Women's Liberation

Why summer holidays are a time of dread and not joy for many families

We are not a poor society, and should not be failing our children like this, argues Kelly Grahan
Frankenstein at 200

On the anniversary of Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Jacqueline Mulhallen looks beyond the cliches and finds a fable laced with powerful and timely commentary
After Irish referendum victory, we must fight further to expand women’s rights

This fantastic leap forward was a product of grassroots campaigning, but the battle is far from over, argues Amy O'Donoghue
The bigotry of Arlene Foster won’t stop women on the march - weekly briefing

The democratic shockwaves of women’s liberation can still create real problems for our rulers, writes Lindsey German
Victory as Ireland votes to repeal the 8th amendment

As the results from the referendum in Ireland come in, it looks as though the Irish people have voted overwhelmingly to repeal draconian anti-abortion laws, Elly Badcock reports
Ireland's opportunity for equality

Friday's referendum is a vital step in the fight for women's equality in Ireland, argues Amy O'Donoghue
Too rich to fail - weekly briefing

“One rule for them and one rule for us” is a key mantra for neoliberalism and it has to be destroyed, argues Lindsey German
Spanish women take to the streets to demand justice for women and an end to male violence

The acquittal in Pamplona is not an isolated case. Women are taking to the streets and demanding justice, reports Steph Pike
BBC Proms takes a step towards equal gender representation

Thomas Gibbs takes on some of the arguments being made against the decision by BBC Proms to hire as many women as men as composers for the festival
Time's up Theresa - Counterfire Freesheet March 2018

Brexit, Corbyn and the Labour right, gender pay gap, commodification of universities and more...
As a trans woman, this is the unity I want to see

In the trans debate we need less heat and more light, argues Kristina Jayne Harrison
Sylvia - theatre review

A sold-out annex theatre was treated to Jacqueline Mulhallen’s moving, informative and funny performance, Sylvia, the radical Suffragette leader
'If women stop, the world stops': a view from the mass women’s strike in Spain

After huge strikes and protests in Spain, the message on the ground is to stay in the streets
Sylvia Pankhurst and the working class suffragettes

Jacqueline Mulhallen reflects on the radicals who helped reshape global democracy
The gender pay gap is a disgrace

While new legislation aimed at addressing this ongoing inequality is welcome, only collective action can end it, argues Steph Pike
For International Women’s Day my hero is Ahed Tamimi

International Women's Day is not just about the struggles of the past. It is about the recognition of women fighting now
The War? The Suffragettes? How did women win the right to vote?

On the centenary of women winning the right to vote, Katherine Connelly explores how they fought for their rights and resisted war
Behind every ‘successful’ woman there’s another woman doing the work - weekly briefing

Feminism is a double-edged sword for those fighting for women’s liberation, argues Lindsey German
The return of idealism: identity and the politics of oppression

The pervasion of identity politics limits our ability to truly liberate ourselves from oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Statue commemorating working class Suffragette Alice Hawkins unveiled

Marking a hundred years of some women winning the right to vote, a statue of Suffragette Alice Hawkins was erected in Leicester. Jacqueline Mulhallen reports
Marxism, Social Reproduction and Women’s Liberation with Lindsey German and Kate Connelly - video

At an important Counterfire discussion, Lindsey German and Kate Connelly speak on women's oppression and how gender roles are played out within the structure of capitalism
Sex, power, and money: parliament and politics - weekly briefing

How far will this challenge to male privilege be allowed to go, asks Lindsey German
We carried the Revolution on our shoulders - book extract

In this second book extract of The Women's Revolution: Russia 1905-1917, Judy Cox describes the involvement and militancy of women during the October Revolution and the Civil War.
The Women's Revolution - book extract

In this first of two extracts of The Women's Revolution: Russia 1905-1917, Judy Cox describes how the unnamed, uncredited women of Russia were at the forefront of the February Revolution in 1917
Marxism and Women's Liberation

Judy Cox welcomes Marxism and Women’s Liberation as a timely and valuable discussion of the causes and consequences of women’s oppression
Get your rosaries off my ovaries: thousands march in Dublin for #Strike4Repeal

A new generation of female activists is refuelling Ireland’s reproductive struggles, observes Kara Bryan
Strike 4 Repeal: International Women's Day in Ireland

On International Women's Day, thousands of women in Ireland went on strike and took to the streets reports Amy O'Donoghue
International Women's Day and revolution

100 years on from the Russian Revolution, we publish Alexandra Kollontai writing on the history of International Women's Day
Standing up to Trump

