Margaret Cowl, of the Labor Research Association and early leading Communist woman, decries the lack of movement in implementing work among women, citing both ideological and organizational problems withing the Party as well as their solution in this valuable look at the state of the Communist women’s movement in the U.S. during the 1920s.

‘Win the Women for Communism!’ by Margaret Cowl from The Daily Worker. Vol. 3 No. 279.  December 9, 1926.

COMMUNIST work among women in our party has been moving as with leaden feet. With the exception of some work done among housewives we can register few results. We must examine the reasons why the work has not made progress.

Among the several reasons for the slowness to gain results is that instead of building the party apparatus simultaneously with work to be performed, we left this important sphere of work to the most inexperienced section of the party–the housewives. By not giving utmost attention to work among the women in the factories from the very start proves that we did not fully understand the nature of Communist work among women. We have now given this latter work theoretical recognition and there are indications that the party is seriously planning to properly place work among women in shops and trade unions.

Many Don’t Understand.

THERE are still quite a number of comrades, specially women comrades active in the trade unions who have not gotten rid of the “housewife character” of work among the women.

Even now, when we are attempting to build the party apparatus for women’s work, almost in every instance it is necessary to explain to the comrades that women’s work is a part of the general party work and that the most important part of Communist work among women is the work among the women in the factories and trade unions as the more important section of the working class women, therefore, women’s work is not to be limited to the women comrades who do not work in the factories for a wage. Out of this ideological confusion we are slowly evolving into systematically planned work, with purposeful leadership.

THE comrades on the District Executive Committee of the Party in New York are now paying more attention to Communist work among women and have placed work in the shops and the trade unions as the first order for this work. The work is now recognized as an important department of the party by the leading party committees in New York. Our task now is to carry this understanding down to the ranks in the party.

Party Apparatus.

IN our practical work among the housewives it has been proven that unless we build the party apparatus, unless we furnish the motor power, the entire works will not move in the direction we want it to. Much energy spent by a few comrades resulted in a splendid organization in one instance, but the entire work went under because the party members were not mobilized to give it life.

In New York the D.E.C. has built up a district committee for work among women under the direct supervision of the D.E.C. of the party. The executives of some of the committees of the subsections of the party have appointed one of their members to be responsible for work among the women. The units in the party have not yet appointed comrades for this task. No plans of actual work have been submitted to the subsections, that is why the party has not functioned in this work. However, these plans are being drawn up by the District Women’s Committee.

Organization.

THE District Women’s Committee has subdivided itself into three main sections with a chairman for each subdivision: 1. Work among the women in the shops and the trade unions. 2. Work among the housewives and non-party organizations. 3. Educational and Research Committee. Each subdivision has been instructed to enlarge itself by drawing in comrades interested in the different work. The District Women’s Committee meets twice monthly where the reports and the plans for future work by the subcommittees are taken up. The District Women’s Committee calls conferences of party subsection functionaries on work among the women thru the party district office where a representative of the Party D.E.C. is one of the speakers. The party sub-section functionaries for work among women call meetings of similar functionaries from the lower units of their party subsection where a representative of the District Women’s Committee is present. Forms and methods for mass work for every party unit and especially for the shop nuclei are the chief points on the order of business at these subsection meetings.

The apparatus as described is absolutely necessary within the framework of the party if we are to win the masses of women away from the domination of the bourgeoisie and mobilize them for the struggles of the workers and bring the best of them into the party.

Work in Shops and Trade Unions.

EACH party fraction in the trade unions appoints a comrade as head of women’s work. Machinery for this work is established as follows: The subcommittee for work among women in the shops and the trade unions which consists of several members of the District Women’s Committee calls a conference thru the Party Industrial Department of the heads for women’s work from all the party fractions in the trade unions, party subsection organizers for work among women and comrades in large unorganized shops where there are no shop nuclei. This conference elects several comrades who together with the subcommittee make up the executive committee for work among the women in the shops and the trade unions. This committee is subordinate to the District Women’s Committee. These conferences are called periodically. The conference divides its work into two main parts: 1. Among the women in the trade unions. 2. Among women in unorganized industries.

Special Means Necessary.

BESIDES the work based on the specific situation in the given trade union, special means of approach to women must be mapped out for stirring the women in the trade unions into activity to organize the unorganized women; create sentiment and activity for national and world trade union unity; labor party; for a working women’s delegation to Soviet Russia; to get the women into the left wing and into the trade unions. Such insignificant numbers of women are in the trade unions, such small numbers are in the left wing movement, which proves that a special means of approach is necessary.

