Vladimir Lenin's approach to the "women's question" constitutes one of the foundations of Marxist-Leninist theory and reflects a deep understanding of the material conditions underlying the oppression of women and the necessity of revolutionary change to bring about their liberation. Lenin did not see women's emancipation as a secondary issue or as a mere appendix to the class struggle, but rather as an integral part of the broader revolutionary movement to overthrow capitalism and establish socialism. His views and policies on women's emancipation remain highly relevant today, as conditions of capitalist exploitation and patriarchal oppression persist globally.

The Material Basis of Women's Oppression

Lenin's analysis of the oppression of women is based on historical materialism, which holds that the social relations of any society are fundamentally determined by the mode of production. According to this view, the subjugation of women is not an accidental or isolated phenomenon, but one deeply rooted in the economic structures of society.

Drawing on Friedrich Engels' The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, Lenin pointed out that the oppression of women began with the emergence of private property and the rise of the patriarchal family. Engels argued that in pre-class societies women played a central role in communal life and gender relations were relatively egalitarian. However, with the development of private property and the establishment of the state, the family structure was transformed into a vehicle for the transfer of property and wealth. This transformation led to the subordination of women, who became economically dependent on men and were cut off from social production and thus life and confined to the domestic sphere.

Lenin recognized that the oppression of women is perpetuated by the family structure, which serves as the cornerstone of the capitalist system. The family is not only a social institution, but also an economic unit that ensures the reproduction of labor power. Women's unpaid domestic labor was crucial to this process as it allowed capitalists to externalize the costs of reproducing their labor force. In this sense, the oppression of women was deeply intertwined with the exploitation of the working class as a whole.

In his writings, Lenin emphasized that the struggle for the emancipation of women was a vital component of the broader revolutionary movement. He argued that "the strengthening of bourgeois influences within the proletariat... often finds expression in the underestimation of the importance of the struggle for the emancipation of women." Lenin understood that the working class could not achieve full emancipation without addressing the specific forms of oppression women faced. The oppression of women was not a secondary issue, but a fundamental aspect of the capitalist system that needed to be dismantled.

The Role of Women in Revolutionary Struggle

Lenin's approach to women's liberation was uncompromisingly revolutionary. He insisted that women's emancipation could not be achieved within the confines of the capitalist system; on the contrary, this system had to be completely overthrown. For Lenin, women constituted an important and fundamental force in the proletarian struggle and their active participation was vital to the success of the revolution.

Lenin's emphasis on the revolutionary role of women is evident in his many writings and speeches. In his 1919 article "Soviet Power and the Status of Women", Lenin explicitly linked the emancipation of women to the broader proletarian revolution. "The proletariat cannot achieve complete freedom until it has achieved complete freedom for women," he said. This statement underscores Lenin's conviction that the struggle for women's emancipation is an integral part of the class struggle. The emancipation of women was not to be postponed until after the revolution; it was a task to be pursued with the same urgency and determination as the overthrow of the bourgeoisie.

In practical terms, Lenin's commitment to women's emancipation was reflected in the policies of the early Soviet state. Under Lenin's leadership, the Bolsheviks enacted some of the most progressive laws on women's rights the world had ever seen. These included the right to vote and be elected to public office, the right to divorce, the legalization of abortion and the establishment of public childcare facilities. These policies were not just reforms, but revolutionary actions aimed at overthrowing patriarchal structures that had been entrenched by centuries of bourgeois and feudal domination.

Fragmentation of the Classical, Feudal and Capitalist Formation of the Family

The most fundamental aspect of Lenin's approach to women's emancipation was his approach to the breakdown of the patriarchal family structure. Lenin understood that the family was a key institution in the reproduction of capitalist social relations. In its traditional form, the family was not only a unit of economic production, but also a mechanism for the ideological reproduction of reactionary values, including the subordination of women.

