HOW CAN women defend public sector services and As allacks on coucation bealth and social services cut thousands of women's jobs in Sweden, the home of capital. ism's "human face", a feminist party will stand an the next son® eral election.
Or 180,000 jobs facing the axe 80 percent are held by women. Unemployment threatens the gains women have made in the last twenty years. The almost obsolete.
Sweden's women achieved the world's highest level of workplace equality. Femaledominated jobs in childcare, health care and teaching are now most at risk from cuts these sectors, but are dispropordonately dependent upon them as users. Without social provision for the eiderly infirm, the sick and the young, responsibil. ity is forced back onto women, individually, in isolation, in the home. Cuts in the public sector mean arracks on women s While Swedish women have responded to the attacks by organising together 1o force the the national political agenda, women in Britain have been much slower to organise around cuts in the public soctor as a Ween for Socialism will bring together a wide range of women activists at a Saturday 22 May dayschool. Discussion will focus on how public sector cuts particularly affect women.
Health service cuts attack health workers and reduce abortion and contraception facilities as well as care for the sick. Public transport cuts threaten womens sarchy ano nac pendence. time, low wage jobs while in. cousco tamiy responsibitics have forced women to become a flexible, cheap labour force.
While a women's party is not the answer in Britain or Sweleft must understand what the cuts mean for women. Struggles against Tory attacks defend jobs, conditions and trade union rights; but they also defend a whole range of women's rights.
Right wing thugs threaten September retum