Women's Oppression

Women are the majority of humanity but are everywhere victims of systematic discrimination, oppression and sexual abuse. In many parts of the world women are consigned almost entirely to the home, denied basic democratic and economic rights, forced to carry out unpaid domestic labour and subject to oppression and violence from men.
In other countries, women bear the double burden of paid work and domestic labour, a life of unending toil. Women workers are often paid less than men are. In the sweatshops of the Third World, women workers are routinely abused, denied maternity leave and subjected to degrading treatment.

Women are constantly being met by demands from society telling her how to look and how to act. This pressure makes a lot of women to feel bad about not being able to compete with the norm. Many are being victims of self destruction as self-starvation and self-cutting. The norm in itself also makes women not taking as much place as men do.

The majority of women will only be free from oppression and discrimination when the economic foundations of male supremacy are overthrown. The roots of this oppression lie in ancient class society and are continued and reinforced by global capitalism.

Only a socialist society run for human need rather than private profit will be able to get the whole of society to take on the domestic duties which today are mainly performed by women in the home.

A socialist society would plan the carrying out of childcare, cooking and laundry collectively, so that these basic tasks no longer have to be done separately in millions of isolated family units. Collective eating, laundry and childcare facilities - well funded and democratically run - could be a million times better than the provisions made in the family today.

In this way, real choice, a high standard of living and real sexual equality can replace the poverty, isolation and oppression facing working class women today.

REVOLUTION fights:

Against women?s oppression within Revolution and in any alliances and united fronts we form with other groups.

Against the objectification of women in the media and society.

For equal rights for women ? rights to vote, rights to work, rights to education, unrestricted rights to participate in all public and social activity.

For equal pay for equal work.

For free 24-hour childcare funded by taxing the rich.

For contraception on demand.

For abortion on demand.

For the right of quick divorce with fair economic settlements at the request of one partner.

For a mass movement of working class women to fight alongside men against sex discrimination and the oppression of women.

For the right of women to caucus in working class organisations, youth organisations, at schools and workplaces as a way to promote the struggle against sexism in society.

For the right of women and men to have economically viable alternatives to abusive relationships.

For local action to defend victims of domestic violence and to take it seriously in a way that the police and judicial system does not.

Organise self defence for women.