BY JEFF MACKLER Whenever I flinch at yet another reactionary U.S. Supreme Court decision I am reminded of Anatole France’s famous observation, “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets, or steal bread.” In late June, in the now infamous Hobby Lobby case, the … Continue reading Supreme Court: Tool of the ruling rich
Category: Women’s Liberation
Indigenous women demand murder inquiry
By CARRIE LESTER The author is of Kanien’ke’ha:ka (Mohawk)-Onondaga and British-Canadian settler ancestry. TORONTO—There is a renewed push for a national inquiry into the disappearances and murders of Indigenous women and girls across Canada. The numbers are ever changing, but the most recent list involves 824 Indigenous women and girls whose murders or disappearances over … Continue reading Indigenous women demand murder inquiry
Tangled up in dogma
By MARK T. HARRIS — Religious Freedom or Reproductive Freedom? — If there weren’t already enough problems involved in the start-up to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), here come the Little Sisters of the Poor to further complicate matters. Whatever charity work the sisters do, their lawsuit challenging the contraception mandate in the new health-care law … Continue reading Tangled up in dogma
Book review: ‘Coolie Woman’
By CHRISTINE MARIE March 8 was declared International Women’s Day by the Socialist International in 1910. On this day, we can gain inspiration for the battles ahead through a look at the dramatic entrance of working women into history. Socialists traditionally discuss the magnificent strike of 20,000 shirtwaist workers in New York City that was … Continue reading Book review: ‘Coolie Woman’
Feminist Rebellion Today
By CHRISTINE MARIE The following presentation was given by Christine Marie, representing Socialist Action at a Nov. 10 forum in Philadelphia called Feminist Rebellion Today. The other panelists were Preeti Pathak, Co-Chair of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE), a new group that uses education and action to shatter the silence of sexual violence; Rebecca Katherine … Continue reading Feminist Rebellion Today
Malalai Joya tour marks longest U.S. war
BY JEFF MACKLER Afghan women’s rights and antiwar fighter Malalai Joya toured the U.S. for three weeks in October on behalf of the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC) and the Los Angeles-based Afghan Women’s Mission. Joya’s national tour included 10 cities: New York, Boston, Amherst, Albany, Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. … Continue reading Malalai Joya tour marks longest U.S. war
A manifesto: Feminism is ‘pro-life’
By SANDRA EZQUERRA — BARCELONA — The debate in political circles and in the media in recent decades around the question of abortion has been accompanied by a growing monopoly ownership of the defense of the right to life by the Right, in a way that skillfully counter-poses it to the feminist demand of the … Continue reading A manifesto: Feminism is ‘pro-life’
Wadjda explores role of Saudi women
By GAETANA CALDWELL-SMITH “Wadjda,” a film written and directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour. In Arabic with English subtitles, filmed in and around Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Al-Mansour’s beautiful, thought-provoking film focuses on a mother and daughter who live in socially, religiously, and culturally male-dominated Saudi Arabia. Here, females are so devalued they are not included in depictions … Continue reading Wadjda explores role of Saudi women
Pro-choice supporters mobilize in Texas
By CHRISTINE MARIE An extraordinary mobilization of support for abortion access in Texas last week has stimulated the imagination of reproductive justice activists everywhere. On June 25-26, close to 200,000 people around the country stayed up past 4 a.m. to watch the livestream of Texas State Senator Wendy Davis wrapping up an 11-hour filibuster that … Continue reading Pro-choice supporters mobilize in Texas
Women face triple economic burden
By ANN MONTAGUE The economic burdens on women are triple—working in undervalued jobs, domestic work, and cutbacks in social services used by women. In the first place, women’s work continues to be undervalued and underpaid. Women are half the labor force and continue to earn 76 cents on the dollar earned by men. There remains … Continue reading Women face triple economic burden
The road to achieving reproductive justice
By CHRISTINE MARIE On April 25, Black women lawmakers, including Representative Barbara Watson, walked out of a Florida state legislative session to protest the introduction of an anti-abortion bill that would prohibit pregnancy terminations based on “race.” The bill, introduced by white Republican lawmaker Charles Van Zant, is typical of a spate of reactionary laws … Continue reading The road to achieving reproductive justice
Women & coming working-class fightback
By CHRISTINE MARIE This article is based on a portion of the resolution on the oppression of women, written by the author, that was approved by the 2012 Socialist Action convention. “Such demands [from the women’s liberation movement] go to the very heart of the specific oppression of women exercised through the family and strike … Continue reading Women & coming working-class fightback
Public workers see women’s pay inequity
By ANN MONTAGUE SEIU 503 announced it supports a living wage for its workers in Oregon, and is taking the issue to the bargaining table and possibly to the streets. While President Obama has proposed an increase in the Federal Minimum Wage to $9 an hour, SEIU doesn’t believe that is the solution. Oregon's minimum … Continue reading Public workers see women’s pay inequity
Issues for movement against sexual violence
By CHRISTINE MARIE Book Review: Kristin Bumiller, “In An Abusive State: How Neoliberalism Appropriated the Feminist Movement Against Sexual Violence” (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2008). On Feb. 14, the streaming videos of the flashmobs of young women determined to claim a violence-free life set my feminist heart to humming. But the hum quieted a … Continue reading Issues for movement against sexual violence
‘Purity’ myth hurts young women
By DAWN ROSE “Your body is a wrapped lollipop. When you have sex with a man, he unwraps your lollipop and sucks on it. It may feel great at the time, but, unfortunately, when he’s done with you, all you have left for your next partner is a poorly wrapped, saliva-fouled sucker.” –Darren Washington, abstinence … Continue reading ‘Purity’ myth hurts young women
Presidential Debate: Where are the women?
By ALICE RICHARD On Oct. 3, President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney squared off in the first presidential debate, in which independent parties were prohibited from participating. The debate was focused on domestic policy, and the candidates primarily sparred on taxes, Social Security, and the federal deficit. Despite the White House’s assurances that … Continue reading Presidential Debate: Where are the women?
Review of “Pink Ribbons, Inc.”
PINK RIBBONs, INC., directed by Léa Pool, written by Patricia Kearns and Léa Pool; based on the book by Samantha King. Statistics show that every 23 seconds a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and one dies every 69 seconds from the disease. The eye-opening Canadian documentary, “Pink Ribbons, Inc.,” is aptly subtitled “Capitalizing on … Continue reading Review of “Pink Ribbons, Inc.”
The Struggle Against Women’s Oppression
Systematic use of rape against Black women
On Oct. 30, Women’s ENews ran an excerpt from author Jaclyn Friedman, who explains that in this society, racialized women are expected to be always sexually available. The image of the virgin is always an ethereal white girl. Black girls are stereotyped as “wild and animalistic.” The system of slavery, which allowed white men to … Continue reading Systematic use of rape against Black women
SlutWalks blame system that fosters anti-women violence
On Oct. 1 nearly 3000 women marched and rallied at Union Square in New York City to protest rape culture, violence against women, and sexual shaming. It was a well-built, well-organized, and militant demonstration, inspired by the SlutWalks that have occurred in scores of cities around the country and the globe.The marchers were youthful, multinational, … Continue reading SlutWalks blame system that fosters anti-women violence
SlutWalks: confronting the attacks on women’s rights
Feminists across the globe were angered as they learned last month that the former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and French presidential hopeful, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, would likely be exculpated from the charges of attempted rape of a Guinean immigrant working as a maid due to questions about her credibility. Regrettably, Strauss-Kahn’s defense and … Continue reading SlutWalks: confronting the attacks on women’s rights
Activists discuss SlutWalk perspectives
On July 23, about 30 dedicated activists assembled for an politically and socially incisive panel discussion about building SlutWalks, the international movement of women fighting against blaming rape victims and the oppression of woman more generally.The tone for the open discussion was set by brief presentations from two Bay Area SlutWalk activists, Mer Stevens, a … Continue reading Activists discuss SlutWalk perspectives
Slutwalks spread to Mexico
The first “slutwalk” began in Toronto early this year by women who were angered by members of the criminal justice system continually blaming the victims of sexual attacks. Since then, these colorful protests have spread across the world.While the slutwalks occurring in cities across Europe and the U.S. have faced critique by communities of color … Continue reading Slutwalks spread to Mexico
Court rules against WalMart women
On June 20, some 1.5 million female employees who filed a class-action suit against WalMart for discrimination based on sex were faced with the cruel reality of corporate hegemony and sexism when their case was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Their case constituted the most important class-action case in over a decade.Although there is ample … Continue reading Court rules against WalMart women
Slutwalks – Grassroots Uprising Against Sexism
by Ona TzingerOn Jan. 24, Toronto police officer Michael Sanguinetti stood before a group of students at York University and volunteered his misguided assessment of the route to rape prevention, stating: “to prevent victimization … women should avoid dressing like sluts.”Sanguinetti couldn’t have anticipated the backlash that followed this unbridled display of sexism in remarks … Continue reading Slutwalks – Grassroots Uprising Against Sexism