On International Women's Day, March 8, we come together, take to the streets and demand change for women. This will not be the first time, since the early 1900s women all around the world have been campaigning and marching on this day.

Just as the women who marched in the streets of New York in 1908 on the first IWD to protest the lethal working conditions of women textile workers, so too in 1997 we protest the 14 to 18 hour days and inhuman and unsafe conditions suffered by our working sisters in Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and even Australia, where outworkers are super-exploited for the mega profits of the clothing industry.

We protest the fact that when our sisters in the Third World organise to fight for their rights they are thrown into jail and labelled "subversive''. At the same time we celebrate the successes of their vibrant and courageous organisations which fight for women's liberation in the Third World, and we take inspiration from them all.

Throughout this century women over the world have won many rights and IWD is also an opportunity to celebrate this. It's only through feminist campaigns that we have won the right to work, to own property, be educated, use contraception, vote and stand for public office. IWD reminds us that these rights are still not enjoyed by many women in the world today.

As we approach the 21st century our movement remains as relevant - and as necessary - as ever.

Women receive on average two-thirds of the male wage; the introduction of enterprise bargaining is worsening the gender wage gap as will Howard's new industrial relations act; women are still concentrated in "traditional'' areas of work (in 1990, 55% of female employees were clerks and sales assistants and of 18.5% of women in professional occupations, half of them were teachers and registered nurses); women do most of the unpaid work in the home; women suffer eating disorders to attain the image foist upon us by the fashion industry; and violence against women and sexual harassment is increasing each year.

These are some of the reasons why we march on International Women's Day.

This is the first IWD since the Howard government's attacks on the public sector. Thousands of us face the prospect of unemployment. Access to child care is under attack with the removal of subsidies for community-based child care centres and family day care centres. The raising of HECS and unfair means testing of Austudy will limit women's access to education, another important democratic right under threat. The signs are there, too, that the politicians want to interfere with our reproductive rights. There will be dire consequences, particularly for young, poor women, if politicians succeed with their push to prevent women claiming a Medicare rebate for abortion.

Just as we won many of our rights by our persistent and visible campaigning, IWD is an opportunity to come together to make our views and demands heard. Join with others on IWD to continue the fight for our rights.

> Marching again