Feminism for the 99% A Manifesto

The organizers of the International Women’s Strike “cut through the corporate feminist ‘Lean In’ noise to offer a feminism rooted not just in intersectionality . . . but also in economic justice”—for readers of Roxane Gay and Rebecca Solnit (Vogue).

Feminism shouldn’t start—or stop—with seeing women represented at the top of society. It should start with the 99%.

Unaffordable housing, poverty wages, inadequate healthcare, border policing, climate change—these are not what you ordinarily hear feminists talking about. But aren’t they the biggest issues for the vast majority of women around the globe?

Taking as its inspiration the new wave of feminist militancy that has erupted globally, this manifesto makes a simple but powerful case: feminism shouldn’t start—or stop—with the drive to have women represented at the top of their professions. It must focus on those at the bottom, and fight for the world they deserve. And that means targeting capitalism. Feminism must be anticapitalist, eco-socialist and antiracist.

Cinzia Arruzza is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research. She was one of the main organizers of the International Women’s Strike in the United States and is a member of the editorial collective of Viewpoint Magazine.

Tithi Bhattacharya is Associate Professor and Director of Global Studies at Purdue University. She was one of the main organizers of the International Women’s Strike in the United States and is on the editorial board of the International Socialist Review.

Nancy Fraser is Henry and Louise A. Loeb Professor of Philosophy and Politics at the New School for Social Research. A vocal supporter of the International Women’s Strike, she coined the phrase “feminism for the 99 percent.”