Women's Rights
Women's Rights
100th International Women’s Day
Written by Diane Williams Monday, 08 March 2010 11:46
Fighting capitalism to win equality
In 1910 at the second International Conference of Working Women, Clara Zetkin, a German revolutionary socialist, proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands.
China - Women's struggle then and now
Written by Elin Gauffin, CWI Sweden Wednesday, 03 March 2010 17:19
There are important lessons from women’s struggle in Chinese history that should be studied again
International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time in China in 1924. By then, growing workers’ and women’s movements were already developing. The Hunan Women’s League was formed in 1921. By the end of that year they had pushed through provisions on women’s suffrage and personal freedom in Hunan’s constitution. The Association for Women’s Rights in Zhejiang province issued an appeal for women to join the revolution to overthrow the warlords and introduce democracy. In Shanghai, 20,000 workers in the silk spinning industry went on strike in 1923 demanding a 10-hour day and wage increases. Chen Pi-lan, who became a Trotskyist, was one of the leaders of the Communist Party Women’s League in Shanghai.
Hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day
Written by Elin Gauffin, CWI Sweden Wednesday, 03 March 2010 17:09
A century of struggle
At its very beginning, in the early 20th century, International Women’s Day – the 8th of March - was a day of struggle for working women. Nowadays it has largely been hijacked by the capitalist establishment as a ceremonial and sometimes highly commercial affair. Much has happened over time, providing welcome proof that women’s oppression can be fought and pushed back, but despite this, the oppression rooted in society continues. Indeed, in the past years many earlier conquests for women have been lost as a result of the crisis of capitalism.
What will recession mean for women?
Written by Dagmar Walgraeve Wednesday, 26 August 2009 00:47
8th March is International Women’s Day, historically a day of struggle of women internationally for better working conditions & pay and for a political voice. Over the last few decades though, this event has lost much of its political character. Right-wing feminists now celebrate women’s achievement of ‘equality’.
What reason do women have to celebrate? 70% of the 4.5 billion poorest in the world are women. Only 1% of all possessions in the world are owned by women. In developed capitalists countries things have improved significantly. But these improvements had to be fought hard for and today we can see that the emancipation of women remains limited and is under constant attack.
