There has never been so much wealth in the world and there have never
been so many of us, starting with women and children, who have nothing. At
this crucial moment, we women must make our voices heard and our
collective power felt.
Can anyone deny that production should be at the service of caring, not
killing and profit? Yet $800+ billion is spent on arms each year – and
more money has been committed to bombing countries like Afghanistan where
people are starving, and persecuting or imprisoning anyone anywhere who
dares to oppose.
A strike is the strongest weapon that workers have, and women, who do
2/3 of the world’s work, are the hardest workers. When we stop,
everything is disrupted.
Women and girls
in over 60 countries made the first two Strikes a success by taking at
least some time off from their work, waged as well as unwaged.
People everywhere see that governments are promoting corporate greed
against us while lining their own pockets. They impose structural adjustment programmes and cuts in services and
welfare benefits, impoverishing us and imposing killing overwork.
The gap between women's wages and men's is 25%-50% and
growing, lowering our pensions and our social power at every age.
Together the Strike and its demands give a unique framework for
grassroots women and girls to express our needs whatever our situation,
race, nationality, age, income, occupation, dis/ability, sexual preference
. . . in towns and cities but also in villages, where most of us live.
The demands unite everyone taking part in the Strike, and to each local
action they bring international power.