Feminism and socialism

[KayHarker]

One of the sites I used to frequent, the odious Ladies Against Feminism, is always keen to draw a negative connotation between feminism and socialism.

Personally I have no negative axe to grind about socialism, but I'm wondering if it's a true connection - I suppose I'm asking, can one be a feminist and a conservative, or does feminism lend itself much more readily to socialism?

LOL at "I'm sure there are misogynists in all movements. (except feminism, that wouldn't work.)"

I tied myself up in knots thinking that one out

Find this v interesting, esp. the idea of 'feminist socialist' instead of 'socialist-feminist'. That was meant to distinguish s/f from radical feminism, but IMO has ended up meaning "a socialist who takes absolutely no account of gender in structuring capitalism, but who is a woman who serves to cover for the sexism of her male 'comrades'". I've been calling myself a feminist socialist for some time. Sources close to the Dave Douglass/Heather Downs row, I mean debate, in Weekly Worker, give some indication of what f/s's have to contend with in the socialist movement. And I, I mean she, never even started on Assange and the rape apologists....SuperiorMinge, I am liking your words.

I guess you have to disentangle economic beliefs and social beliefs.

There are definitely a fair sprinkling of Conservative party members who are economically right wing but socially liberal (many right wing libertarians would fall into this camp). I don't see that there would be any reason that it would be illogical for a feminist to take this position.

There are plenty of people (including historically in the Labour party) who are economically left, but socially conservative. And obv. from your experiences SuperiorMinge, SGB et al there are plenty of them around.

I think that socialism does have a definite authoritarian strain to it that makes it prone to social conservatism.

I'd definitely consider myself an anarchist feminist - seeing it as important for both women's liberation and wider equality to dismantle all hierarchies, not just replace capitalist hierarchical systems with socialist ones (which still, IMO, generally have men at the top & women at the bottom).