Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
I SAW one of those clever quotes the other day that goes like this: “It’s hard to be a woman because you must think like a man, act like a lady, look like a young girl and work like a horse.”
It got me thinking about the reality of being a woman in today’s society.
Cuts to the public sector, where most of the workers are women, and the outsourcing of local services, particularly in social care, have resulted in a huge rise in the number of low-paid jobs.
Working-class women lead the fight for fair work and equitable pay and against sexual harassment, the rise of the far right and years of failed austerity policies, writes ROZ FOYER
What’s behind the stubborn gender gap in Stem disciplines ask ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT in their column Science and Society
Sisters came together last weekend for the landmark launch of a new women’s group. ROS SITWELL reports
ROS SITWELL reports from the Morning Star conference on ‘Race, Sex and Class Liberation’ last weekend


