Equivocal feminists takes a new look at the relationship between socialism and feminism in the years before the First World War. The book presents a detailed examination of a neglected organisation - the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), Britain's first Marxist party. It reassesses the history of the SDF, exploring for the first time SDF ideas and practice on issues such as marriage and 'free love', women and work, and the suffrage. It goes on to look at the party's attitudes to women as potential socialists, its understanding of women's politicisation, and the roles women took within the party. Dr Hunt shows how the SDF came to equivocate officially on the woman question and how this shaped what it meant to be a socialist woman in the following years.

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. The Woman Question: The Theory: 1. The contribution of the founding fathers; 2. The SDF's understanding of the woman question; 3. Understanding the SDF and the woman question; Part II. The SDF and the Woman Question: The Theory and Practice of the Party on Aspects of the Woman Question: 4. The politics of the private sphere; 5. Women and work; 6. The suffrage; Part III. Women and the SDF: The Practical Implications of the SDF's Understanding of the Woman Question: 7. The SDF's attitude to women as potential socialists; 8. Women SDFers and their role in the party; 9. The organisation of the women within the SDF; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.