WHAT WOMEN THINK.

Maoriland Worker, Volume 10, Issue 448, 8 October 1919, Page 7

WHAT WOMEN THINK.

Women Under Capitalism

By Miner's Wife

No. 1 When reading th e article by comrade Mrs. Williams in which she states that while in conversation with one of the active men cf the Labor Movement, of New Zealand, h e stated that one of the reasons why the Labor Movement did no. progress more rapidly was because of the drawback occasioned by the ignorance of women, or something (o that i-ffect, U'e words of August Bebel in his bonk on •'WomenPast, Present nnd Put lire," "that the f v i„.iS'.,i.. si ..uri vi ■■■ -...e_ ._ -1.. 1; ■ 1.. L y tue .uek 01 common Sls.s c v „ the part, ul men," camo across my mind. I'\uer words were never written, for woman in her long uphill stjiugg.te lias, reI ceived very little assistance from man. I The average man seem fc> thji.k that his aims and interests aiVj ci no concern to his women folk and that she is inoapable of learning or underhandling them, ami he certainly does not, [and will not, take the trouiMe /to enlighten and instruct her. The bourgeois conception of the education of wemen is vastly diflerenb from that of man. Tho difference is seen almost from the cradle, fo r while '.ye see t-ile little boy playing with his horses, ships and engines, the little g'.rl is playing at keeping house, and nursing her doll. When she becomes a wcmati, if she is able to do a little painting, fancy work, play the piano, and such like, she) is looked .upon, as toeing very accomplished, and any attempt made by her to educate herself otherwise has been met. with great opposition from man. Anytaing outside oi' her domestic sphere and th© rearing of children is supposed to be no concern i hers. one of iin- chief arguments put up by th,. o_p*'iien-is Li the \'\ ouieu'.s movement, is X.at «-,"/ i.-.an -X<s LiXrXr .rains L: ■mull. These people fa'; U>' ieai'ze! 111:.; L man snu YLLsau arc live iiuu:au | XXl;; <'f d.'iX-reiit ••>--; wi'._, eaiieivnt j s-.-xi.al nUiL:i-..a- te perform, and that ii, ilu- I'ulliim-ni ci these functions a number 01 uitierenees in their psycho logical and p_y_;okg.cal conditions exist, but these facts fail to give any cause <-_ rc-yhon for the inequality thai : exists between the two '.exes. Woman and Man together form the complete human being, and o_ie cannot carry out th© natural functions without the Both iv'«> necessary for the juainte.-iJ.no-. _i-d , U-v.kfp-iCut of -;■'.>- cti.ty. Also tlie difference in the brain matter of modern mew and women is much more than that of men and women of primitive times, and when ■ one takes 'tit© consideration th<j posi- i tion women* has held m society for hun- ; dreds of years, it is only to be expected. Ta_ intellectual status of women 13 just what man, her master, has made it. Another pet argument is that the horn© is women's natural and proper place. They l°se sight of the fact that economic conditicms force a large number of working women to leave their homes and babies and seek industrial pursuits, thereby totally destroying their home life. Also statistics go to show that while there may be an equal proportion of girls and boys born there is always an excess of women when they reach the marriageable age. The large number of men's deaths occasioned through wars, and accidents tUat men meet with during the course of their employment, 13 to a great extent responsible for this. Then again a great many men refrain from marriage owing to their inability to support a wife and family, hence it will be readily seen that a large number of women are prevented from carrying out their so-called -natural function. Under our present social system woman takes thia second place. Being economically dependent on. man she is oppressed, both a. v sex as well as a social being, and is kept down and surrounded with obstacles and restrictions that to man are unknown. Owing to her economic position, marriage .is to her the means of a livelihood, therefore it is no wonder if marriage is one of her chief topics of conversation and thought. "To-day or up to to-day just as the wage worker ha s had no means of livelihood e xcept by the sale of his labor power, so woman has had no means of a livelihood except by the surrender of her bodily sex. She could dispose of it to one man for life, and have in return the respect of society jand the caged existence of the lady or i drudge, or she could sell it night by nigh, and be a "tree woman scorned of tiie world and doomed C o die in ih© gutter. In either case, if she really thi-ks about the matter at all, shemust lose her self-respect. What a chioice! What a frightful choice!—nnd this has been the fate of • women for how long?" (Edward Carpenter iv "Loves Coming of Age.") Th© majority of marriage 3 among the working class are no doubt brought about by love, but poverty and the uncertainty of a livelihood makes ib anything but ideal. It is very rarely that the hopes and aspirations of a young couple are realised and enjoyed after marriage, for to ensure a happy and contented married life not only mutual affection and respect are necessary, but a sufficient amount of the necessities and comforts of live are required. The grim and cruel struggle for existence utterly destroys th© relations of th e working class family. Little children are the natural outcome 6i' the union, between the two sexes, but, "ureXr prv".-n! day ronditions the more natural a marring c X, the harder and greater becomes (he- struggle' and what should be regarded as a happy event is made _an event of constant dread and anxiety, for it means another little mouth to feed »nd baby to olothie, the already

iusufiicient wages mu-t be stretched to go a little further. Frequently, from lack of the proper cane and nourishment, the inability to afford first class medical attention, tie life of tlie wife and mother is often sacrificed when ■ningiii'g new life into the world. 'i'ne life of the average working woman is on© of abject slavw.>, suffer.ng and degradation. Men fail to realise just what kind of a life she leads. Man seems to think that only his own employment is work, and the everlasting drudgery rf tly esnkXy of meals, ihe washing and mending oi clothes, i-'..* care and worry of children, aud house to he kept clean, is mere iilay. He never stops to think how dreary itall is. if is no wonder that the majority of working women are ignorant and apathetic. She has no tini e for anything- outside of work, for it is always staring her iv the face, and often she has to carry on the burden «it)i a body worn- -out with child-bearing, want of proper nourishment, fresh air aud change of society.