Early in the 20th century, Emma Goldman was a well-known political theorist and anarchist. She was well-known for advocating for social change via direct action and for her scathing criticism of the status quo. She made some noteworthy observations about society, one of which was the right of women to vote, or suffrage.

According to Goldman, granting women the right to vote would not necessarily result in a more pure political environment. Her general mistrust of institutional reform in the absence of significant shifts in societal structures and attitudes is reflected in this concept. She maintained that granting half of the population the right to vote was insufficient for real change; more profound changes were required.

Think of society as a murky river whose clarity is impacted by different pollutants. Allowing women to vote was like letting them stand by the river instead of just watching from the shore. Goldman, however, thought that simply standing at the water's edge would not purify it. Real purification required addressing the ecosystem as a whole, including how society perceived and valued women's roles outside of politics.

Her belief in the interdependence of social issues and her dissatisfaction with surface-level reforms that did little to address root causes are reflected in this viewpoint. Emma Goldman was a fervent supporter of total change as opposed to small tweaks to an essentially defective system.