Photos: IWD rally and march : Melbourne Indymedia

I thought this was a pretty poor turnout to celebrate International Women's Day. It was a good collection of speakers who all spoke well. There were banners and placards. But about a third of the crowd were men. Several children were present, but I expected there should be more. It was also pretty obvious that a majority of the people were members or sympathisers of Socialist Alliance, and most of those were likely to be Democratic Socialist Party members. There was a banner from the AMEIU, the Meat Industry workers union, and the truck for the speakers carried CFMEU banners, but other union banners were sadly missing.

There did not seem to be a wide variety of feminist banners, nor a diversity of women's organisations that you would expect. Women for Palestine were there. So were Women for Peace, with Reta Kaur speaking about the year long vigil outside the US Consulate in Melbourne, in protest of the US invasion of Iraq. Sharan Burrow, President of the ACTU spoke, as did a woman on the Stolen Wages Campaign.

The rally marched down Swanston street to the corner of Bourke st, outside the Nike Store where further speakers were heard, including a women from the Philipines who described the sweatshop conditions women are employed in and the need for international solidarity.

From there the people walked down the mall to outside the GPO with more speakers.

I think the International Womens Day Committee needs to have a thorough evaluation of why there was not more people present, particularly a much broader range and representation of feminist and women's organisations and activity in Melbourne.

There are other IWD events in Melbourne, including an International Women's Day Fair at Ceres in Brunswick on Monday 8th March:
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wfair/

Lanora Jackson spoke about the Stolen Wages Campaign

Women for Palestine stall.

Amnesty International banner outside the GPO.

"....I thought this was a pretty poor turnout to celebrate International Women's Day..."

Incompetent leadership and lacking relevance, perhaps?

A rather disappointing turnout, Takver? No shit Sherlock.

Yes, out of a metropolitan population of nearly three milion, 150 would just about sum up the level of public interest in this issue. Whatever spin they might put on it, to garner the support of just 150 people in a city the size of Melbourne is a disappointingly and embarassingly poor turnout. Disappointng and embarassing yes, but not surprising given the passe nature of all this stuff. The rest of a us are just so OVER women's day etc.

Now get back into the kitchen and make your husband's dinner, there's a good girl. And put on something nice for goodness sake.

some obvious reasons why iwd marches are declining:

- that it's a front for socialist alliance/dsp;
- that it's a rally (how boring);
- that because of the above two, it's only purpose is to gather together a passive crowd of people to be lectured at about things they already know by socialist alliance apparatchiks and trades hall bores.

what other purpose/role does it play?

I'm not sure that some sort of women's solidarity is as radical as we've been led to believe.

I don't think you're likely to see Bronwyn Bishop or any of the other woman involved in Liberal party politics, and they are considerable, at these rallies.

http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/574/574p7.htm

IWD: 'no sexism, no war!'

Erin Cameron, Melbourne

On March 6, 250 people attended an International Women’s Day march under the banner “Women against war, racism and sexism”.

Aboriginal rights activist Leonora Jackson explained the extreme day-to-day hardships facing indigenous women, and called for support for the stolen wages campaign.

Reihana Mohideen, from Women’s Rage in the Philippines, told the rally that women would be marching in the Philippines on IWD to demand working women’s rights, reproductive rights and an end to violence against women.

Earlier that morning, the Gender agenda a charter for women’s rights, was launched by the Socialist Alliance.

Robyn Marshall reports that 200 people marched in Brisbane, after Aboriginal elder Aunty Ella welcomed rally participants to the land.

Speakers called for the repeal of Queensland’s abortion laws, and discussed the impact on women of domestic violence, the occupation of Iraq and Australia’s mandatory detention of refugees.

Emma Clancy reports from Perth that 150 people joined a rally and march to demand funding for child care, not warfare, and justice for women in the workplace.

Speakers included representatives from the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, the Civil Service Association, the Edmund Rice Centre for Social Justice and Oxfam.

