she will be, what she will do, how she will live--all will
depend upon one great fact, the greatest fact in Socialism--a fact
which constitutes Socialism--namely, that she will be economically
free."[957] "The new order will make husband and wife equals simply by
enabling the wife to earn her living by fitting employment."[958] "A
living will be assured to every woman."[959] "In the new community
woman is entirely independent, a free being, the equal of man. Her
education is the same as that of man except where the difference of
sex makes a deviation from this rule and special treatment absolutely
unavoidable. She works under exactly the same conditions as a
man."[960] "Under a Socialist _regime_ every profession will be open
to women as to men."[961] "Socialism means enfranchising them, giving
them the vote, so that they can lift their voice alongside with men's
voice and fight with the same weapon for a better, happier
life."[962] "It is only by removing the disabilities and restraints
imposed upon woman, and permitting her to enter freely into
competition with men in every sphere of human activity, that her true
position and function in the economy of life will ultimately be
ascertained."[963] "Socialism alone offers woman complete economic
emancipation, with all that that implies. It provides her with
suitable work, and it pays her exactly as men are paid. It educates
her as men are educated, and protects her in pregnancy with tender
regard; and, in so doing, Socialism will raise the whole level of
society to a height of moral grandeur never yet attained and hardly
ever dreamed of by the most optimist of poets and philosophers."[964]

Apparently Socialists will elevate downtrodden woman by compelling her
to work for a living, and it is doubtful, as will be seen in Chapter
XXXVI., whether she will be allowed to select her task or whether she
will have to work under a system of forced labour. She will be given
that freedom and liberty which is now called licence by the abolition
of all the laws of morality. In the words of an exceedingly
straightforward Socialist, "Independence for women will mean a heavy
sacrifice for them, for it will mean for them compulsory work."[965]
In return for such work they will be given full sexual license and the
vote.

There is another aspect to be taken note of with regard to the
emancipation of woman. Many Socialists, in giving to woman equality
with man as a wage-earner and voter,