Constitutions are the fundamental laws of states and feminists have utilised them to further their struggles against their historical social subordination and achieve significant reforms. Although feminist struggles have had some success, indicatively in fields such as suffrage and reproductive autonomy, the foundation of liberal, bourgeois constitutionalism has remained unchanged. The Western, liberal state remains gendered and is anchored in a patriarchal society and the public-private dichotomy that perpetuates women’s subordination. Following a post-Marxist, radical democratic theory, this thesis critiques the scholarship of feminist constitutionalism and its emphasis on the state’s “transformation” through constitutional reforms aiming to represent women’s “common identity” as inherently different to men. By critically examining two institutions of the capitalist state, namely the United States president and the British monarch as heads of state, this thesis aims to explicate how these institutions generate consensus towards a hegemonic system of ideas which encompasses traditional gender identities. By shining a light on the importance of preserving traditional gender roles for capitalist dominance, this thesis will demonstrate that Western, liberal constitutionalism cannot guarantee women’s emancipation. Instead, the thesis proposes the development of a revolutionary feminism positioned within the class struggle which will challenge the capitalist state and its reproduction of women’s subordination.
Between subordination and emancipation: feminism, constitutionalism, and radical democracy
Kourbelis, A. (Author). 2024
Western Sydney University thesis: Master's thesis