Socialist Alliance member and co-chair of the rally, Kiraz Janicke, encouraged rally participants to attend the March 20 global day of action against the occupation of Iraq. “We stand firmly on the side of the Iraqi people in their struggle for self determination.”

Following the march, women voiced their anger on an open mike at the occupation of Iraq and the Howard government’s attacks on higher education, and called for an end to violence against women.

Katherine Bradstreet reports that 30 people attended a speak-out in Canberra. Greens Legislative Assembly member Kerry Tucker and Josephine Hunt from the Socialist Alliance addressed the crowd.

More International Women’s Day rallies will take place on March 13. For details see the activist calendar[s on http://www.greenleft.org.au/calendar.htm ].

From Green Left Weekly, March 10, 2004.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page @ http://www.GreenLeft.org.au/

[ uh uh the bad DSwhat? there is no DSParty any more, so find another beloved enemy, but no no it wouldn't be capitalism... ]

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Women's liberation — the struggle is alive!

Kerryn Williams

These days, there is widespread acceptance of the concept of gender equality. Most girls grow up believing they are just as “good” as boys, and the majority of people agree that women and men should have the same opportunities.

This is a far cry from how things were half a century ago. Before 1968, women didn't have the right to permanent jobs in the public sector. Equal pay for work of equal value wasn't won until 1972. In the early 1960s, any child born out of wedlock still had the word “illegitimate” stamped on his or her birth certificate. It was still taken for granted that men should, at all times, have automatic sexual access to their wives, regardless of consent, simply because they were married.

The mass women's liberation movement of the late 1960s and early '70s — known as the “second wave” of feminism, won sweeping advances for women, culminating in a wide range of reforms in the early 1970s.

The movement had many facets and involved large numbers of women. In the 1970s, working women’s centres were established and working women’s conferences held. Large numbers of women joined trade unions to challenge the sexist ideas within them and to force them to take on the struggle for the rights of working women.

Women’s health centres and refuges were established, along with feminist journals and women’s studies courses at universities.

The women’s liberation movement was part of the more generalised upsurge of struggle by the working class, specially oppressed groups, and the mass movement against the Vietnam War. The deep and widespread radicalisation of that period successfully challenged some of the fundamental, all-pervasive sexist ideas of previous times. The legacy of this very much remains today.

However, while there may be widespread recognition of the concept of gender equality, women's lives are now getting harder, not easier. The gap between average male and female wages is increasing. Child care is unaffordable for many women.

A Sydney University study, [..] -->
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/574/574p10.htm

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http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/574/574p8b.htm

A woman's place is in the struggle: IWD and the birth of women workers' struggle

Although you wouldn't guess it from casting a look over the range of government-sponsored events and $40-a-head breakfasts with the local who's who to celebrate this year's International Women's Day, it is a day with very different origins.

[..] -->
http://www.greenleft.org.au/back/2004/574/574p8b.htm

Apart from a couple of informative and useful articles (by Erin Cameron and Kerryn Williams) about International Women's Day the rest of the contributions do not help to explain anything

There are some very objective factors why the IWD rally in Melbourne are small which have nothing to do with either the collective's work (good on them for doing something - where were you?),'the irrelevance of the event' (we don't need to raise issues of women's oppression anymore? - wow - I must have missed a development somewhere, cause I sure feel still oppressed), or 'incompetent leadership' ( - big words - please explain?!)

If you want to find out why very few feminist organisations where there - ask them! - I can also give you a partial answer: 1) there are HARDLY any left that are activist focused
2) some which call themselves feminist do not participate in public protest events but focus more on individual development and lifestyle
3) remember the old DV and Sexual Assualt services? - well they are NOT political anymore and most are not feminist anymore either (have a chat to women who work in these services)

now another couple of critical points:

1) there is hardly a women's liberation movement left - we need to rebuild it, like we need to build other movements, and this is a task for all concerned about women's oppression. Many liberal feminists have dropped out of the movement (careers, co-option to bureaucracy), the ALP has a lot to do with this - as you might be aware of the ALP has a history of co-opting many leaders and suck the life out of movements.

