November 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women. ---- Despite decades of battles, street protests,international treaties, and awareness campaigns, violence against women,
unfortunately, remains a structural phenomenon: even today, one in three
women worldwide experiences violence (WHO data), and this figure may
even be underestimated because male violence against women is a
multifaceted and often hidden phenomenon.
Indeed, gender violence takes many forms-physical, economic,
psychological, sexual-that are often subtle and difficult to identify.
What is certain, however, is that the same mechanism is always at the
root of these manifestations: a system of male domination that aims to
maintain control and power, denying women rights, autonomy, and dignity.
Gender-based violence is a complex and deeply rooted phenomenon in our
culture and society that affects women of all ages, ethnicities,
education levels, and social classes. There is no "typical victim,"
although there are obviously factors that can make some women more at
risk, such as poverty, age, disability, or a migrant background. At the
root of this violence are undoubtedly gender roles and the accompanying
stereotypes that have created a hierarchy between men and women that
places men in positions of power and control, relegating women to
subordinate roles.
This system has a name: patriarchy.
Patriarchy is not a legacy of the past, but a mechanism still deeply
rooted in our society. It continues to manifest itself in many ways,
ranging from gender-based violence to wage inequality, including
persistent cultural and social stereotypes such as the view of women as
"naturally" submissive and predisposed to all the activities necessary
for the maintenance of life: domestic work, care, education, workforce
regeneration, etc.
Patriarchy and Capital:
A Structural Relationship
Patriarchy and capitalism are structurally intertwined, with capital
having integrated and reshaped pre-existing patriarchal logics to adapt
them to its needs in a relationship of mutual dependence that is
expressed both in the economic sphere and in social dynamics.
The gendered division of labor and the subordination of women are not
elements parallel to capital, but rather constitutive of its
functioning. In particular, the reproductive and care work traditionally
performed by women has been "invisibleized," presenting it as "natural"
or tied to affection. This, too, becomes a more subtle form of violence
that seeks to deny that these activities are, in fact, an indispensable
part of the capitalist production cycle.
Making social reproduction visible and recognizing its value means
disarming one of the foundations of patriarchy and capital, and it means
bringing to light a significant aspect of violence against women.
It is necessary to forcefully reiterate the link between capitalism and
patriarchy, and that the latter will not be defeated as long as the
capitalist model exists. This also prevents attitudes and considerations
like those made by Minister Valditara, who declared that "patriarchy no
longer exists, sexual violence is increasing because of immigration,"
continuing the biased and racist discourse that accompanies this
government's actions.
According to Valditara, patriarchy disappeared years ago, particularly
with the 1975 family law reform, and therefore we should stop pretending
not to see how "sexual violence is linked to phenomena of
marginalization resulting from illegal immigration." Unfortunately, just
a few months after the passage of this law, one of the most brutal
femicides, known as the Circeo massacre, was committed, and it was
committed by very Italian children of Rome's "upper middle class."
Statements of this kind perfectly reflect the propaganda of a racist
government that, rather than addressing gender violence at its root
through welfare programs that encourage women's autonomy, nurseries,
equitable maternity leave for both parents, concrete solutions for
resolving domestic violence, educational programs in schools and
elsewhere, and the implementation of local health centers, is instead
committed to promoting security-based solutions and birth control
policies, effectively denying the right to abortion to an
ever-increasing number of women, and closing borders. Even in the media,
sexual violence is primarily portrayed as physical, explicit, and
visible, often perpetrated by strangers in fortuitous circumstances. But
this narrative seeks to portray gender violence as an occasional
occurrence, perhaps avoidable with "appropriate" behavior, almost
blaming the victim. On the contrary, the majority of violence is
committed by partners and ex-partners, friends, relatives, and
acquaintances, therefore in contexts where the victim felt safe:
precisely what Minister Valditara's comment was intended to mystify.
Even the Prime Minister herself seeks to create connections between
immigration and gender violence, legitimizing outright racist
propaganda. Such statements are not new, and are not unique to this
government, but are the fruit and demonstration of the predominant role
that Italy's colonial history still plays in our society today.
Comparing immigrants to rapists is just one of the many mechanisms used
to dehumanize people of color, with the intent of identifying "the
other" as a dangerous enemy and thus justifying discrimination and
exploitation.
Feminism and Class Struggle
On this November 25th, it is crucial to once again emphasize how gender
violence is the result of a deeply rooted patriarchal model and, at the
same time, a class issue.
Intersectional feminism teaches us that we are not all the same,
precisely because gender violence is located at the intersection of
class violence, and in turn, for women of color, for example, racist
violence is added to this intersection.
An intersectional approach is therefore essential to better understand
power dynamics and thus seek common responses: oppressions of gender,
race, and class are intertwined in systems of capitalist exploitation,
and the struggles that arise from these oppressions cannot be considered
parallel, but convergent.
The conditions of labor exploitation, wage inequality, and the
subordination of many women, especially poor and racialized women, make
it more difficult to escape situations of violence, both domestic and
otherwise. This is why there can be no feminist struggle that is not
also, necessarily, a class and anti-racist struggle. Today, more than
ever, it is timely to say that there is no revolution without feminism,
there is no feminism without revolution.
In conclusion, that women are victims of a patriarchal system is not a
fantasy or an opinion to be believed or not: it is the fundamental fact
from which feminism must begin its analysis and, above all, to develop a
plan of struggle. And considering that this violence is continually
reproduced by the system, it is not simply a matter of reforming it and
perhaps obtaining some more favorable laws, but of overthrowing and
changing it to nip at the root the reproduction of the patriarchal and
chauvinistic culture whose most brutal product is femicide.
https://alternativalibertaria.fdca.it/
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