From Socialist Worker UK:
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=25015 Tue 7 Jun 2011
Women’s oppression and violence against women are features of
our society. But can we get rid of them? Sadie Robinson looks at
the roots of sexism and offers some answers The world can be a
bad place to be a woman. Women make up a staggering 70 percent
of the world’s poor. Being female shapes every aspect of women’s
lives—from things like work, housing, health and education to
our most intimate relationships. In Britain, the most obvious
evidence of women’s oppression is the 17 percent pay gap between
men and women. But the most sickening signs are acts of rape and
violence—and the widespread tendency to blame the victims. The
shocking nature of sexual violence can make many people think
that humans are inherently brutal. They despair of ever creating
a world without sexual violence and systematic oppression. The
level of violence against women is appalling. It’s estimated
that at least 47,000 women are raped in Britain