The Family Code of 1918, enacted under Lenin's leadership, was a direct challenge to the capitalist family structure. It introduced civil marriage and divorce, breaking the church's monopoly on family matters and establishing the legal equality of women within marriage. By making divorce accessible, the Soviet state sought to free women from oppressive marriages and affirm their autonomy. This was a radical departure from the prevailing norms in capitalist societies where women's legal and social status was largely defined by their roles as wives and mothers.

Lenin also saw the importance of integrating women's labor into a broader working society. The socialization of domestic labor was a key component of this strategy. The Soviet state established public childcare facilities, communal kitchens and laundries to free women from the burden of domestic work and enable them to participate fully in social, economic and political life. By transforming the material conditions of women's lives, Lenin's policies aimed to dismantle the capitalist family structure and thus undermine one of the foundations of capitalist exploitation.

The socialization of domestic labor remains a critical issue in women's liberation struggle today. Under capitalism, the burden of domestic work continues to fall disproportionately on women, perpetuating their economic dependence and limiting their participation in public life. Lenin's vision of the socialization of domestic labor offers a revolutionary alternative to this system, aiming to redistribute labor and resources in a way that liberates women from the constraints of the capitalist family structure.

Lenin's Revolutionary Critique

Lenin harshly criticized any movement that sought to achieve equality within the existing capitalist framework without challenging the fundamental class contradictions that perpetuate the oppression of women. He argued that movements that focus on achieving equality within the capitalist system are inherently limited because they do not address the root causes of women's oppression.

In his critique, Lenin emphasized that there can be no complete equality under capitalism and that only the overthrow of capitalism can bring complete liberation and emancipation from both economic and social oppression. According to Lenin, any movement that does not aim to abolish the capitalist system ultimately serves to maintain the structures of exploitation that underpin the subjugation of women.

Lenin's critique is still relevant today, especially in the context of movements aligned with capitalist interests. These movements tend to focus on issues such as institutional representation and individual empowerment, while ignoring the structural inequalities that affect the vast majority of women, especially those in the working class. Lenin's insistence on a class-based analysis of women's oppression offers a powerful critique of movements that fail to address the root causes of inequality.

Women's Emancipation and the Socialist State

Lenin's vision of women's emancipation was deeply linked to the creation of a socialist state, which he saw as the only force capable of eliminating the patriarchal capitalist structures that oppressed women. The first Soviet state under Lenin's leadership took important steps in this direction. The Family Code of 1918, which gave women equal rights in marriage and divorce, was a direct challenge to the patriarchal family structure. The legalization of abortion in 1920 was another revolutionary measure affirming women's control over their own bodies, in stark contrast to capitalist states where women's reproductive rights were heavily restricted.

But Lenin also recognized that legal changes alone were insufficient. He understood that to achieve real emancipation, the material conditions of women's lives had to be transformed. This included the socialization of domestic labour through the establishment of public childcare facilities, communal kitchens and laundries aimed at freeing women from the burden of domestic work and enabling them to participate fully in social, economic and political life.

Lenin's emphasis on the socialization of domestic labor is still relevant today, when women around the world continue to bear the burden of unpaid domestic work. The capitalist system relies on this unpaid labor to sustain itself, and any serious attempt to liberate women must address this issue by redistributing domestic labor through public services and social arrangements.

Historical Importance and Necessity of Autonomous Women's Organizations

One of Lenin's important contributions to the revolutionary struggle for women's liberation was his recognition of the importance of building autonomous women's organizations under the leadership of the Communist Party. Lenin understood that the specific forms of oppression women faced required specialized organizations that could focus on addressing these problems within the broader framework of the socialist revolution.

In a speech to the First All-Russian Congress of Working Women in 1918, Lenin emphasized the need for such organizations, saying: "It is not enough to proclaim the equality of men and women. We must go further and actively involve women in all spheres of life and create special structures that will enable them to become full participants in the revolution." Lenin's insistence on autonomous women's organizations stemmed from his understanding that women's emancipation required not only a general struggle against capitalism, but also a focused effort to dismantle the patriarchal structures that existed within the working class itself.

