The immediate past period has brought forward a number of demonstrations on issues involving women; the Ford strike over Equal Pay, the mirses at the House of Commons, the AEF negotiations, the 600 women in Manchester and Coventry over equal bonuses, the Irish sewing machinists on civil rights, A national campaign has started involving important sectors of the union movement & political organisations on Equal Rights for Women. (see next page) We feel that it is necessary to take advantage of the increased interest and activity around women's demands in industry and in the home, to establish a journal on the question, This journal will, we hope, bring socialist demands to this movement. We want to encourage women te use their power to further themselves and the cause of the working class as a whole, Further we intend this journal to educste the left. This sounds like a rather specious claim but is not so, Countless are the papers, journals and documents put out by the left which either ignore the demands of women or use women as a selling device a la Playboy. Women are one-third of the Labour force and one-half of the population, at the same time women-have many of the characteristics of an exploited minority. Women have specific problems and require special attention in formalatine a programme, incustrially, politically and socially that will advance their consciousness and stimulate them to take action. ind finally, we are not anti-male, a cherge often thrown at those concerned with the woman question. We are oppos i to privete property, the alienation of labour under capitalism, the i ee pehongers oe the entire working class, We are opposed to those men whe do the "gaffer!'s" job snd assist him to do the dirty on women workers = whether in the home or in igmatet And we will not hesitate to take these men on, Those men who refused to hear the bus conductresses give their case at the bus drivers’ snutabehch’ those mon who refused
allow woman to drive a taxi; those legions of men who measure their masculinity by the few shillings more they meke an hour than their female counterparts - they're no better than blacklegs and we'll tell them!
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We hope you will find this first issue worthwhile and whether male or female contribute to it - literarily or financially. For the next issue we will pay special attention to the status of women in education and Lawat erent women. Book reviews would be greatly appreciated. The Socialist Women's Committee which produces this journal has contacts in major cities and anstered ties in Britain and hopes that women will join and build these committees. The SWC draft programme will be reproduced in the next issue. For further information write to Socialist Woman, address below.