Hi and welcome to the discussion post for our first book, Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto by Cinzia Arruzza, Tithi Bhattacharya, and Nancy Fraser! Blanket CW for discussions of sexual assault and misogyny.

I think this a pretty straightforward little text, but I wanted to summarise the main + interesting points below, as I understood them, and then add a few general discussion questions. Feel free to go in a different direction or discuss the concept of a "feminism for the 99%" more generally.

In essence, this is a manifesto advocating for a feminism that is explicitly left-wing and anti-capitalist. It asks us to reject liberal, "lean-in" feminism which offers only "equal opportunity domination." Most of the book consists of the 11 propositions arguing for a feminism for the 99%:

• Thesis 1: Strikes! The authors describe a new wave of women-led strikes over the last few years. These strikes focus not only on wage labour but the "gendered, unpaid work" done primarily by women in capitalist society.
• T2: Fuck liberal feminism! We must reject market-centric views of equality, which ask for parity only with men within their own class. This "lean-in" feminism leans on labour by working class women, especially women of colour.
• T3: Our feminism must be anti-capitalist! The focus cannot be only on legal issues: e.g. abortion being legal is not enough if there is no fair access to abortion clinics and doctors remain discriminatory. We must focus on paid work and unpaid work, be anti-imperialist, and inclusive to all.
• T4: The root cause of the crisis is capitalism! Self-explanatory. In particular, the earth itself is threatened by capitalism.
• T5: Gender oppression under capitalism is rooted in the subordination of social reproduction to profit! Less catchy lol, but the heart of the book as I understand it. Misogyny is hardwired into the structure of capitalism. It separates "people making" (both in the biological sense and raising them, caring for them, etc) from "profit making". Capitalism relies on gender roles: people making, which is still done primarily by women, is unpaid or underpaid. If a woman doesn't do the people making herself, she generally relies on women from a lower class (esp. immigrants) to toil for her. Moreover, capitalism encourages women to create the "right" sort of people - heteronormative and fitting the gender binary, submissive workers, willing soldiers. "The bulk of the global working class is made up of migrants, racialised people, cis and trans women, disabled people". Class struggle therefore necessarily includes struggle over social reproduction.
• T6: Fuck gender violence! 38% of murdered women are murdered by their own SOs. Fragile masculinity causes men to lash out. What used to be "political" male violence, done by male elders in a society has mostly become "private" - though note abuse by doctors, mass rape during war, etc. Otoh "carceral feminism" does not offer a solution: working class and racialised men are over-represented, and there is little help for women to get out of an abusive situation.
• T7: Liberate sexuality! We must reject both sexual reaction (religious, conservative, authoritarian, incels) and sexual liberalism (normalising LGBTQ+ people within capitalism, pinkwashing war crimes, leaving the role of family unchallenged, and encouraging women to "own their sexuality" while still centering men). "Sex sells"; capitalism is becoming increasingly ok with non-conformism as long as we conform at the mall. A feminism for the 99% must be radical in its approach, drawing on Stonewall, sex-positive feminists like Kollontai, etc.
• T8: Anti-racism, anti-colonialism! Authors acknowledge that (white) feminism has traditionally sucked at this. Too often, it has focused on the white middle-class women - e.g. focusing on the right of women to work, as though everyone was a housewife. We cannot use feminism to justify racism and Islamophobia. Our oppression assumes different forms!
• T9: Pro eco-socialism! Women are 80% of climate refugees. We must refuse to separate ecological issues from issues of social reproduction.
• T10: Feminist internationalism! "There is nothing feminist about ruling-class women who do the dirty work of bombing other countries"; solidarity with women oppressed by capitalism, not warmongers in skirts.
• T11: Solidarity with other radical movements! Self-explanatory. We cannot do this alone.

The book then goes into a further discussion of the "social reproduction contradiction" (contradictions in the Marxist sense). Capitalism cannot function without social reproduction, and yet little economic value is placed on social reproduction under capitalism. The authors bring in the concept of the "second shift". Women have been "liberated" in the sense that they can now go to work, but many must then come home and do a "second shift" of housework and emotional care. Again, if they are not doing this second shift, it generally falls on other underpaid women, who may also then be relying on even more underpaid women, in "global care chains".

Possible topics for discussion:

• General impressions of the book? Agree, disagree? Was it all very obvious or did you learn something? Anything in particular stand out?
• Thoughts on liberal feminism vs leftist feminism/feminism for the 99%? Doesn't have to be book related, I think it'd be cool to hear people's personal takes.
• Thoughts on social reproduction? Do you agree with the concept or not? Have you noticed yourself or (other) women in your life having to take on the second shift? Do you feel there is a difference between generations here or does social reproduction remain as heavily gendered among young people?