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Women's Liberation
Women's Liberation
Royal racism row: the tip of the iceberg - weekly briefing
Lindsey German on social division, the ruling class and why anti-oppressive advances need protecting
Iran at a crossroads: Protests against government intensify
Protests and strikes against the Iranian government are growing. Where have they come from and where are they going?
Marxism and Class part three: Class analysis or identity politics?
In the third part of the series on class, Chris Nineham explains why a class analysis is needed to understand and fight oppression
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution. A New Guide to Sex in the 21st Century - book review
Perry’s
Case Against the Sexual Revolution
raises important questions about women’s liberation, but is based on deeply flawed premises, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Where does women's oppression come from and how can we end it? - video
Elaine Graham-Leigh discusses Marxist view of the roots of women's oppression and how it can be overcome
Our bodies, our lives: The fight for abortion rights - video
Following the US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade, Kate O'Neil discusses the ramifications and the fight for reproductive rights with Debby Pope from the Chicago Teachers Union
No babies should be born behind bars: Why mothers and babies will be protesting at the Ministry of Justice
Parents and their babies will be staging a feed-in protest outside the Ministry of Justice to demand the law is changed to stop pregnant women being incarcerated, writes Mel Evans
No Births Behind Bars: The scandal of imprisoning pregnant women
Following the deaths of newborn babies in prisons, a new campaigning organisation protested outside Parliament against the incarceration of pregnant women, reports Feyzi Ismail
Why do we still have a gender pay gap?
On International Women's Day, Terina Hine looks at why the gender pay gap is still as wide as it was 25 years ago
Alexandra Kollontai on International Women's Day
On International Women's Day, we republish Russian revolutionary Alexandra Kollontai's writing on the history and importance of the day
Incarcerating the abused: women imprisoned for defending themselves
The imprisonment of women who kill abusive partners in self-defence is a sickening injustice that must be challenged, argues John Clarke
Enough! Taking the streets, taking on spiking
Thousands come out to protest against the continuous attack no women on and off the streets, Karen Buckley reports
Women's liberation and the trans debate
In the light of current discussions, we repost a document first circulated by Counterfire in September 2020. We believe it remains relevant.
Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Heroine of the Nigerian Motherland
Ransome-Kuti (1900-1978), a leading anti-colonial activist and women’s organiser, left an important radical legacy which should be remembered, argues Tayo Aluko.
The role of the Police
Police organisation has historically been created in order to control exploited and oppressed communities, and this remains the case, argues John Clarke.
Sexual violence, economic violence: why women still need our rights – weekly briefing
Lindsey German on Sarah Everard's murder and its aftermath
The 8th: The Movement for Abortion Rights in Ireland - review
The 8
th
is a moving and powerful film showing how mass activism is the route to achieving change, argues Lucy Nichols
9to5: The Story of a Movement review
What a way to build a movement: Lucy Nichols reviews Steven Bognar and Julia Reicherts’ latest documentary
Women's liberation: a revolutionary history - video
Katherine Connelly and Rachel Holmes discuss the radical tradition of the struggle for women's liberation at Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas
Trans rights, women’s rights and open debate – weekly briefing
Lindsey German on how the left should confront oppression
The Individual and Collective in Women's Liberation - video
Lindsey German looks at the role of the individual and collective organising in the struggle for women's liberation
Women's oppression and its roots in class society - video
Elaine Graham-Leigh discusses the origin of women's oppression in the development of class society and what that means for the struggle for liberation
Defend the right to protest: Kingston turns out to Kill the Bill
Protesters in Kingston turned out to oppose the Police Bill as part of a number of demonstrations that took place around the country over the weekend, reports Sandra Keen
Bristol Kill the Bill: police, provocation and protest
As the government seeks to restrict our right to protest, Bristol makes its feelings clear, reports Jeni Van Heerden
Why a woman’s work is never done
Susan Newman discusses how the subjugation of women through unpaid labour in the sphere of social reproduction is central to the functioning of capitalism
Kill the Bill! Manchester marches for the right to protest – Report
The movement to stop the Tories’ clampdown on protest and to challenge violence against women continues in Manchester, reports Karen Buckley
How do we end violence against women? - video
Lindsey German looks at the proposition that more police, longer sentences and new laws are the solution to ending violence against women
Who polices the police? – weekly briefing
Lindsey German on our protests, their state and the tragedy of Sarah Everard
'Shame on you!': New Scotland Yard sees protest at police violence
In an atmosphere of anger and resistance, protestors call for an end to police violence against women, reports Yonas Makoni
‘We are all Sarah Everard’: women of Manchester stand up to the police
Women in Manchester will not be silenced, argues Lucy Nichols, in this report from the vigil
Swiss burqa ban: the racist right digs in deeper
The burqa ban in Switzerland represents the latest in a series of Islamophobic policies and must be resisted, argues Maddalena Dunscombe
Sarah Everard: Banning vigils is an assault on our rights – CounterBlast
The authorities are wrong to clamp down on public expressions of defiance following the killing of Sarah Everard, argues Alex Snowdon
Sarah Everard killing: can women ever be safe?