Campaigners from across the country gathered together to discuss and plan for Stand up to Trump, a coalition with a plan to take on the US president
Socialists and mass protest: thoughts on the Women's Marches

How should socialists orient to mass protests?
Not my pussy: protest trumps pessimism

The weekend’s magnificent demonstrations are a cue to reinvigorate left politics as a whole, suggests Ellen Graubart
Women's March: this is what democracy looks like - photos

5 million people. 670 protests. 75 countries. The Women's March was the biggest global protest event since the 2003 protests against the Iraq War.
London marches with the world for women

Protests took place across the world, celebrating and defending women, as well as opposing misogynist Trump. Sophie De Val reports from London
Marxism and Women's Liberation

Buy online: A cutting edge guide to the way class and women's oppression intersect, and how emancipation must be linked to system change
Ched Evans rape case: back to women on trial?

The issue of rape cannot be separated from a society that commodifies women and sexuality, and demeans both men and women, argues Judy Cox
Burkini ban: the Islamophobia that lies beneath the beach secularism

Is France's left doing enough to challenge the new wave of state Islamophobia, asks John Mullen
Burkini ban: taking the anger back to the French state

Friday night’s central London emergency protest shows how Islamophobia must be countered, reports Katherine Connelly
Don't thank the EU for equal pay

The principle of equal pay was won through struggle, writes Lindsey German
Farage: sex, lies and Islamophobia

Nigel Farage's latest outburst is part of a growing sexualisation of racism, argues Lindsey German
Always in the front line

Women workers have been at the forefront of every new wave of struggle
Women's liberation: we think it's time

The anti-austerity movement is an opportunity to force women's liberation onto the political agenda says Yasmin Dahnoun
What is it with some feminist Labour MPs?

Jess Phillips and her colleagues are stooping to new lows by misusing feminism to attack Jeremy Corbyn argues Lindsey German
Sexual assault allegations exacerbate German racism

Sexism and racism have to be challenged without bowing to the far right, who are using sexual assaults to attack refugees, argues Kaveh Yazdani
The tampon tax is misogynist: what we can do to stop it

The tampon tax is alienating and unnecessary, but we are doing something about it, writes Laura Coryton
Suffragette: on the side of the rebels

Suffragette is a compelling and moving portrayal of the courage of ordinary women who dared to challenge the power of the British state
Jeremy Corbyn and women: a matter of policy not posts

Media responses have pointed to the lack of women in the new shadow cabinet, but the policy response to austerity will have more impact on women's lives in the UK
Jeremy Corbyn, feminism and the Labour leadership

If the women candidates are unlikely to be successful in the Labour leadership election race it's down to politics not patriarchy argues Lindsey German
Exquisite and hard hitting: 'Working from Home' by Julie McCalden

Sue Tate reviews Working from Home by Julie McCalden at The Museum of Bath at Work
Marxism and Feminism

Marxism and Feminism explores the connections between capitalism and women’s oppression through a range of serious and perceptive arguments, finds Lindsey German
Womens Liberation, class and Feminism: Lindsey German & Katherine Connelly | Dangerous Times

From the session 'Women’s liberation, class and feminism today' at Dangerous Times Festival 2015
Everyday sexism and capitalism

With the feminist movement on the rise, Elaine Graham-Leigh appraises contrasting approaches to challenging sexism and the place of women in today’s system
The fire last time: when ghetto riots rocked America

Alastair Stephens looks at how riots changed American history and represented a historic challenge to the ruling order
Work, Sex and Power

The entire human history of exploitation and oppression is vividly summarised in Willie Thompson’s Work, Sex, Power, finds Mike Quille
A Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century

Five years ago Counterfire was launched as an organisation on International Women's Day 2010, with the publication of A Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century. It remains a timely analysis of the challenges that face us in the struggle for women's liberation
Captive Revolution: Palestinian Women’s Anti-Colonial Struggle Within the Israeli Prison System

Former detainee Nahlo Abdo's meticulous study reveals the hidden voices of Palestinian female political prisoners. Review by Ellen Graubart
Montreal Massacre, feminism and hate crimes against women

Those who accuse feminists of 'hijacking' the memory of the Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were killed, couldn't be more wrong, argues Canadian writer and broadcaster Toula Drimonis
Witches and bitches: Hollywood's horrible misogyny

Completing the Horror Cuts trilogy, Jack Brindelli explores the political implications of possession and witch films, and examines just how deep Hollywood's fear of empowered women goes
Marxism and the Oppression of Women: Towards a Unitary Theory

