In 1974 Wei Min She women tried to educate the organization to improve the way men and women worked together. Did they succeed in their efforts?
Excerpts from Wei Min She Notes 1974
WHY STUDY THE WOMEN’S QUESTION...
"Women under capitalism are oppressed as workers and as women. Asian and Third World women also face racism. Women are an important force in the revolutionary struggles; in order to fight women’s oppression and to involve and develop more women, we need to understand the nature of women’s oppression…The organization’s practice has not reflected much understanding and wholehearted attempt to develop women in the organization and with women we work with as well as in developing an understanding of the women’s question with men we work with. For example, in the Bookstore core, the men have not been conscientiously developing the leadership of its women members. This is manifested in daily examples, such as who has to do the miscellaneous tasks of running minor errands, calling up people, greeting new people etc…
On an overall organizational level, the encouragement and initiative to develop women’s potential and leadership has not been very conscientious. Generally, the men have not seen the women’s question as equally their responsibility in doing political work. They have left it to the women to raise and to deal with. And when criticisms have been raised on the women’s question in their workstyle, attitudes, or work ...men dismissed it as being politically naive...or the women are over emotional. A typical reaction is “yeah- yeah—yeah—yeah…” and then let the criticism slide. Women in the organization, who have raised the women issues and of chauvinism have been considered as over—emphasizing or focusing too much on the women’s question which would in turn “turn people off”. These attitudes and reactions are developed and instilled in how society has shaped the way we see the role of men and women. They may be blatant or subtle that we (men and women) may not readily see or willing to change. Men and women in the organization are taking notice to the need to find means to solve problems and move work ahead in our work areas in the organization overall…
Though we are Asians living in a capitalistic society we still are affected by ideas and traditions of feudal Asian society. It is necessary to analyze how male supremacy and private property was manifested in this stage of society to understand the totality of Asian women’s oppression and how it presently takes form in our communities and in our attitudes towards women."
