Patriarchal capitalism creates gender oppression. “Breaking the glass ceiling” puts emphasis on the monetary value of working-class women, women of color, and trans people rather than the holistic equality needed in our society. Industries dominated by those who identify as female, such as teaching, nursing and childcare, are undervalued and underpaid. And let’s not forget the thousands of hours of unpaid caregiving, childcare and domestic responsibilities our society places on our femme comrades. Our rights and the subsequent stripping away of reproductive choice is enmeshed with patriarchy’s and capitalism’s need to control how we live our lives. 

As socialists we must support and fight for strong unions that have done the most to equalize wages and power between all genders in the workplace. We must strengthen and safeguard the resources and policies that maintain our socialist feminist vision while also reimagining and implementing institutional and societal change.