THIS weekend the Labour Women takes place in Manchester. It does so at a time when there is a mushrooming of women's organisations within the unions. But this is nothing new, and in assessing the relevance ot these ments it is useful to look back at what has gone before.
In particular, there is the experience of the Women's Labour League SaSs organisation of affiliated to the Labour Party at the start of this centurv. Set up 1906, the League had, by 1910 some 5,000 members.
By the early 1920s, one millions of organised women's suttrage SOCICties, women's trade TOIS ... in consullici Co-ops and in the fadependent Independent Growth possible reason for the speedy growth of these organisations was the fact that between 1881 and 1891 the number of In by per 1USC Because they invariably tended to excluded the needed wallickl mechanism for organising their demands.
Thus, the Women's Labour League agitated DePT conditions of labour and for women, DIOVISION of school meals, and women's franchise. annual conference of women's sections in the party and contemporary develop1913 the Labour Women was launched, and it soon had nuce cucuadon ITTOOK up a variety of debates, housewives should be paid. to the question ot the vote, and to why women should oppose world war.
Class At a national level, the League contained Hally contradictions. Melvina Walker, a member of a suffrage society and later the Communist Party, described a meeting of the League she went to in The main speakers, such as Mrs Ramsey MacDonald and Beatrice Webb, displayed attitudes which repelled Walker. She complained bitterly of the middle class, philanthropic views of these women, and contrasted that to the predominantly working class audience.
Feminism The leaders League were much tied into the leadership of the Labour Party and the trade unions as a whole. This could be one reason David Howell looks at Bevanism and implications Contemporary Labour left 60p inc. post ILP Square One, 49 Top Moor Side, Leeds LS11 why the League was unsuccessful in forcing the Labour Party consistently take up women's demands, and the organisation itself was confused in stance towards explicitly feminist issues For example, women's conferences in the 1920s took a clear Dosinot favour of making contraception available through local autoriues. but over Laborr period years the Party's ferences consistently voted Gown as demand Similarly, on the suffrage Labour Party, even the League, vacillated for so long that Mrs MacDonald once remarked unal She concerned at the number of women who were leaving the League to join suffrage societies, or at least who worked with them.
In more recent times, the 1950s and 1960s women's organisations in the party went through a massive decline. However, this situation is starting to change, and there are now 1,200 women's sections in the party.
One reason for this is that Labour does now support the crucial issues free abortion on request, a women's right to work and equal pay.
The battle is by no means over. still necessary both inside and outside the Labour movement of working which Cass wonen consistently take up women's needs.
For a start that means women's sections and campaigning organisations demanding that, as tne past future Labour government law. woman's right to choose.
positive discrimination ir tavour ot women.
The truth is that women's section. alu organisations should not be SCCI off women's interests, but as a means of spearheading the fight for women's demands. Socialist Challengo 11 June 1961 Pages
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THE RISE AND FALI OF BEVANE