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Women are bearing the brunt of economic crisis

Women from across the region are being encouraged to attend an event geared at securing decent work and living conditions for women and children.

With today marking International Women’s Day the Thistle hotel in Newcastle will play host to the Northern TUC Women’s Group meeting and seminar.

The group believe that there is a real concern about the impact of the of the economic crisis on women’s safety and support with the government’s austerity programme set to have a huge impact on women.

Women make up 67% of the public sector workforce, and in the North East and Cumbria over half of all working women are employed in the public sector and as a result women’s unemployment is set to soar as the £18bn of public spending cuts take effect.

Clare Williams, chair of the Northern TUC Women’s Group and the Northern Public Services Alliance said: “Women did not cause this economic crisis, it was made by a corporate and financial elite dominated by men, yet they are the ones who will shoulder the burden; financially, physically and emotionally.

“International Women’s Day is a celebration of the economic, political and social contribution that women make; it is our chance to give a voice to the often silent majority and to celebrate women’s resilience, integrity and solidarity.”

The group say that the North east already has some of the worst child poverty rates outside of London, and 61% of those children living in poverty have at least one parent in work, so cuts and job losses are set to make a bad situation even worse.

They believe that increased financial dependence on men, increased poverty and unemployment and recession in general are all factors which often have a direct influence on women’s vulnerability to male violence and sexual exploitation.

She added: “ The progress and achievement of women is directly under threat because of the actions of the Tory-led government and the Liberal Democrats who are propping them up. They are failing on the economy, failing on fairness and failing on protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

“Women are necessarily leading the campaign to protest against the vindictive and destructive actions of this coalition government.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .