Description
Book SynopsisAs economic citizenship was a pre-condition of full citizenship, the lack of economic autonomy was an important motivation during the early stages of the women's movement. Independent of their class background, women had less access to not only financial resources but also social and cultural capital, i.e., member's commitment. Resources are therefore of particular interest from a gender perspective, and this book sheds light on the importance of resources for women's struggles for political rights. Highlighting the financial strategies of the first wave of Swedish middle-class and socialist women's movements and comparing them with similar organizations in Germany, England, and Canada, the authors show the importance of class, gender, age, and the national context, offering a valuable contribution to the discussion of resource mobilization theories in the context of social movements.
Trade Review “This richly-documented volume raises questions of great interest to feminist historians and students of social movements. It employs a variety of sources that historians will appreciate and demonstrates a familiarity with the literature on social mobilization and on feminism that will appeal to sociologists and political scientists. It contributes to ongoing scholarly discussions and provides an important comparative perspective.” · Michael Hanagan, Vassar College
Table of Contents List of Figures and Tables
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction: Funding women’s political struggle – a matter of gender and class?
- Collective action and resources – earlier research
- Women’s mobilising, class, resources and political opportunities – our theoretical point of departure
- Comparing the Swedish case
- Economic and politic citizenship in Sweden
- Sources
- Disposition
Chapter 1. The Fredrika Bremer Association 1884-1925
- The start up
- Ideas and agendas
- New leadership and new directions
- Summary
Chapter 2. A ‘Bourgeois’ pioneer’s purse
- Income
- Membership fees
- Bequests and donations
- Fundraising sales
- Lotteries
- State subsidies and supporting organisations
- Outlays
- Premises
- Meetings
- Administration, political work and enlightenment
- The voice of the organisation
- A periodical as a philanthropic project
- Manifestations
- Assets and liabilities
- Loan funds
- Bonds, real estates and shares
- Summarising conclusion
Chapter 3. Human resources in the Fredrika Bremer Association
- Mobilising – the value of members
- Giving their time, commitment and skills
- Useful contacts in Parliament and Government
- Publicity
- Feminist and philanthropic networks within Sweden
- Feminist networks outside Sweden
- Summarising conclusions
Chapter 4. Social democratic women
- The road to integrated separatism - women in the Swedish SAP
- Earlier research
- Forms and phases of the Swedish social democratic movement
- 1880-1906: the paradox of gender unity and the mobilization of consensus
- 1906-1930: organising separately
- Breaktrough from 1933
- Agendas and strategies
- Summary
Chapter 5. The price of turning women into socialists
- Sources of income
- Contributions from the labour movement
- Membership fees
- Extra income
- Spending
- Mobilising members and voters
- Investments in education
- Morgonbris - the voice of social democratic women in Sweden- nearly an affiliated company
- Administration
- Getting together - meetings
- Labour Day, Birthdays and Funerals - Times for manifestations
- Allocating money
- Financial strategies: a summary
- Class, gender and separatism - three factors in the financial strategies of socialist women’s movements
Chapter 6. Human resources in social democratic women’s organizations
- The magic of number
- Giving their time, commitment and skills
- Access to parliaments and government
- Publicity
- Cross-class sisters? Cooperation among Swedish women’s organisations
- International connections
- Compensating lack of education and money
- The price of organising separately and the income from being integrated
Conclusion: Gendered Money
- Income
- Independence through membership fees
- Donations, bequests and successful coalitions
- From needle-works to lotteries
- Spending
- Feminist activists as economic agents
- Compensating the lack of money to keep the organization going
- How did resources matter for Swedish Feminist politics?
- The costs of gendered citizenship?
- The resources mobilization theory and women’s organising
Bibliography
Index