Lindsey German welcomes a new edition of a classic of Marxist Women’s Liberation theory, which opens up rich debates over the nature and origins of women’s oppression
Yes to women's equality - Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response

Lindsey German reviews 'Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response' by Cat Boyd and Jenny Morrison
Sylvia Pankhurst: Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire

The importance and coherence of Sylvia Pankhurst’s lifelong activism is revealed by Katherine Connelly’s grasp of her political commitments, making this book an important new account her life
Sylvia Pankhurst: Militancy and Mass Mobilisation

Pankhurst’s commitment to working class politics offered a more fruitful strategy for the women’s suffrage movement, compared to the middle class strategy of the leaders of the WSPU
Art and Conflict: Sylvia Pankhurst: Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire

As a young artist at the turn of the 20^th century, Sylvia Pankhurst battled discrimination in the institutional art world, while also developing strong political commitments
Sylvia Pankhurst: War and Imperialism

Sylvia Pankhurst’s activism during the First World War demonstrated her unwavering commitment to anti-imperialism - a thread running through all her activity for the rest of her life
Introduction to Sylvia Pankhurst: Suffragette, Socialist and Scourge of Empire

In this extract from her book, Katherine Connelly explains the context and continuities of Sylvia’s many political engagements - too often ignored in standard accounts of her life
How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women: resisting war, asserting our liberation

The introduction from Lindsey German's book How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women looks at how and why the anti-war movement became a vehicle for women’s political action
The Suffragettes, Black Friday and two types of window smashing

'The argument of the broken window pane is the most valuable argument in modern politics', declared suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst

Women's Liberation

Women's Liberation

We are not a poor society, and should not be failing our children like this, argues Kelly Grahan

On the anniversary of Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Jacqueline Mulhallen looks beyond the cliches and finds a fable laced with powerful and timely commentary

This fantastic leap forward was a product of grassroots campaigning, but the battle is far from over, argues Amy O'Donoghue

The democratic shockwaves of women’s liberation can still create real problems for our rulers, writes Lindsey German

As the results from the referendum in Ireland come in, it looks as though the Irish people have voted overwhelmingly to repeal draconian anti-abortion laws, Elly Badcock reports

Friday's referendum is a vital step in the fight for women's equality in Ireland, argues Amy O'Donoghue

“One rule for them and one rule for us” is a key mantra for neoliberalism and it has to be destroyed, argues Lindsey German

The acquittal in Pamplona is not an isolated case. Women are taking to the streets and demanding justice, reports Steph Pike

Thomas Gibbs takes on some of the arguments being made against the decision by BBC Proms to hire as many women as men as composers for the festival

Brexit, Corbyn and the Labour right, gender pay gap, commodification of universities and more...

In the trans debate we need less heat and more light, argues Kristina Jayne Harrison

A sold-out annex theatre was treated to Jacqueline Mulhallen’s moving, informative and funny performance, Sylvia, the radical Suffragette leader

After huge strikes and protests in Spain, the message on the ground is to stay in the streets

Jacqueline Mulhallen reflects on the radicals who helped reshape global democracy

While new legislation aimed at addressing this ongoing inequality is welcome, only collective action can end it, argues Steph Pike

International Women's Day is not just about the struggles of the past. It is about the recognition of women fighting now

On the centenary of women winning the right to vote, Katherine Connelly explores how they fought for their rights and resisted war

Feminism is a double-edged sword for those fighting for women’s liberation, argues Lindsey German

The pervasion of identity politics limits our ability to truly liberate ourselves from oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Marking a hundred years of some women winning the right to vote, a statue of Suffragette Alice Hawkins was erected in Leicester. Jacqueline Mulhallen reports

At an important Counterfire discussion, Lindsey German and Kate Connelly speak on women's oppression and how gender roles are played out within the structure of capitalism

How far will this challenge to male privilege be allowed to go, asks Lindsey German

In this second book extract of The Women's Revolution: Russia 1905-1917, Judy Cox describes the involvement and militancy of women during the October Revolution and the Civil War.

In this first of two extracts of The Women's Revolution: Russia 1905-1917, Judy Cox describes how the unnamed, uncredited women of Russia were at the forefront of the February Revolution in 1917

Judy Cox welcomes Marxism and Women’s Liberation as a timely and valuable discussion of the causes and consequences of women’s oppression

A new generation of female activists is refuelling Ireland’s reproductive struggles, observes Kara Bryan

On International Women's Day, thousands of women in Ireland went on strike and took to the streets reports Amy O'Donoghue

100 years on from the Russian Revolution, we publish Alexandra Kollontai writing on the history of International Women's Day

Campaigners from across the country gathered together to discuss and plan for Stand up to Trump, a coalition with a plan to take on the US president

How should socialists orient to mass protests?

