INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY has a rich and lively tradition in the history of women's struggle for freedom and liberation.
importance of 8 March for women the world over.
American women socialists organised the first ever 'Women's Day' on 28 February 1907 to demand political rights for working women.
But it was not until the anniversary of an uprising Prussian proletariat first Women's Day celebration took place.
Was proposed bv Clara Zetkin at the second Conference unc hallunaı of Working Women 1910, and she suggested that it should be an annual celebration. Spark In 1913 the date was changed to 8 March which was the anniversary of an strike by hittall women textie workers.
New York in the 1880's. It has remained on this day ever since.
The spark that ignited the Russian revolution was lit by WUINHY wollck Petrograd in 1917. They determined WOLC March (23 February under celebrate usual growing strength and our understanaing or tne Inlportance of links.
Today those links have becomt TOUCN stronger through such struggles DOHE aDoruol rights and the growth of the peace movement, both led by women.
This year women have leapt into the news as the most committed and militant campaigners against nuclear weapons. The ence camos ar weendam and other US military bases have been the focus of a growing moverenl stop Loe missiles in 1983.
1984 will see the first conference ot the Internationa Contraception, Abortion and Sterilisation Campaign (ICASC) in Mexico, just a few months the population control agencies hold a conference there.
And in 1985 there will be a conterence in Nairobi to mark the end United Nations Decade of Women, when governments will put on record the advances made in the posinon of womel We know that any such gains will have been made despite governments and because them.. Gains have and will be won bv women lighting in their homes, in hospitals, offices SCHOUIS. alLULICs. and on the streets We muct continue to fight against attempts controlling our bodies, to force us back into the and to turn the clock back as the present Tory Government to the wollu Have Il days when we started to ce eo aie Women's Day The need for a strong movement has never been greater. We have honourable historv to bulld The events planned all over the around March give us the chance celebrate and IC gain strength together to carry on our struggle. (Leonora Lloyd is a member ACION Labour Party Women's tional Abortion steerine commutee ana ICASC). tion Youth and celebrating 1983. and link up with other women.
housework, wagelessness, and WEEPS the stand on jobs.
attitudes that women have to harassment they get.
groups: to Deptford think we go over the top.
Tas Vens One union we've CINDERS, IGNITE or Cinders and the World of Work is a play that Broadside Theatre Group will be performing on Friday 4 March at County Hall to join with RevoluSocialist Challenge Women's Day LINDA, a member of the theatre comThe central character, Cinderella, is a who goes from unconsciousness about her oppression to a state where she's learning that she's got to stand up for herself both at home and work As a young woman she learns a lot about life and we can try and highlight the need for women to organise together to control their own lives. The play deals with questions like YOPS schemes It is based on the experience of women in the Hoover dispute in Merthyr Tydfil when men refused to support the women's It's about the way women are organised within a union and the sexist and patriarchal confront in order to get the unions to fight for them It also looks at wagelessness and how women are treated by the DHSS, the kind of Our group is a mixed group and we've shown the play to lots of labour movement in the Albany, to two NUPE schools for women, two to three ASTMS branches, lots of Labour Party womens sections, Brabant Road Trade Union Centre, for BIFU and the CPSA We've also done a general performanc e at Battersea Arts Centre but mainly we like to serve local gróups. Most male trade unionists have taken the idea that male behaviorr is similar to the way we portray it but some Generally the reaction is quite positivt but one argument that often comes up in a defensive way is that women aren't interestr:d in rather than that men should change the unions to accomodate wom an.
peformed a lot for is NUPE. They seem to be the best because they seem to have done a lot more than any other union to involve women. They ve had a ot of schools, appointed women training officers, for women to become shop We're a part-time group, many of us work as well as doing the play since the Arts INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY Revolution/Socialist Challenge Celebration Rally Greenham Commor Youth CND leland women Adainst Abartheic Friday, 4 March 1983, 7.00pm County Hall, London SE1 (Waterloo Tube)
Socialist Challenge 4 March 1983 page
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celebration LEONORA LLOYD explains the origins and
pany, talked to us about the play. f young woman