A feminist economic view about The Occupy Movement in Us
First published 01-24-2012
In September 2011, the Occupy Movement was born when protesters took over Zuccotti Park in New York City in the shadows of Wall Street. While this occupation – known as Occupy Wall Street (OWS)– became the best known, it was only the beginning. Soon, everywhere occupiers took over parks and other spaces not only in the United States, but around the world. And it is not only geographic spaces that have become occupied. My favorites are Occupy Economics (described here by Nancy Folbre) and OWS’s Occupied Wall Street Journal. What made the Occupy Movement spread like wildfire was the message that something is deeply wrong about extreme inequality in America. It has become clear to many that the economic and political power held by the very, very wealthiest (the 1%) is bad for economic growth and bad for democracy. “We Are the 99%” has become a powerful and simple rallying cry of the movement. While I and many others have been writing and talking about inequality for years, I am humbly that knowledge and good information is crucial and necessary, but without any political movements it is not sufficient to affect social change.
I am a feminist economist who has spent decades researching, doing policy work, and advocating about improving the economic resources available to low-income women, especially mothers, in the United States. I have written scholarly articles and books on this and also published in the popularly-written magazine Dollars and Sense. Needless to say, I was thrilled about the Occupy Movement and very proud of Occupy Boston (where I live). But, I’m in my 50s and am one of those lucky enough to have full-time employment (that fully occupies my time) so was not one of those who occupied and lived in a tent. My view comes from the throngs that supported the occupiers.
What I loved about OWS (and all the other Occupy places/things) is how quickly it spread, how deeply the 99% theme resonated with so many people, and how the movement very quickly changed the political conversation in the United States. Almost from the beginning, the media was surprising sympathetic and even surprised to find people of all ages at the Occupy sites during the day and were supportive of the occupiers. The talk about how important it is to reduce the deficit by slashing public services and old age support and health care virtually stopped. Taxing the rich (something we are not very good at in the United States) was all of sudden back on the agenda.
An interesting component of the Occupy areas was that they were both very organized and decentralized. The larger Occupy sites had quickly organized a food tent, a medical tent, a library, a media tent, and meditation tent. Most decisions were made at open General Assembly (GA) meetings held several times a week. I remember participating in many meetings in the 1970s when consensus decision- making ruled the day. It is often an exhausting experience and frustrating as well since it takes only one person to block forward movement. Still, it has the potential to make sure everyone who wants to be heard is heard and can lead to deeper commitment and “ownership” of decisions.
And while the Occupy Movement with its horizontal organizational style gets criticized for being too idealistic and not demanding anything in particular, this overlooks the movement’s goals and the achievements. Early on, Occupy Boston organized a Free University with daily speakers and educational events. In most cities the Occupiers (and their supporters) organized specific actions, usually in coordination with other activists groups. Occupier marched in support of striking workers, in support of mothers trying to keep their schools from closing, against racial profiling, and against evictions. Even without physical places to occupy, the Occupy Movement continues marching on the White House and other venues.
OK, so what about women and the Occupy Movement? Well, this question is not easy to answer. Certainly women have been active participants as occupiers (i.e. stayed overnight) and who helped organize. Most of those who occupied 24 hours (as opposed to those who came to support, participate in particular activities) were typically people in the 20s and 30s, unemployed and/or homeless people (of which the United States has quite a few, especially in cities). However, a hallmark of the Occupy Movement is not to elevate any particular leaders and spokespersons, so that makes it harder to gauge the strength of women’s or men’s voices. Unfortunately, there have been reports of women feeling like they weren’t being heard or represented at the GAs. There were also reports of women being harassed at occupy sites and accounts of women feeling unsafe at night. I had heard the same concerns from members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. I guess the 99% movement is in some ways like the 99% of the population.
Most of the Occupy groups do not specifically take on key issues facing women such as more affordable and quality child care, assuring reproductive rights (which are under attack in a serious way in the United States), reducing poverty, and demands for equal pay (there is a Occupy Women facebook page and Women Occupy tumblr) But then again, the Occupy Movement has been generally adverse to making any specific demands. Further, many of the issues around inequality that the Occupy Movement are talking about acutely affect women. For example, student debt is a key issue at the occupy sites and more women than men go to college in the US and women take on more debt than do men.
Sadly, mayors of the Occupy cities (who are usually Democrats and somewhat sympathetic to the issues raised) have all successfully evacuated the spaces the occupiers were occupying. Sometimes this was done violently (Oakland, CA), rudely (NYC), or peacefully (Boston). But regardless of the method, that phase of the Occupy Movement seems over. In my part of the country winter is long and cold, so camping out was probably not a good strategy in any event. I, and many others, hope the Occupy Movement will continue to reinvent itself, especially before the Presidential election in November, to make sure the issues about how the wealthy have subverted democracy and economic opportunity are up front.
Most days, I am optimistic about women’s concerns being addressed in the Occupy Movement since I think it really is a “big tent” and that reductions in economic inequality with help women. I sometimes think that there is a distinctly middle class bent, which ignores the long-standing issues associated with poverty, especially issues of racial and gender injustice. Still, I stand with the 99% and make sure the door stays open to addressing equality for all.