2) IWD building rested on very few people - why? Because many on the left ABSTAINED from helping to build and organise the rally -How many of you who are critical of the collectives work or the devilish Socialist Alliance handed out a leaflet or did a paste up or told their friends about it- I betcha none!

and a final word of advise: familiarise yourselves with the reality! - Most women in the world are worse of in 2004 than they were in 1980. And I for myself am sick of being oppressed and will not wait till after the revolution to do something about it

Well sisters - it is one thing to complain and another to do something about it - join the struggle (and believe me you'll feel better!)

Yeah. Still, no one (least of all Marg.) has given any reasons for why those rallies take place and should be supported. What's the point of them other than to gather an audience for the trots and trades hall? If that's the only purpose, and it's the only observable one there is, why should anyone congratulate the IWD 'collective' for anything; why should anyone do a pasteup or hand out leaflets for it; etc? If they want to work for that, fine - but why should anyone else?

If it had any real connection to resisting/fighting against sexism, there might be a point. As it is, there isn't one; and trying to claim that there is some 'natural' connection between a rally and its speeches and doing something is, well, something apparatchiks say to get people to do recruiting work (nothing else).

reply to ahem

well, a fair bit of work still needs to be done to explain to people on this list why it is important to publically protest the fact that in 2004 women are still oppressed - but maybe you don't think soo!

a few useful stats: women in Australia earn on average 66% of males wages, one in 6 young men still think it is ok to force women to have sex, childcare is unafordable for 80% of mothers, lesbians have no access to IVF, etc the list goes on.

The only reason we have EVER achieved reforms which have made life easier over the years for women (including you -if you are a woman), has been because the women's lib movement in the past has fought hard - very hard for it through protests, rallies, campaigns etc.

You might not be aware of the fact that the 'trots', which you belittle out of sheer ignorance and a-political hatred, have been in the for front of many campaigns for women's rights, such as the BHP jobs for women campaigns, abortion rights campaign and international solidarity.

We have a struggle on our hands to re-invigorate a feminist movement that unites not seperates, that fights not whinges and that acts not only sits on the sidelines uselessly. The attacks on women in Australia and internationally especially are fierce and require a fight back that takes more than a couple of biting and irrelevant emails.

you'd be surprised how well Socialist Alliance (the trots you must have been referring to) and it's women's charter was received by the independant people who rocked up. They were not blinded by the size of the rally like you obviously were, but were pleased that somebody was at least doing something ordinary people could come along too and participate in. And to your shock and horror some of them are interested in joining the Socialist Alliance!

So you out there - what is your strategy?
margarita

The trouble is that this just reads like the usual man-hating separatist dribble.

Eg. the issue of childcare is NOT exclusively a women's issue. Believe it or not, but men also happen to be parents too; some of them even single parents.

The lack of affordable child care impacts on men just as much as it does on women.

However, I am interested to see that the term 'Women's Liberation' is back in vogue. Last time I heard that used in reference to the women's movement was in the 70s with Germaine Greer.

And yes, I am male, as if that should make any difference at all.

OK, I am a 'male' too, but the appearance of me as a male is not what makes me what I am.

From what I can see, I can understand why only a small number of people turned up.

The same old problem plaguing most A®ctivist campaigns.
a) communication problems
b) a sense of 'ANGER' is big letters
c) reliance on the use of polemic syllabelic words (oppression, solidarity...)

OK, you wish there were 1.9million women out on the streets? (OK, take that down to 1.5million, say) Why would they want to give it up that time to come to a rally - how relevant is it for them?

And this is their mentality. Its fine to say 'they should', but when has a semi-taunt ("you should") get hundreds of thousands onto the streets?

I wasnt there, but my feeling is that there were a lot of labels everywhere. Yes, Socialist Alliance/Alternative etc. Its like the Grand Prix. "Against Mandatory Detention" - Socialist Alliance "No Nuclear Waste Dump" - Socialist Alternative. Like, who gives a rats arse what group organises it, but mannnnn they are out there in droves.

