>International Women's Day 2000 > >The past battle for equality ... > >by Renee Sams > >WOMEN's struggle for equal pay for work of equal value, a struggle which >has been waged since early in the nineteenth century, is not yet over. Big >differences still exist in pay between men and women, according to the >government's recently released statistics. > > But for just how long has this persisted; what's the background? As early >as 1834, there was an attempt by the Glasgow Spinners Association to >negotiate equal rates of pay for men and women. The early trade unions >aimed not only to improve pay and conditions but to secure for their >members control over the produce of their labours. > > The idea of workers organising themselves sent shudders through the middle >classes in the nineteenth century and when women organised it was seen as a >threat to society itself. Even the small numbers involved threatened the >power of men over women as well as the hold of employers over workers. The >"natural order" of things would be disturbed, they thought. > > Women workers formed a large pool of docile cheap labour, which could be >hired and fired for seasonal work. It suited the bosses down to the ground >to encourage male workers in the belief that equal pay for women would >undercut their wages. > >It was not until 1888 that the Trades Union Congress formally accepted that >"where women do the same work as men they shall receive equal pay". >Employers did all they could to evade the issue arguing that men and women >have different needs, they paid "fair wages" they insisted. > > Postmaster General Herbert Samuel declared in 1915 that "if you pay a >single woman the same wage as a family man you are giving her a much higher >standard of comfort than you are giving him". > > The argument that women were physically weaker than men and were often >away from work because they were sick or were looking after sick children >was used by government and employers to keep the working class divided. > > The development of new technology inevitably brought about changes to >working class society. But skilled jobs remained the province of men, while >unskilled and semi-skilled jobs were left as "women's work", locked firmly >in the lower paid bracket. > > At the end ofthe century, the growth of office work provided new kinds of >jobs, as was the case earlier in the century: men became supervisors and >managers while women did the filing and typing. > > After nearly 100 years campaigning by the suffrage movement women were >finally granted the right to a vote in 1927. But equal pay was not on the >cards despite the arguments of women doing men's work during the First >World War. > > Between the two World Wars, there was little advancement for women's >causes although, again, the issue was raised as men went off to the front >and women were left to work in the factories producing the munitions. > > There was little change for women -- they were still economically >oppressed: in the workplace they worked full-time for half pay, while in >the home they worked full-time but unpaid. That's despite the fact that the >long post-war boom provided jobs for more women than ever in the expansion >of white collar work and the welfare state. > > 1968 was a memorable year: the uprising of students brought Paris to a >standstill and protests were rising against the Vietnam War. Amid the >turmoil, in Britain a group of women machinists brought the mighty Ford >factory at Dagenham to a halt. > > The machinists were demanding regrading to give them parity with men as >recognition of their skills. A shocked Labour government was forced to send >in Employment Minister Barbara Castle to help negotiate and after three >weeks they accepted 92% of the men's C grade pay. > > During the 1960s, the Labour government had aroused women's expectations >that equal pay was on its way, but by 1968 they had not delivered. There >was also impatience with the failure of the TUC to meet women's demands. As >strike committee member Rose Boland said: "I think the Ford women have >definitely shaken the women of this country." > > The strike led to the National Joint Action Campaign Committee for Equal >Rights (NJACCER) being formed. Labour maintained its commitment to equal >pay in principle but claimed that "in the present economic circumstances it >was not possible to take immediate steps to give full implementation to the >principle." > > Against this background there was the development of women's liberation. >It opened up women's discussion of contraception, abortion, and the right >to control their fertility -- something regarded with horror by the >churches and governments. Women in the trade union movement were far from >seeing it all as a positive advance, but it did bring about a change in >social attitudes that has had some beneficial effects. > > The development of the pill, which gave women the ability to choose when >to have a child was a step on the way to helping women in the struggle for >equal rights. Their efforts were finally rewarded by the passing of the >Equal Pay Act in 1970 which gave the employers five years in which to >implement the provisions of the Act. > > The NJACCWER, which not only included women from political groups of the >left, but from women's organisations dating back to the suffragette days, >also discussed proposals to lobby for a Sex Discrimination Act. All this >activity sparked off the first National Women's Liberation Conference in 1970. > > Those five years had given employers ample scope for finding creative ways >to avoid implementing the Act. Women workers began to find that equal pay, >even when some of them managed to get it, did not alter the pattern of >discrimination embedded in capitalist society . > > >discrimination > > > Discrimination affected every aspect of society, and every area of women's >life including employment, education, training, benefits, sick pay and >pensions. In fact, women's skills as a whole were undervalued. > > In 1972 the TUC finally agreed on the abolition of discrimination against >women in employment practices and committed itself "to the achievement of >industrial equality for women." > > Although by then many trades unions had policies of seeking equal >opportunities for women, the old craft unions which had a mainly male >membership still expressed the old fears, that women would depress their >wages, take their jobs, and dash their chances of promotion. > > January 1976 heralded a new era for women, or al least so they roped. The >Equal Pay Act became fully operational and the Sex Discrimination Act >became law. To assist in the operation of these new laws, the Equal >Opportunities Commission was established. > > The Employment Protection Act of 1975 granted the right of women not to be >unfairly dismissed on the grounds of pregnancy, and put the right to >maternity leave and maternity pay on the statute books. > > Nevertheless, the shortcomings of this legislation were recognised. There >were calls from the TUC Women's Conference "to close the loopholes" and for >the wording of the Act to be amended to provide for "equal remuneration for >men and women for work of equal value." > > The media created an illusion of great successes, with the first woman >Prime Minister, the first woman pilot, or bricklayer, or firefighter. But a >decade later, statistics showed little progress between '76 and '86: women >were earning 75.7 per cent of the male rate; by 1982 women's average >earnings had dropped to 74.8 per cent of the male rate. > > But women would not be silenced and throughout the period they fought to >achieve new rights and defend old ones. Trade unions published an enormous >amount of material relating to women's issues, raising awareness that the >oppression of women has many forms. Women fought successful campaigns for >unions to take on board such issues as abortion, sexual harassment, and the >portrayal of women as sex objects. > > The election of a Tory government in 1979 saw an onslaught on the trade >union movement led by Prime Minister Thatcher, which introduced draconian >anti-union laws and accelerated the de-industrialisation of Britain. This >has seriously undermined working class life with the erosion of wages and >conditions of work for men and women. > > With the closure of mines and the destruction of heavy industry, trade >union membership loss has been severe. The anti-trade union legislation, >which continues to undermine the more positive changes since Labour took >office, must be repealed if any significant improvements are to be made in >the lot of all workers. > > But those advances that have been established must continue to be >defended. It is now urgent that more women workers join their unions and >organise and work for better pay and conditions. This is the only way any >serious advances will be made that will be of benefit to the whole of our >class. > > > >New Communist Party of Britain Homepage > >http://www.newcommunistparty.org.uk > >A news service for the Working Class! > >Workers of all countries Unite! __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
