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By HILDA MURRAY

(Canadian Congress of Women)

Observance of International Wo-
men’s Day arose when women textile
workers on March 8, 1908 walked out
of the sweatshops of New York against
inhuman working conditions, and were
joined by socialist women campaign-
ing for votes for women and their
rights, in a mass demonstration that
was so successful they decided to make
it a yearly event. Two years later in
1910, socialist women at a conference
in Copenhagen resolved to make March
8 international—a day on which all
women should unite for women’s rights,
protection of children, security of the
family, for peace and against war and
militarism!

Since then women have won some
of those objectives. Emancipation of
women. No! A peaceful world. No! It
is only in the lands of socialism that
women have won full equality. Any
gains women in capitalist countries
have made are placed in constant jeo-
pardy by the slipshod, unplanned na-
ture of the economy which is operated
only for greed and private profit.

Militarism is a terrible plague afflict-
ing the nations, but a disease of such
magnitude that it has galvanized my-
riads of women into action against it.
There are many more women’s groups
conducting militant struggles for peace
and women’s rights than ever before.
Some years ago Canadian women pres-
sured the government into setting up
the Royal Commission on the Status of
Women—a first for Canada. The Re-
port arising out of it clearly itemized
the many sorts of discrimination Cana-
dian women are up against in our
work-a-day and professional world,
and called for an end to all discrimina-
tion against women prevalent in this
country.

However, the Report appears to have
had little or no effect upon employers
or politicians, despite the Report’s re-
commendations, and men are promot-
ed more often than women with the
same or even better qualifications, and
in government Jess than ever are wo-

‘men elected; in a parliament of 265

only one member is a woman! And our
man-made laws denying women the
right to control their own bodies re-
main as in mediaeval times.

Male chauvinism is very clearly de-
monstrated in politics, where women
are pushed aside as candidates, at the
same time male politicians have them-
selves portrayed with their families,
and have their wives follow them
around the hustings for publicity and
vote-catching purposes, and as a means
to create an image of ideal family
men just the same as the ordinary
elector, and not as hard-headed busi-
ness men, seeking to dominate the
economy and feather their own nests.

Wives and children have proved
more attractive vote catchers than
policies to such an extent even ‘our
aging bachelor prime minister got him-

MARCH 8th
INTERNATIONAL

WOMEN'S DAY

self a family, which has cast an aura

_-of paternalism upon himself and his
‘governing Liberal party — a party

which totally excluded Liberal women
from government and refused permis-
sion to two eminent Soviet women to
visit Canada for just 10 days!

Is it any wonder then, that this type
of political posturist with a Stone Age
brain rules the roost in so many coun-
tries, and rank discrimination of wo-
men still lingers on! And that the world
is menaced by the ever present threat
of militarism and war! Wherever wo-
men protest against these twin evils
it’s men who arrest them and throw
them into prisons,

Greek and Spanish women have
lingered in jail for years and still no
end in sight for them. In Ireland con-
centration camps have been set up by
militarists, and Bernadette Devlin,
Irish member of parliament faces two
jail terms for daring to walk in demon-
strations! Inthe United States Dr.
Angela Davis, scientist and militant
leader of her race, until recently de-
nied bail, has been confined in prison
for nearly two years without . trial.
Vietnamese women have endured 25
years of genocidal war! There is still
no end in sight for them!

Ten million people of Pakistan were
forced to flee to India by militarists!
South Africans are herded into ghet-
tos, and denied the right to move free-
ly within their own native land or take
part in its government!

The Congress of Canadian Women
salutes all those women suffering war
and aggression, and the resolute wo-
men fighters for a better world still
imprisoned; and cordially greets Cana-
dian women and women -everywhere
struggling for women’s rights and
against war; and in view of the un-
finished tasks for a peaceful world,
urges all women to unite for their
achievement.

Unity is more urgent today than
ever before for work to keep what
gains women have made and to unite
against war, racism and inflation—in-
flation which threatens all our families’
security, directly brought about by the
war in Vietnam . . . Women number
half the world’s population and, should
on March 8, specially observe Interna-
tional Women’s Day and unitedly re-
solve to do all in their power to bring
into being the grand design for family
living drawn up by socialist women 62
years ago!

Big gai ns
recorded
in
Hungary

By ANN PETER

The situation of Hungarian working
women shows noteworthy improve-
ment since last year’s government re-
solution on this question, but much
has still to be done to realize the goals
set by the resolution.

Women make up 40.8% of the total
work force in Hungary.

The report shows a rise in average
earnings of women due partly to wage
and salary increases in unskilled cate-
gories and various types of white col-
lar employment, and partly to the
elimination of some inequalities in
women’s wages. This is regarded as a
good beginning but only a beginning.

Some of the inequities are not only

between male and female but between
some branches of industry.

The ‘report notes that 44.7% of the
workers in the 205 enterprises who
are being trained in higher skills are
women, and that the number of skilled
women workers has increased by 18%
in the past several years. What is re-

Cuba marks progres

By MINERVA SALADO

Women in Cuba are conscious that
they form a major part of the produc-
tive force which is working for the
economic development of the country,
said | Vilma Espin, president of the
Cuban Women’s Federation (FMC) in
a special interview with Prensa Latina.