Commenting on the horrific murder of Sarah Everard, Lindsey German argues that violence against women and institutional sexism must be combated through collective action
The socialist tradition of organising women - video
Feyzi Ismail discusses the role of socialist organising in the struggles for women's liberation
International Women's Day: a working class, socialist history
For international women's day, we republish this piece by Katherine Connelly on its origins in socialist and feminist movements led by working class women.
Working women and the feminist movement
In the first of a series on women and socialism, Terina Hine looks at the history of how women have made gains through worker militancy
The Women's Liberation Movement and the Politics of Class in Britain - book review
A study of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Britain of the 1970s shows how essential it is to grasp the relationship of class and oppression, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
The fight for women's liberation - Marxism and Women's liberation extract
Katherine Connelly looks at the struggle against women's oppression in this extract from
Marxism and Women's Liberation
Racism, sexism and ‘Karens’
You can’t fight one oppression by doubling down on another, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Marxism, the family and women's oppression - video
Lindsey German discusses where women's oppression comes from in capitalist society
Marxism and feminism - Marxism and Women's Liberation extract
Lindsey German discusses Marxism's contribution to analysing women's oppression in this extract from
Marxism and Women's Liberation
Where does sexism come from? - Marxism and Women's Liberation excerpt
Elaine Graham-Leigh traces the roots of women's oppression in this excerpt from
Marxism and Women's Liberation
Ready to die for Ireland one way or another: the rebel Countess
Constance Markievicz, a clarion figure in both anti-imperialism and women’s liberation, is remembered by Chris Bambery
Argentina’s ‘Green Tide’ sweeps closer to an historic victory for abortion rights
The passing of a new bill allowing abortion represents an imminent major victory for Argentine women that was achieved through popular struggle, writes Steph Pike
The limits of identity politics - video
Elaine Graham-Leigh explains the origins and limitations of identity politics and what a Marxist understanding of oppression and how to overcome it offers
Who was Mary Wollstonecraft?
Following the
recent controversy
around a new statue commemorating Mary Wollstonecraft, Jaqueline Mulhallen looks at the life and times of this radical figure
Mary Wollstonecraft statue is a poor representation of her radical ideas
The new statue commemorating Mary Wollstonecraft will disappoint socialists and feminists as it fails to represent what she stood for, argues Lindsey German
The Coronavirus crisis amplifies women’s oppression
Lindsey German argues that women and sex inequality should be at the centre of our analysis of social transformation.
The Polish women's strike is an anti-fascist struggle
Fascists have joined forces with the Polish government to attack women protesting against the abortion ban, but women are fighting back, reports Reece Goscinski
Abortion ban in Poland: the government is waging war on women
The ruling against abortions in Poland is a monstrous assault on women which should be resisted as part of the wider fight against the populist right internationally, argues Reece Goscinski
Is a society without oppression possible? - explainer
Elaine Graham-Leigh analyses where oppression comes from and if it can be overcome
The Equal Pay Act at 50: a bittersweet celebration
That women workers’ pay in the UK continues to lag significantly behind that of men underlines the limits of legal change under capitalism, argues Susan Ram
Engels was right, class society and women's oppression aren't inevitable or irreversible
As part of our series on the revolutionary Frederick Engels, on the 200th anniversary of his birth, Elaine Graham-Leigh looks at Engels'
The Origins of the Family, Private Property and the State
Marge Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time: books that made me a socialist
A startling fusion of science fiction and feminism selected by Dave Randall
Film Review: Misbehaviour is misjudged
Women's liberation struggles deserve to be made into films, but Misbehaviour is not one of them says Penny Hicks
Why the working-class, socialist history of International Women’s Day matters today
On International Women's Day, Katherine Connelly looks at its origins in the socialist and feminist movements led by working class women
10 years of Counterfire
Marking ten years since the launch of Counterfire, Alex Snowdon reflects on why the organisation was set up and some of what we have achieved in the last decade
Labour in vain? – weekly briefing
Lindsey German on post-Corbynism and the trans debate
Bernie Sanders vs the Democrat establishment – weekly briefing
Lindsey German on democratic socialism, witch-hunting and the fight for women’s liberation
Cyprus: an attack on women everywhere
We must all do our part to fight systematic rape culture, writes Elly Badcock