The weekend’s magnificent demonstrations are a cue to reinvigorate left politics as a whole, suggests Ellen Graubart

5 million people. 670 protests. 75 countries. The Women's March was the biggest global protest event since the 2003 protests against the Iraq War.

Protests took place across the world, celebrating and defending women, as well as opposing misogynist Trump. Sophie De Val reports from London

Buy online: A cutting edge guide to the way class and women's oppression intersect, and how emancipation must be linked to system change

The issue of rape cannot be separated from a society that commodifies women and sexuality, and demeans both men and women, argues Judy Cox

Is France's left doing enough to challenge the new wave of state Islamophobia, asks John Mullen

Friday night’s central London emergency protest shows how Islamophobia must be countered, reports Katherine Connelly

The principle of equal pay was won through struggle, writes Lindsey German

Nigel Farage's latest outburst is part of a growing sexualisation of racism, argues Lindsey German

Women workers have been at the forefront of every new wave of struggle

The anti-austerity movement is an opportunity to force women's liberation onto the political agenda says Yasmin Dahnoun

Jess Phillips and her colleagues are stooping to new lows by misusing feminism to attack Jeremy Corbyn argues Lindsey German

Sexism and racism have to be challenged without bowing to the far right, who are using sexual assaults to attack refugees, argues Kaveh Yazdani

The tampon tax is alienating and unnecessary, but we are doing something about it, writes Laura Coryton

Suffragette is a compelling and moving portrayal of the courage of ordinary women who dared to challenge the power of the British state

Media responses have pointed to the lack of women in the new shadow cabinet, but the policy response to austerity will have more impact on women's lives in the UK

If the women candidates are unlikely to be successful in the Labour leadership election race it's down to politics not patriarchy argues Lindsey German

Sue Tate reviews Working from Home by Julie McCalden at The Museum of Bath at Work

Marxism and Feminism explores the connections between capitalism and women’s oppression through a range of serious and perceptive arguments, finds Lindsey German

From the session 'Women’s liberation, class and feminism today' at Dangerous Times Festival 2015

With the feminist movement on the rise, Elaine Graham-Leigh appraises contrasting approaches to challenging sexism and the place of women in today’s system

Alastair Stephens looks at how riots changed American history and represented a historic challenge to the ruling order

The entire human history of exploitation and oppression is vividly summarised in Willie Thompson’s Work, Sex, Power, finds Mike Quille

Five years ago Counterfire was launched as an organisation on International Women's Day 2010, with the publication of A Feminist Manifesto for the 21st Century. It remains a timely analysis of the challenges that face us in the struggle for women's liberation

Former detainee Nahlo Abdo's meticulous study reveals the hidden voices of Palestinian female political prisoners. Review by Ellen Graubart

Those who accuse feminists of 'hijacking' the memory of the Montreal Massacre, in which 14 women were killed, couldn't be more wrong, argues Canadian writer and broadcaster Toula Drimonis

Completing the Horror Cuts trilogy, Jack Brindelli explores the political implications of possession and witch films, and examines just how deep Hollywood's fear of empowered women goes

Lindsey German welcomes a new edition of a classic of Marxist Women’s Liberation theory, which opens up rich debates over the nature and origins of women’s oppression

Lindsey German reviews 'Scottish Independence: A Feminist Response' by Cat Boyd and Jenny Morrison

The importance and coherence of Sylvia Pankhurst’s lifelong activism is revealed by Katherine Connelly’s grasp of her political commitments, making this book an important new account her life

Pankhurst’s commitment to working class politics offered a more fruitful strategy for the women’s suffrage movement, compared to the middle class strategy of the leaders of the WSPU

As a young artist at the turn of the 20th century, Sylvia Pankhurst battled discrimination in the institutional art world, while also developing strong political commitments

Sylvia Pankhurst’s activism during the First World War demonstrated her unwavering commitment to anti-imperialism - a thread running through all her activity for the rest of her life

In this extract from her book, Katherine Connelly explains the context and continuities of Sylvia’s many political engagements - too often ignored in standard accounts of her life

The introduction from Lindsey German's book How a Century of War Changed the Lives of Women looks at how and why the anti-war movement became a vehicle for women’s political action

'The argument of the broken window pane is the most valuable argument in modern politics', declared suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst

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As a young artist at the turn of the 20^th century, Sylvia Pankhurst battled discrimination in the institutional art world, while also developing strong political commitments