"Stop the U.S. war on women, at home and abroad!" is a main slogan of the Women's Fightback Network. Is there really a war going on here in the U.S. against women? We don't see any bombs or fighter jets do we? But many poor and working women feel under siege; under attack by Bush's cuts in housing, healthcare, childcare and education. The devastation is felt when we can't find a job, or there is no food in the fridge at the end of the week, or not enough money to pay for our child's asthma medication, or we want to go to college but there are no funds. Instead, the Bush administration's policy is to give huge bailouts to mega corporations and billions for an "endless war" in Iraq. Many women of color live under war-like conditions with police occupying their communities; murdering and brutalizing at will. Immigrant women are besieged by Homeland Security who can round them up and deport them on a moment's notice. There is an assault going on against women in this country and Bush and corporate giants are leading the charge. Tax breaks for the rich, a widespread recession and bulging military costs equal financial deficits. Bush and Congress say we have to pay. The 2006 budget slashes more than 150 social programs, hurting people of color and women disproportionately. This is simply because women are more likely to use the services, as they are more likely to be poorer than men. For example, single mothers head 72% of families living below the federal poverty line in MA. Women used 78% of elder home care services in the state. Cuts in federal Medicaid mean fewer dollars for Mass Health, which serves more women than men. Severe reductions in HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C programs for education, testing and counseling result in thousands fewer women being screened and treated. Senate Budget Committee chairman Judd Gregg, a Republican from N.H., said it with bluntness: "There is a clear shift in our priorities, but it was put upon us as a nation. We are at war. When you are at war, you have to make some difficult decisions." Gregg speaks with crocodile tears and arrogance. His message is: "Our priority is NOT human needs, our priority is waging war on the women, children and men of Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Colombia, Korea, etc. Our priority is building an empire." Empire? Yes, the war and occupation of Iraq has already cost $280 billion and Bush is asking for $80B more. The money stolen from our human needs programs pays for the bombs and bullets used to kill more than 100,000 Iraqi people.
How can Bush and the Pentagon carry out such widespread robbery without flashing a weapon? They rely on the powerful old weapons of racism, sexism and lgbt oppression. By dividing us, the bosses, both big and small, weaken our organizing for welfare rights, reproductive rights or expanded alcohol and drug clinics. It is easier to keep women down when we face harassment, discrimination, assault and battering. It is easier to bash a union drive when women of color or immigrants are blamed for taking jobs at lower pay. Massachusetts Governor Romney and Bush are both determined to axe the federal Head Start Program, despite its proven effectiveness. A Michigan study of 123 low-income African American children found that 84% of girls who attended quality preschool graduated from high school as compared with 32% who did not go to preschool. When they reached the age of 27, 80% of these women had jobs compared to 55% who did not go to preschool. Because the Head Start program benefits mainly girls and children of color, Romney and Bush say that it is a "waste" or "isn't working." They count on the divisiveness of racism and sexism to pave the way for eliminating this valuable program. The recent statement by Harvard University President Lawrence Summers, that innate differences between men and women explain why fewer women gain high level academic careers in science and math, sent a loud, clear message: "Women are born inferior." This theory of biological determinism is also racist. It reinforces a hostile message that women should stay way from non-traditional fields. It's hoped for effect is to drive us back with low self-confidence and silence our voices for affirmative action in academia and business. Summers' statement aids corporations worldwide who make big money by keeping women locked in oppressive traditional jobs.
Pay inequity between women and men reaps super profits for the bosses. A National Association of Female Executives study compared women's pay to that of white male workers. The results were: Asian women make 75% of what a white male makes, white women 70%, African American women 62.5%, Native women 57.8%, and Latinas 52.5%. Women who worked full time in 2003 earned 76 cents for every dollar a man made. Women workers come in all forms, we are young, over 60, part-time, unreported income, retired, disabled, unemployed, contracted home office workers, homemakers and undocumented. Unequal pay and low wages can lock us into abusive relationships, or sweatshop jobs. It can mean we have little savings for retirement, or can't afford childcare. It can mean we are forced into the military instead of college and a career. It forces us to commit crimes of survival in order to support ourselves and our families, leading to time in prison. The working class in the U.S. is increasingly made up of women, people of color, and lower paid workers. Herein lies our strength and hope for a better future.
A vibrant, strong, independent women's movement led by a multinational group of women who represent the most oppressed workers and poor people, young and old, lesbian, transgender, and straight has the power to beat back Bush and the right-wing. A women's movement independent of capitalist interests and their big-business political parties is essential. The great victories of women's liberation in the past have been won not by the vote, but by mass action and organizing. When women act we become stronger and more confident. The isolation and alienation of sexism, racism and lbgt oppression is broken down and we become a powerful force for change.
Solidarity is OUR secret weapon!
Together we can stop the U.S. war on women at home and abroad!
JOIN THE WOMEN'S FIGHTBACK NETWORK
c/o Action Center, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
617-522-6626 • wfn@iacboston.org