‘All Sorts of Woman’: review of Selina Todd’s Tastes of Honey and the National Theatre’s A Taste of Honey
Selina Todd’s biography of Shelagh Delaney contains an urgent political message and a new performance of Delaney’s most famous play shows us how radical she was, finds Katherine Connelly
Unelected judges deny the right to strike - election briefing 14 November
Lindsey German on the attack on the posties and women’s work
7 black heroes that changed the world
For Black History Month, Counterfire asked activists today to tell us about their black hero and how they provide inspiration in our struggles today
Abortion and same-sex marriage legalised in Northern Ireland, despite DUP opposition
Laws banning abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland have been repealed after a failure to restore Stormont, reports Elly Badcock
Waspi women: stung by the state – weekly briefing
Lindsey German on the abuse of pension provision, ruling class paranoia and XR’s protests
Ibsen in Calcutta: A Doll's House reimagined through the lens of British colonialism
Tanika Gupta's reimagined Ibsen shines a light on the class-based oppression inherent to colonialism, finds Ellen Graubart
Power to the People
Democratic rights don’t fall from the sky, they are fought for and won, insists Alex Snowdon
“Life-long member of the non-pretty working classes” - All Woman review
In
All Woman,
Kathy Burke has tackled ‘beauty’ and ‘motherhood’ and next up is that big messy hot potato of ‘relationships’, writes Sofie Mason
Vote with your feet – weekly briefing
Recent events have demonstrated the inextricable link between democratic demands and the fight for socialism, argues Lindsey German
Football as resistance: women kicking back against bigotry
Shadia Edwards-Dashti, journalist and Actonians football player, highlights the significance of women's football beyond the pitch
Tory values meet the rights and wrongs of women - weekly briefing
The nasty party displays its true colours as it flounders towards a new stewardship, observes Lindsey German
A Suffragette in America: Reflections on Prisoners, Pickets and Political Change - book review
Katherine Connelly’s edition of previously unpublished writing by Sylvia Pankhurst shows her deepening socialist politics, finds Lindsey German
Trump's America: women under attack
As the fightback against a raft of anti-abortion laws in the USA gathers steam, it can't be left just to establishment liberals to lead it, argues Kate O'Neil
Brexit, Boris and the battle ahead - weekly briefing
Tory collapse is only half the story; Corbyn’s Labour needs to sharply recalibrate around anti-austerity and class politics, argues Lindsey German
A history of International Women's Day
In this article, originally published in 1998, Lindsey German traces the history of International Women's Day - initially a celebration of the struggle of working women fighting back over suffrage and conditions at work
Labour pains: Watson, witch-hunts and what we do next - weekly briefing
Recapturing the Corbyn moment means going beyond the Labour right's fixations with Brexit and antisemitism, argues Lindsey German
The revolutionary life of Sylvia Pankhurst - Counterfire Media Podcast
Tom Lock Griffiths talks to biographer and activist Kate Connelly about Sylvia Pankhurst and why the militant socialist and suffragette is still powerfully relevant today in this episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast
Our ten most popular articles of 2018
The most popular articles on Counterfire this year
Westminster's first woman, 100 years on
Constance Markievicz was the first woman MP at Westminster - Jacqueline Mulhallen marks the centenary of her election
Counterfire's books of the year - part one
We asked a few leading campaigners and performers from the left what books have inspired them over the last twelve months
Marxism and Feminism - Counterfire Media Podcast
Feyzi Ismail talks to Hester Eisenstein on current trends in Feminism and Marxism, #MeToo, intersectionality and reformulating issues of class as central to feminist theory and practice in this episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast
Talk about equality is cheap, but paying women a decent wage is much too costly - weekly briefing
Less glass ceilings and more grassroots is the key to reviving the role of women’s liberation in our struggle, argues Lindsey German
Glasgow refuse workers respect picket lines in solidarity with women’s pay strike
Strike action in Glasgow spreads, showing the power of solidarity of men and women workers, reports Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
Ship, iceberg... you know what happens next - weekly briefing
Tory calamity combined with Jeremy Corbyn's increasing consolidation of the mainstream puts a premium on extra-parliamentary activity for rest of the left, asserts Lindsey German
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
Richard Pratt 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
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.
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
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