately, the affected person often has just as little agency about 
the violence associated with it.

So what should be on strike now? The grotesque everyday misery of 
patriarchal conditions. The over-exploitation of women in particular* 
that is mediated by gender. And the capacity of this broken society to 
reproduce itself into the future with all these sources of suffering.

While some have already said something like "don't feel like that. Today 
we are in a completely different place. It gets better with every 
generation!", here is a sad current example of why the rant is still 
sorely needed: A few weeks ago there was a public discussion about a 
possible worldwide political drifting apart of young men and women. 
According to Alice Evans, whose work the reporting was based on, women 
under 30 are increasingly positioning themselves on the feminist-left, 
while men are below
30 increasingly anti-feminist-right. The coronation? In comment columns, 
women* were called upon to compromise. A significant proportion of guys 
in the dating pool are unwilling to respect your physical autonomy? He 
sticks out his chin and rambles about children's kitchen church when he 
is asked about the "role" of women*? Queer existence gives him a stomach 
ache? ,What a pity. Very sad. But that's no reason not to date him. How 
else could our society continue to exist?', part of the bourgeois press 
also sobbed.

And so quickly reactionary ideology is normalized, which is currently on 
the rise online and offline and poses a threat to the lives of people of 
all marginalized genders. Not surprising. Anti-feminism in particular is 
often an entry into right-wing politics.
thank you. And so actors like the AfD far too successfully and 
undisturbedly stir up fear of gender deviation within the framework of 
"sexual nationalism" and rhetorically connect "gender" with all kinds of 
imaginary infiltrations of the "national
body". As the last commonly recognized difference, gender in these 
politics becomes a gateway for the re-hierarchization of society they 
desire.

And yes, how could our society continue to exist if this were 
successfully combated? After all, it is rooted in this swamp. If the 
massive social majority of non-hetero-cis men (women, lesbians, 
intersex, non-binary, trans
and agender people, queer people, as well as all children) are smothered 
in experiences of everyday patriarchal violence, which manifests itself 
in femicides, anti-queer violence and, internationally, in the horror of 
systematic sexualized violence as a weapon in wars of aggression
and terrorist attacks come to a head - then from the perspective of 
capital, the state and the patriarchy this is not an unfortunate 
accident. Not even a harm - but a prerequisite for the flourishing of 
the ruling class and continued accumulation.

Feminist struggle has created space to breathe in many places in this 
swamp, but nothing has yet been completely overcome. Here in the Federal 
Republic, too, a lot of things are still being enacted in legislation. 
This applies here, for example
Subsidiarity principle, according to which private or 
association-organized care workers initially take on care work as long 
as they can handle the tasks. State aid should only take effect when 
these tasks are no longer carried out on a private basis
can be managed. This means that the state can shift responsibility for 
care work from the public to the private sphere at any time if it 
imposes appropriate austerity measures. And a certain group in 
particular will
Under the still prevailing patriarchal gender regime, women are 
systematically forced to take on care work in private settings: women*.

This is not a coincidence, but a logical consequence and becoming 
visible. In capitalism, the dominant economic and social form that 
ultimately subordinates everything to the purpose of maximizing profits, 
workers who can be exploited are ultimately needed to make this profit 
possible in the first place. And
the production of these workers and their labor is an obligation placed 
on women in particular. This is also reflected in what types of work are 
understood as "women's work" - and what work is not recognized as work.
As a rule, housework and care work is not paid - the ideologically 
invoked ideal woman ultimately does the whole thing out of love for her 
family!

And where these jobs are paid, they are underpaid and are often carried 
out by people who are oppressive and exploitable through gender and 
racialization. None of this can be solved with demands for better 
participation and equal opportunities in the market. Because wage work 
and the associated exploitation are not empowerment. More and more 
precarious jobs for women* do not bring any freedom, including financial 
freedom. And a liberal feminism that celebrates FLINTA* on executive 
floors and does not advocate for the concerns of disadvantaged women* is 
not one.
We don't want Barbie, we want revolution!

We have to go one step further and go where it hurts this sexist society 
- by refusing to work, by going on strike. A successful women's or 
feminist strike means an attack on two levels for capital, for this 
system of sexist exploitation - production and reproduction are denied. 
And that calls into question the ability of this society to maintain its 
patriarchal order. We are therefore calling on all FLINTA* to go on 
strike with us - whether we don't go to work, get together for a 
combative lunch break, or work extra slowly on a slow strike, leave the 
dishes and laundry behind or block streets - options There are many 
people who want to take part in the strike! Here the possibility is 
shown of finally making production just like reproduction need-based 
instead of need-based
to organize for profit and thus to free gender from the patriarchal order.
Women, FLINTA* forward for a better life for everyone - strike together 
against patriarchy and capital!

https://likos.noblogs.org/2024/03/09/feministischer-streik-2024-redebeitrag/
_________________________________________
A - I N F O S  N E W S  S E R V I C E
By, For, and About Anarchists
Send news reports to A-infos-en mailing list
A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
Subscribe/Unsubscribe https://ainfos.ca/mailman/listinfo/a-infos-en
Archive: http://ainfos.ca/en