Speech by the #Frauenlandretten activists on May 1, 2018 on Linz's main square

Valued workers and workers,
Job seekers, comrades-in-arms and fellow campaigners,
Feminists and feminists!

Exactly 100 years ago, it was not only the 8-hour working day that was fought for.
It was also 100 years ago that universal women's suffrage was finally introduced. Back then, women demanded the right to earn a living, today we demand more.
There is no question that more and more women are working, but how, namely part-time, in precarious employment and with increasingly poor pay.
That's why we demand equal pay for equal work!
And especially for women, work does not end with paid work.
Let's talk about all the care work, care work, housework, educational work and emotional work. These activities are not treated as work that needs to be paid for, but as characteristics that are ascribed to us "women" and we don't need to be paid for them anyway.
But these expectations of us women completely ignore reality, who can still afford to be a full-time mom or care for grandma today, it's not possible without plunging yourself or your family into a financial crisis.
Yes, we need more educational and care infrastructure. And not paid afternoon care in nurseries as if we were just sitting at home twiddling our thumbs.

Voluntary work in culture, the social sector or political work is also increasingly being shifted to women*. And especially those parts for which there is no social recognition, influence or attendance fees. This is about work that society needs, but for which no money is made available.
And what a surprise - at least two thirds of this thankless work is done by women.
Without us women*, the system would collapse.

And yet we women are far more affected by poverty, poverty in old age and discrimination. As long as the majority of men decide what is good for us women, we women will continue to protest.
Much remains to be done. It's about visions for the future of work. In all areas, across all genders and in relation to society as a whole.

A strategic WE is the order of the day NOW! Let's join forces!