These autonomous women's organizations were very important for several reasons. First, they provided a platform for women to voice their specific needs and demands within the revolutionary movement. Second, they played a vital role in mobilizing women for the socialist cause and ensured that women were active participants in shaping the direction of the revolution and not just passive beneficiaries. Third, these organizations have been the most important tool in the fight against patriarchy, which persists in the ranks of the revolutionary movement.

The historical importance of these organizations cannot be underestimated. They were instrumental in the success of the Bolshevik Revolution and the consolidation of Soviet power. Zhenotdel, or the Women's Department of the Communist Party, played a crucial role in organizing women workers and peasants, educating them about their rights and involving them in the socialist project. Zhenotdel's work to promote literacy, health and social services for women laid the foundation for the wider socialization of domestic labour and the integration of women into the workforce.

The need for such organizations is all the more urgent today as capitalist exploitation and patriarchal oppression continue to shape women's lives globally. These organizations must be developed in each region, adapted to address women's specific conditions and struggles, while at the same time being firmly linked to the international communist movement.

Moreover, these organizations are essential to promote solidarity among women in the international communist movement. They enable the sharing of strategies, the coordination of actions and the building of a united front against fascism, capitalism and imperialism. By linking the struggles of women in different countries, these organizations help advance the international communist movement and strengthen the principle that women's liberation is inseparable from the struggle for communism.

As we face the challenges of the 21st century, the call for autonomous women's organizations aligned with the revolutionary goals of the Communist Party is not only a strategic necessity, but also an ideological imperative. These organizations will ensure that the struggle for women's liberation remains central to the revolutionary agenda and that women are at the forefront of the ongoing struggle against capitalism and patriarchy.

Based on this heritage and strengthening the struggle against patriarchy with the guiding principles of Maoism, our Party took decisions of historical importance for the women's liberation struggle at its 1st Congress in 2019 and decided to establish the Communist Women's Union (KKB) as an autonomous organization under the leadership of our Party.

The Relevance of Lenin's Approach Today

Lenin's analysis of the oppression of women and his revolutionary approach to women's liberation is as relevant today as it was a century ago. Capitalist exploitation and patriarchal conditions of oppression continue globally and in many cases are exacerbated under neoliberalism. Women continue to face wage inequalities, precarious working conditions and the double burden of paid and unpaid labor. The commodification of the female body through sectors such as surrogacy, sex work and cosmetic surgery is a striking reminder that the capitalist system continues to exploit women.

Lenin's insistence on the inseparability of women's liberation from class struggle provides a crucial framework for understanding and addressing these issues. Lenin's critique of reformist feminism is a warning against movements that seek to achieve equality within the confines of capitalism rather than challenge the system itself. Today, as in Lenin's time, women's emancipation can only be fully realized through the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a socialist society.

As Lenin wrote in 1920, "Without communism there can be no real, complete emancipation of women." This statement summarizes the essence of Lenin's approach to the women's question: real emancipation requires the total transformation of society, a task that can only be accomplished through revolutionary struggle.

In conclusion, Lenin's theoretical and practical contributions to the women's question remain indispensable for every revolutionary movement today. Lenin's analysis of the material foundations of women's oppression, his criticism of reformist approaches and his revolutionary policies provide a blueprint for the ongoing struggle to free women from the chains of capitalism and patriarchy. The establishment of autonomous women's organizations under the leadership of the Communist Party is essential for advancing this struggle and ensuring that women's liberation is at the forefront of the revolutionary agenda. As we continue this struggle, Lenin's words and actions are a powerful reminder that the struggle for women's liberation is and must always be a central part of the broader revolutionary movement.

TKP-ML (Communist Party of Turkey- Marxist Leninist)