The Equal Opportunities Commission I las recognised that women will receive a 'double whammy' as a result of the Single European Currency in its report on Women and Europe.
"The check to growth of the service sector and its rabonaisaton will be the principle structural shock of European integration", the report said.
Women will pay for convergence and through a cut in the 'social wage' upon which we depend to cake avanze of the mikeo gains made in the 1960s and 70s.
The attack on the weifare state begun under the fores, ano to be continued under New Labour. threatens women with social exclusion. Many woren's jobs will be lost and more casualised. The means by which many women escape from threat.
The huge expansion of state education in the sixties allowed women for the first time in some numbers ко саке par in nigher coucadon This was crucial in stimulating the birth to the women's liberation movement which was to unions, for equal pay. legal abortion and against The welfare state provided contraceptive and allowed wornen to make SOT OBUSKAD UYCT work, education and bringing Up children. In an often partial and oroblematic way, it became more ossible for women to leave violent desbands and partners through the existence or reruges, coundl nouslg and social security benefits.
Single or divorced parents could just about subsist economically and women gained limited access to preschool childcare, play groups and care for elderty or sick relatives.
All of these gains gave women more possibility of paid work. By the middle of the nineties women made up almost half of the working population work for much more of their lives, rather before they had chilthreatened by cuts in the welfare state. Women's jobs are Increasingly part time, temporary and casual. Many jobs which were previousty highty unionised and permanent, within the NHS or local government are now privatised and derecognised.
Part time work often appears to sult' women because attacks on jobs are matched by attacks on the quality of women's lives. Much of the care that was previously 'sociaIsed" has been reprivatised back into the family and onto women's shoulCuts in play groups, pre-school education, home helps, meals on wheels, sheltered housing, convalescent time in hospital, old people's The list of ways in which women's burden has been increased by cuts in social services and the welfare state is a long one. Women are forced back into the home or into part time jobs as a rype of social Women are often increasingly ahysically excluded from the New Europe.
Racist immigration laws can make woren to gain entry into Britain, or for British women who marry men from other countries to gain the right to live united with their families in the country of their choosing. For •ack ns ano Dack more social exclusion often means physical exclusion from the new Europe of the bosses.
Women wil participating in the Euromarch because we recognise the importance of countering these particular attacks as well as to particpate in the general struggle aginst the Europe of the bosses.
We will organise within the marches to ensure that issues that specifically affect women are given a han prome -hechtor for example the threat that nursery vouchers pose to under fives provision or the way that the job Seckers Allowance particularly impacts on women.
In the opening weeks of the long sought Labour government a high profile for the issues that affect