She played a major part in the under-
ground resistance movement against
the Batista regime and also took part

Black Soviet girl writes Angela

Following is an open letter to An-

_ gela Davis from Leah Golden, M.Sc.

(History), a Soviet Africanist in Mos-
cow:

Dear Sister:

I address you this way, because
your forefathers were brought from
Africa several centuries ago, and mine,
too. Your family has lived in the south
of the U.S. and knows what discrimin-
ation is like, and my family, too.

My father died from a Ku Klux Klan
beating in Mississippi. :

You graduated from California Uni-
versity, and I finished Moscow Univer-
SIV. 355
Whereas the destinies of our ancest-
ors were the same, yours and mine
parted. I am living now in the Soviet
Union. My family fled to this country
from discrimination in the U.S. You
are now in a U.S. jail.

I wish to tell you briefly about the
campaign which is being conducted in

our country, the USSR, in your de-

fense. : ;
Big rallies are taking place at in-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 3, 1972—PAGE 8

dustrial enterprises in many cities and
at the state and collective farms in the
countryside.

A rally held by the Soviet Peace
Committee in Moscow was addressed
by the Daily World Moscow corres-
pondent, Mike Davidow, among others.

Theodore Lozinsky recited his verses
dedicated to you, while composer
Leonid Pechnikov and singer Svetlana

Milovidova gave a rendition of a song, —

“Freedom to Angela.” Your life and
struggle were depicted in a photo exhi-
bition in the committee hall.

The Moscow House of Scientists
heard James Jackson and others of
your friends and comrades-in-arms.

Statements in your defense were
issued by the Soviet Women’s Com-
mittee, the Committee of Youth Or-
ganizations of the USSR, the USSR
Students’ Council, the Soviet Peace
Committee, the USSR Writers’ Union,
and other public bodies.

Dear Angela, to us, Soviet people,
you are a young and courageous
woman, a scientist, a civil rights cham-

pion, a Communist fearlessly voicing
your political convictions. You per-
sonify progressive America, which is
fighting against falsehood, hypocrisy
and obscurantism. :
We are fully aware that the U.S.
racists and reactionaries want to make
short work not only of you, dear sister.
They want to intimidate everyone who,

like you, embarks on the road of
Struggle.

Weren’t these racists and reaction-
aries the ones who killed Dr. Martin
Luther King and many other heroes of
the American people through the
hands of hired assassins?

It has become an ordinary thing for
the racists and reactionaries to victim-
ize their political opponents.

Millions upon millions of people are
now rising in your defense, Angela.

We, your brothers and sisters, all
the Soviet people, admire your cour-
age and firmness, and feel sure that
you are fighting for a just cause.

(APN)

_Since its foundation in 1959.

“ed by women.

garded as a shortcoming is ?
about 5% in the highly qualifie
gories are women.

The number of women univ@
and college students has risen ™
past several years.

In the past four years the ml
of women enterprise director
from 83 to 167, and 42% more “
hold leading posts in industry. |

Housekeeping has been apple
lightened by cleaning and
appliances, and canned and half
pared foodstuffs are abundant.

Figures for 1969 show 3,389 #
gartens taking care of 213,115
of working mothers and many
shools for school children. Entel?
and local councils have been alert
focus more attention on this 1

Five months maternity leave
fered at full pay, with a regular @
ly subsidy for mothers who
stay at home until the chi
the age of three. aa

Participating in the preparatl
this report by the Central #7
Control Committee was the U
Council of Hungarian Trade ©
the Women’s National Coundl,
Labor Department and: the
Statistical Office. has

The Council of Ministers
cided to make an annual exalll é
on the implementation of the f
ment resolution on the situall®
women.

in the Sierra Maestra guerrilla
paign.

She is a member of the
Committee of the Cuban C0 of
Party and has been head of the ©

In Cuba, she said, women arytl
aware of the duties which soc? ’y
mands of them. Work has BiV© ij/
perspectives to women, uprooté es
from the narrow fields of ©” cof
work and helped to form thelf
awareness.

However, she added, there must
be awareness by men of the TO"

Vilma Espin said that the pend
tive for Cuban women chang® my
pletely after the triumph of the” aj
tion, but even now not all me?
stood women’s needs to mee
social obligations in their work if
raise their cultural and politic
ards. ee

Traces of discrimination and fl
dice against women still remall
the pre-revolutionary society. ti”
in certain economic fields of “uot
have not yet accepted the 9
worker as being the equal of ™

“This mental attitude is not isl
arly widespread, however, tha” ig
systematic campaign by the in)
ment since it came to power fl
with the participation of wor io
all the mass political organiza” |

(ue
the country. Right now we fa¢ eed
rial difficulties created by the ®” g
more children’s nurseries and go’
social services which could ony
domestic work,” Vilma Espin * i
(Prensa