First Congress of the Communist International

Resolution on the Role of Working Women


Source: Theses Resolutions and Manifestos of the First Four Congress of the Third International, translated by Alix Holt and Barbara Holland. Ink Links 1980;
Transcribed: by Andy Blunden.


6 March, 1919, submitted by Kollontai

The Congress of the Communist International states that the success of all the tasks it has set itself, as well as the final victory of the world proletariat and the final abolition of the capitalist system, can be ensured only through the common joint struggle of working men and women. The enormous increase in female labour in all branches of the economy; the fact that at least half of all the wealth in the world is produced by female labour; in addition, the important part, recognised by all, which women workers play in the construction of the new communist society, in particular in the passage to communist living conditions, in the reform of family life and in the realisation of a socialist, community education for children, the goal of which will be to turn out hard-working citizens, imbued with the spirit of solidarity, for the Council Republic – all that imposes on all parties adhering to the Communist International the pressing duty to stretch all their forces and energies in order to win working women to the Party and to use every means in order to educate them in the meaning of the new society and to apply communist ethics to social and family life.

The dictatorship of the proletariat can be achieved and maintained only with the energetic and active participation of working women.