Which means that, yes, a majority of those who turn up choose to wear a colour that taints the rest of the event.

So, what will it take to get all dem women from the suburbs to rally? Bugger all, and becuase I'm not a female maybe, but ANY issue.... I reckon
1) Hold your rally in Deer Park - yep, then one in Dandenong.
2) Come up with some benefit for the mums - maybe you will march to Centrelink or to the Community Centre where there is a festive atmosphere on, where there are workshops
3) Talk about Child Care. Does anyone have a personal link with every country where there is oppression? Maybe, but if they arent feeling oppressed, and that is possible, they your going on about 'oppression' doesnt mean a thing to them, as much as just trying to give their kids a decent life in Melbourne

To us, it looks like oppression in countries like Pakistan, Phillipines etc, and in so many areas it is, but when it is accepted that their lot is what it is, and a sense of happiness comes from it - not all feel this way - then the issue is cloudier than simple 'oppression'

If YOU feel oppressed, then why give the 'oppressor' any energy? Hasnt the Living Now personal development gone through enough people by now, to really help people to question the nature of these debiliating words - I mean
how disempowering is it to stand in front of people & say "you are oppressed". Thats like saying "join us if you feel disempowered".
STRUGGLE is another word. RESISTANCE - my god, its like a conspiracy.
Hasnt Qi Gong, or Buddhism, or Aikido made inroads into this hardheaded attitude of fight fight fight

And ontop of that, people who havent worked out what they are really fighting - which is unlikely the 'enemy' but the self & their past - are not going to be rallying me around.

Also, what community exists in SA? Or the activist groups? None I can feel in the ones I have been in.

What about next IWD, starting a community from the rally. What about doing stuff that INSPIRES people. No wonder womens groups arent political anymore - the achieve more by empowering women to be assertive & powerful in their own lives & home.

Struggle, rallies, oppression, smash patriarchy - guys, you are being left behind in the shift in consciousness. When you let go of 1982 style aggressive language, and update your energy to slot in with what is happening in the consciousness of people, and build networks & communities - god damn, if your family is/was fucked up, its lonely out there in this world, and there are a lot of infinately grieving & lonely activists out there - so that we all live in harmony.

Its a harder slog & it is a long haul, but its empowering.

That is why these days dwindle in number.

Leave adversity, embrace inspiration, then you will see a r/evolution out there in the masses.
Be a role model for a future world
Be the leaders you wish to see

Good on ya Eric, good to see you're still around.

activists know how much work a mobilisation if not a whole campaign means. they wouldn't tell other activists do this, do that instead, achieve something concrete and such bullshit. what have you done aganst women's oppression, eric? i guess you just like enjoying your privileges and talking from a high horse...

margarita stated "a few useful stats: women in Australia earn on average 66% of males wages, one in 6 young men still think it is ok to force women to have sex, childcare is unafordable for 80% of mothers, lesbians have no access to IVF, etc the list goes on.

Care to back these "stats" with a source, especially the one about one in six young men believing it was okay to force women to have sex. If you want to be taken seriously please provide verifiable sources to back up such claims.

>another man

For another man you sound like a right little bitch.

Not exactly manly behaviour, or is this personal?
Footy anecdote mate, play the ball not the man. Or maybe you are too busy tweaking your own balls to bother discussing the issues.

The previous poster appear to be rather obsessed with testicles and ball games...

Groups brinnging their flags, signs etc to IWD is GOOD because it shows that they support and take the cause seriously enough to put their name to it. Kinda like signing petitions (only more effective).

Anyway I much prefer 1982 style aggressive politics to the 1972 style sleazy "you need to be more liberated baby" politics.

Good for the socialists and whoever else.

Hey, indykids
if comments are going to be censored for the common good can you guys at least put stuff back in order of what they were posted initially.

