From Thatcher in England to Berbock in Germany – the joy and satisfaction of seeing a woman in a leadership position is usually short-lived, overshadowed by the actions, words and patriarchal behavior of the female leaders. This euphoria and disappointment could have been avoided if feminism had been understood as a movement aimed at eliminating systems of oppression and domination that discriminate on the basis of gender. However, this struggle cannot be sincere if it disregards other forms of oppression such as colonialism, racism and class exploitation.
If feminism is truly a liberation movement, how can it remain hostile or neutral to the Palestinian cause, one of the most prominent issues of colonial oppression in modern times? How can it claim to support women when it contributes to the oppression of migrant women within Western societies?
How "white feminism" reproduces colonialism
Although feminist movements have emerged in different contexts, "white feminism" – the dominant current in the West – has often appropriated a rhetoric of liberation that does not include all women. It focuses on issues such as equal pay and labor rights while ignoring the double oppression faced by non-white women, migrant women and women in colonized societies.
White feminism reproduces colonialism by considering a Western model of liberation as the only legitimate one, marginalizing alternative conceptions of freedom. Women in non-Western societies are often portrayed as helpless victims who need to be "saved", without their own choices or contexts being taken into account. This rhetoric is not much different from the justification of colonialism, which claimed that indigenous peoples needed to be "civilized".
Colonialism as a male system and colonized societies as feminized subjects
From a gender perspective, colonialism has a male-dominated structure: The colonial power occupies the position of the dominant man, while the colonized peoples are treated as weak, feminized subjects who need control and guidance.
Colonialism is not just the occupation of land, but a system based on violence, paternalism and exploitation – characteristics that are also found in patriarchy. While patriarchal structures place women under the authority of men, colonialism forces colonized societies into dependency on the colonial power.
Palestine as a touchstone for a truly liberating feminism
If feminism is truly about dismantling systems of oppression, then it cannot ignore the Palestinian question, where colonialism, racism, militarization and gender-based violence intersect. Palestinian women face not only gender-based discrimination, but also a military occupation that compounds their social and economic vulnerabilities. Militarization impacts women in particular ways, subjecting them to arbitrary arrests, forced displacement, and home demolitions that further worsen their living conditions.
Nevertheless, many Western feminist movements either ignore the Palestinian question or even support the Israeli occupation under the pretext of "women's rights", without recognizing that the occupation itself is a major cause of violence against Palestinian women.
The oppression of migrant women
Alongside the toleration of colonial oppression, white feminism plays a central role in the marginalization of migrant women in Western societies. Although it purports to support all women, it often ignores or even indirectly supports racist policies that affect migrant women.
Many feminist movements in Europe advocate for women's rights in the workplace, but remain silent on the exploitation of migrant women in low-wage sectors such as domestic work or factories, where they are repeatedly abused and have no legal protection. At the same time, restrictive laws prevent migrant women from establishing a stable legal existence, making them even more vulnerable to exploitation.
A particularly clear example is laws that are directed against Muslim women, such as the ban on headscarves in public institutions in some European countries. These laws are sold as "emancipatory measures", but in reality serve to exclude Muslim women from the public sphere and to restrict their educational and employment opportunities. These policies are not much different from patriarchal structures dictating what women should wear and how they should live, only this time they are being enforced in the name of feminism.
Real feminism cannot be neutral
Real liberation cannot be achieved independently of the struggles of all the oppressed. A movement that purports to fight discrimination but ignores or even supports systems of colonial and racist oppression is not credible. The Palestinian cause is not a sideshow for feminism – it is a test of its credibility: is feminism truly a liberation movement or just another instrument of global oppression? Likewise, feminism cannot be credible if it ignores migrant women or legitimizes racist laws that discriminate against them. A feminism that does not stand up for all women – regardless of their ethnic origin, residence status or cultural identity – is just another form of hegemony masquerading as progress.
In conclusion, feminism is not isolated from other struggles for liberation, but part of a broader struggle against systems of oppression, be it colonialism, racism or class exploitation. A feminism that ignores Palestine or legitimizes the oppression of migrant women contributes to maintaining the structures it claims to fight against. A true feminism cannot be neutral – it must be on the side of the oppressed, wherever they are and regardless of the form of oppression to which they are subjected.
