'YOUNG MEN have a street life, clubs, but women are left at home.' women.
Being jobless means more than lost income for women. It means a siep back lo a laulhousewife and mother, locked tional, 'invisible' role in the isolation of the home.
The pamphlet nails the lie that women A third of all Families work money. where the wife doesn't work have incomes £40 week,' it points out. the contribution made by the wife's earnings the number of families living below the Supplementary Benefit level would treble.
It could be added that in six million families women are the sole breadwinners.
Women have fared worse from unemployment. In 1972 they were per cent oI tne unemployed. In 1978 they were 45 per cent. And official figures don't tell the whole story: the government conceals women's unemployment.
There were 300,000 unregistered 1981, three quarters of whom were women. Disabled women are excluded from the tigures: thousands of married women HOLI husbands are working.
Women al c losing jobs THIS IS the third film on El older men their pubs and This quote is used in a new pamphlet from the National Joint Committee of Working Women's Organisations entitled Women's Right To Work to illustrate the harsh reality of unemployment for Britain's faster because of their pattern of employment. Many the traditional manutacturing industries that made the British ruling class the richest in the textiles, printing and electrical the dustries that are feeling brunt of the recession as Britain's imperial past catches up WILD HE The public sector is Magwe snor larger ror cus. aere 4 per cent of the workforce are women. in lobs that are ofter first to go: school dinner ladies, cleaners, and low-paid hospital and clerical jobs.
Young women who are channelled into traditional commercial courses, being Lates 'Women's work' tices has become a prime targe for automation by big business.
OWIl
has failed to protect trom the ruthlessness.
rewel and fewer have used the Equal Pay and Discrimination as they see how easy it is for emplovers to win their case at tribunals. Scandalously, en's pay 1s now decline in relation to men's. In 1977 ws in 1980 it was cent. Today it is probably even less as long dole queues down general wages. In 1980 10 per cent of are in the disgraceful wage of f50 per week. une banner ooks a ne footwear, way society defines points out that we must 'auesvery in- tion our cultural the work in discussing for the future'. Later it argues have Io social and community services currently performed voluntarily, So that recognised paid the Housework' for impracticality at school, because for the home is women's work'. are Here the authors touch on unemploy- an issue the socialist movement of- could well debate anew. women would pamphlet casanon Strategies to mean anything to employers' women they should basic wonder lite, that caring tasks are to remain the icasallul sole prerogative of women' and give 'both wom- share work at home as well as their children.
75% 73.6 per cent of 72 per 70% 60% work. It 1970 attitudes to suralches "upgrade those men io snare they become women recognise for «carol Ri but also oint is: how wil 'it implies that caring about?
Because the biguous Many not help agree with the order for reproduction Economic 'challenge good reforms assumptions of working Therefore it 'childcare and home You nabits ana tradinons men and opportunity reforms.
1973 1974 But of course women want responsibilities for domestic labour. Of course want society that caring Cass sick and elderly and children is useful to society, and that both traditional that come women.
AES is amabout planning the tney do. relations of production, it canbul be ambiguous about planning the relations of — relations in the Women at The AES proposes many for women. struggles, must, say feminists, challenge attitudes. WOTKEIS.
cannot change the of centuries of female subordination their You have to C calt Women's earnings as a proportion of men's earnings, 1970-79.
1975 1976 new social relations. To wipe out women's exclusive responsibility for domestic labour you have to wipe out the capitalist that benefits women's slave labour in ine home and benefits from men's attitude You will never change the male sex simply by askillg them to stop behaving the way important criticism: the pamphlet leaves out one of the most important arguments for a Woman's Right to Work.
work are leading some of Britain's most militant both on their behalves and on behalf of all pamphlet makes no mention of the young women a Lee Jeans who fought for jobs wnen ine big Lin wood factory backed down and forced the employers to give 1977 1978 1979 them work. No remark is made about ine coventry ceaners who well strike for weeks to get a Labour council to listen to their union's case on jobs and pay.
To read the pamphlet you would not know that wome had occupied the Lovable Bra factory in Barate real e occupation at the cause of the defence of jobs. The leaders of the Labour Party are very willing to talk about a Woman's Right to Work: but perhaps they are not so keen on women taking action to fight for their jobs? Our job is to start where the pamphlet leaves off Women's Right work puousnea oy ine National Joint Committee for Working Women's Organisations, 35p
----- pull-quotes -----
Les push 65%
Women's earnings as % of men's