Simultaneous with the above, forms and methods of work must be planned for work thru the left wing in the trade unions. We must strive to establish a women’s department in the official publication of the left wing movement.

Some of the issues for work among the women in factories should be: Unemployment, wages, hours of work, legislation for the protection of working women, equal pay for equal work, child labor, struggle for demands and organization into trade unions, protection of the mother, etc.

Each shop nucleus must know the conditions of women in its shop, the needs and demands of the women and base its work accordingly.

Out of this work must come the organization of women’s factory circles. These circles are non-party organizations. The shop nucleus functions thru these circles.

Women’s Delegate Meetings.

AFTER some agitation and propaganda is carried on thru these circles a women’s delegate meeting is called of representatives from shops, factories, trade unions and housewives organizations. These delegate meetings must be periodical with the same delegates attending for at least six months in succession. The delegates report back to their electors on the work of the meetings. These meeting’s are not purely for organizing the unorganized women into the trade unions as some comrades believe; the women’s delegate meetings are a political institution. The women’s delegate meetings are an important factor in Communist work among women. The party must conduct an ideological campaign to popularize and acquaint the comrades with the nature and significance of women’s delegate meetings. We will be confronted with the organization of these meetings, therefore must understand them thoroughly. It is not so easy to organize delegate meetings. We must first gain contact with women workers in shops, especially in important shops. We must do much preliminary work, otherwise our delegate meetings will not be a success.

Organize Correspondents.

For this purpose we must organize a cadre of women worker correspondents (party and non-party) to publish a bulletin to reflect the life of the women in the factories. This bulletin must be distributed to women in factories and must help to secure contact with the women in the shops and factories. It must contain the actual and true condition of the women in the shops. This bulletin must serve the purpose of paving the way for women’s delegate meetings. Shop nuclei, factory district nuclei and trade unions must especially be interested in the getting up and distribution of the bulletin. The housewives also can be utilized in the distribution of this bulletin to the women in the factories.

Work Among Housewives.

THE housewife does not take direct active part in the class struggle, but nevertheless is an important factor in the struggle of the workers. She is an influence upon the activities of the husband and the lives of the children. If properly approached the housewife can be made an aide in the class struggle on the side of the workers.

The forms of work are the housewives’ circles organized in the neighborhood on some specific issue as high rents, poor housing, schools, high prices, etc. Or an issue evolving from a strike like helping to combat scabbery, relief work, against injunctions to picket, etc. It is surprising what success is achieved in organizing the housewife on these issues. The more difficult task is to keep the housewife organized. This success will depend largely on the capability of the District Women’s Committee to map out the necessary plans of work for these organizations.

Women’s Auxiliaries.

ANOTHER important question in regard to the housewife that will have to come up in the near future is the organization and work of women’s auxiliaries in the trade unions and the organization of wives and relatives of workers around the factories and shops where these workers are employed.

It is our experience that proletarian housewives detest the word “housewife.” This is a reaction to the intolerable drudgery conditions of the proletarian housewife. We should consider the question of whether it would be better to find new terminology for this work.

The housewife circles that have been organized send delegates to a district periodical meeting which elects an executive committee to conduct the work in the district. The housewives sub-committee of the party district women’s committee directs this work.

Mobilize Into United Front.

MANY comrades seek for some special issues to start women’s work. The work can very well be started by linking it up with the general campaigns put forth by the party. One of the immediate tasks is to acquaint ourselves with the psychology of American working women; we must know the role played by American working women in the American class struggle; we must know what industries the women work in and their needs and demands. Some of this information we will get thru our work among the women, but the research department of the party must help in getting this data.

The Final Result.

COMMUNIST work among the women must finally result in organizing the women into the organizations of the working class and especially into the trade unions and the more conscious of them into the party. The special forms of organization set up for women’s work must be considered only as a special means to approach the masses of women, to include them into large sections of the united front of the working class and the struggle against capitalism.

Party National Conference.

COMMUNIST work among women is a new field of work. Comrades should be encouraged to write up their experiences in this work and publish same in the party press so that other sections of the party may profit from these experiences.

There are not as yet “specialists” on women’s work in the party. One of the best ways to work out policies and plans for this work is the convocation of a national conference of heads for work among women. It is the important task of the party to call such a conference.