Oh dear Stevie,
where have you been, hiding under a rock? If you want some facts verification, you just have to look up the website of Status of Women or damn nearly any website dealing with women's issues and it will outline for you the appalling amount abuse women are still facing.

To start with you could check out, Anne Summers book, The End of Equality which has lots of stats and info.

In the book, Summers documented that between 1993 and 2001 the number of sexual assault victims INCREASED by 37 per cent - and only an estimated 15 per cent of women who are sexually assaulted report it.

According to one article recently printed in the SMH, the manager of the NSW Rape Crisis Centre, Karen Willis, claimed: "Women are being gang raped most weekends in Australia."

Another study by the Family Planning Association of Australia has found one in three men aged 15 to 25 (even worse then the 1 in 6 figure cited by Margarita) thought it was "OK for a male to force a female to have sex" in some situations

As for the 66% of men's wages figure - this is figure from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. According to the ABA, despite women winning formal equal pay for equal work more then 30 years back, the gap between men’s and women's wages is larger now than a decade ago. In May 2002, men averaged $839 per week while women were paid just $555 (66% of men's wages)

Even worse still, figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicate this gap is still growing: between May 2000 and May 2002, men's wages increased by $58 while women's rose by only $33.

In the past few weeks, the reason why IWD is still relevant and needed more then ever has been illustrated blinding well in Sydney (where I am from) with the Bulldogs scandel.

A young woman has alleged that she was raped by 6 players. In the ensuring media blaze that has followed it has become blinding clear how many men still view women (both in and out of sporting culture).

Women are not seen as human beings, but instead are refered to as "buns", "scrags" and "ho's" are viewed by these men as simply being their for their entertainment and to be "roasted".

As for the comments about "trots"
International Women's Day was started by socialists - so socialist have every right to be involved in the event.

The First women's day's started in 1908 and 1909 by American socialist women to demand better wages and conditions for women. In 1909, they supported the Garments women strike (of 40,000 women) who struck for 13 weeks (this is where the famous "bread and rose's" song comes from).

In 1910, Clara Zetkin, a German Socialist suggested at the 2nd International Conference of Working Women that an International Day to fight for women's rights be organised. The following year in 1911, thousands of women and men took part in the first ever IWD demanding the vote for women, better working conditions and pay.

In 1917, IWD helped spark the February Revolution,when the women who were marking IWD, went to the factories and called the men who were locked out into the streets to join them in their march for better wages for not only women, but also men and for an end to the war.

In 1928, the first IWD took place in Australia in Sydney. It was organised by the Militant Women's Movement (with many women from the movement involved in the Communist Party of Australia). They demanded an end to piece work, an 8 hour day, equal pay for equal work, holiday and sick pay and a basic wage for the unemployed.

In 1975, IWD was recognised for the first time by the UN as international day.

I live in a small town and am studying a uni course in a traditionally male dominated field. Out of my class of over 100 people there are a total of 6 women (including me). According to my tutor, two years ago there was only 1 woman enrolled, and before that hardly any.

This is despite the fact that the university here has one of the highest levels of enrollment for mature-age and women students. And the teachers and other students are quite supportive.

Given this, I was absolutely outraged at Howards recent attempts to change the anti-distcrimination laws in order to provide male only teaching scholarships. Most female dominated areas are still lower paid and worse working conditions (despite the fact that many of these, such as nursing, are highly skilled fields). Also, even the areas that have the lowest number of males are still more balanced than in the area I am currently studying.

Sexist attitudes are also more common in rural areas than in cities such as melbourne and sydney. Many people where I live consider university something for males where as women get a job then get married.

I really think that if turnouts at iwd are getting smaller it is because all the gains of the womens liberation movement (particularly in consiousness) are being pushed back.

This is NOT something to gloat about. It is NOT a win for autonomous / anarchists over socialists. It IS a victory for the state and ruling class over ALL people.

Rather than argue between ourselves here, we need to fight back against disempowerment in any way we can - whether it be rallies, counsiousness raising, information, self empowerment or whatever.