It's election time and many people are thinking about who to vote for in order to best advance women's liberation. As in every election, some feminists are organising to support women candidates. But simply getting women elected will not ensure a parliament committed to women's rights.
Not all women are feminists. The minister responsible for aged care, Bronwyn Bishop, has overseen a dramatic reduction in its quality, availability and affordability. As a result the responsibility for caring for the sick and elderly has fallen more into the domestic sphere — or in other words, onto women.
As education minister Amanda Vanstone raised HECS, allowed universities to charge up-front undergraduate fees and made huge cuts to university funding. As education gets more expensive, women are the first to miss out.
Pauline Hanson's election to parliament was a step backwards for women, especially indigenous women and women from non-english speaking backgrounds. One Nation's extreme racism helped to legitimise the major parties' racist scapegoating of refugees. This has directly resulted in violence towards Muslim women in Australia.
Cheryl Kernot's support, as Democrats leader, for the Workplace Relations Act helped attack the least-organised workers, many of whom are women. As a result, the ratio of female-to-male pay is slipping for the first time since the '70s. Under Natasha Stott Despoja's leadership, the Democrats maintain the same position on industrial relations.
Even electing women who call themselves feminist is not enough if they represent anti-feminist parties. This is the trouble with "Emily's List". Emily's List is an initiative to help Labor women who are "pro-choice, pro-equity, pro-childcare, pro-equal pay and pro-diversity" get elected. It offers "mentoring", puts up funds for election campaigns and seeks to fill the quota of Labor women in parliament (the ALP's formal goal is to have at least 35% of the number of parliamentarians required to hold government, women).
But does this advance the struggle for women's liberation?
Consider the ALP's record: cuts to childcare, erosion of social welfare, growth in low-paid work under enterprise bargaining. It's counterproductive getting women elected if they follow a party that has only ever given lip service to women's rights. Instead of becoming part of the solution, they become part of the problem.
Some supporters argue that because the ALP has a conscience vote on abortion, Emily's List will increase the chances of a pro-choice parliament. But better still is to vote for a party which mandates a pro-choice vote in parliament, whatever the gender of its candidates.
Mass movements that can draw large numbers of people into action are essential to winning gains out of parliamentary politics. Activist feminists in parliament can strengthen grass-roots organising for womens liberation. But without such organising, any gains will be lost.
Supporting activists committed to building a women's liberation movement in these elections is vital.
Socialist Alliance campaigns to repeal anti-abortion laws; to end legalised discrimination against women; to increase funding for women's services; for equal pay for equal work all year round. Socialist Alliance members help build and organise feminist events such as Reclaim the Night and International Women's Day. It is not surprising then, that the alliance has had not trouble getting 16 (out of a total of 30) women candidates.
That's why I'm standing with the Socialist Alliance, because all our candidates support women's liberation, not just the women.
BY ERIN KILLION-DEL CASTILLO
[Erin Killion-Del Castillo is a member of Resistance and the Socialist Alliance candidate for the federal seat Newcastle.]
From Green Left Weekly, November 7, 2001.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.