Selma James is an antisexist, antiracist campaigner. In 1972 she put forward Wages for Housework (WFH) as a demand and a political perspective that redefined the working class. The International WFH Campaign she founded coordinates the Global Women’s Strike. She coined the word “unwaged,” which incorporates all workers without wages. She co-authored the classic The Power of Women and the Subversion of the Community and is the author of Sex, Race and Class and other pathbreaking writing.
The Global Women’s Strike and Women of Colour GWS, which have campaigned for financial recognition for unwaged caring work for decades, contributed to the Green New Deal for Europe and jointly called on governments everywhere to provide a Care Income, starting now. This would prioritize and support the work of all those, of every gender, who care for people, for the urban and rural environment, and for the natural world.
Wages for Housework begins with those of us with least power internationally – unwaged workers in the home (mothers, housewives, domestic workers denied pay), and unwaged workers on the land and in the community.
Wages for Housework is a demand, it is also a perspective, a way of organising from the bottom up, of autonomous sectors working together to end the power relations among us.
We are part of a global collective of a number of autonomous organisations within the Global Women’s Strike. Each has its own constituency and campaigns, each can count on the collective power of all.
Starting in March and for the whole of 2022, the International Wages for Housework Campaign,
which co-ordinates the Global Women’s Strike, will celebrate its golden anniversary. We are holding a series of events and launching our 1972-2022 archives at the Bishopsgate Institute.
On 8 March 2022, the Global Women's Strike launched an International Survey - What Do Mothers and other Carers Want? Join the discussion here:
Event: Selma James speaking at “Public Access Television, the Community Programme Unit and the BBC”
2-6pm Saturday 25 March 2023 Bishopsgate Institute 230 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 4QH Public Access Television – the Community Programme Unit Panelists include Selma James of the International Wages for Housework Campaign/Global Women’s Strike It was the new Wages for Housework Campaign Selma had founded (1972) which brought women together to put All Work and No…
Read MoreJoin us to mark the second anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar
To mark the second anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar, GWS and No Sweat as part of the Myanmar Military: Never in Fashion campaign we co-ordinate, are joining the demonstration in London on Wednesday 1 February against the killings, rape and torture committed by the military since the coup. Myanmar Military: Never in Fashion…
Read MorePeru: joint statement against the coup
Joint statement issued on 30 December 2022 by grassroots organizations and trade unions in Peru, including Huelga Mundial de Mujeres/Global Women’s Strike, condemning the coup and the horrendous repression against protestors. The government declared a state of emergency and suspended all rights and guarantees, allowing the police and military to kill with impunity. The resistance…
Read MoreSelma James in the Guardian: For peace in Haiti, first win the war on hunger
Your article on the Haiti crisis omits mention of the only Haitian government that people voted in by a landslide – twice. Headed by the former liberation theology priest Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected president, it uniquely focused on tackling poverty, supporting small farmers, building schools and hospitals, increasing the minimum wage and demanding justice…
Read MoreMedia: Selma James joins host Margaret Prescod for the hour to discuss the history of her involvement in organizing for fair wages for women, and her continued organizing at 92 years old.
Today on Sojourner Truth, author, organizer and anti-capitalist campaigner, Selma James joins host Margaret Prescod for the hour to discuss the history of her involvement in organizing for fair wages for women, and her continued organizing at 92 years old.In 1972 Selma put forward Wages for Housework (WFH) as a political perspective that redefined the…
Read MoreCare Income leaflet for 2023 Oxford Real Farming Conference
Campaigning for an income for all who care for people, the soil and the natural world can: • Strengthen the movement against environmental destruction & global warming • Address poverty & other injustice suffered by those, overwhelmingly women, who do this work unwaged or low-waged • Redirect economic & social priorities internationally towards nourishing food (starting with breastfeeding), clean water & air, and the care & protection of all life • Encourage all genders & identities to commit to this lifesaving life-enhancing work.
Read MoreDraft international petition: A care income for all caring work for people and planet
Caring for others is the foundation of every society. Yet this work, done mostly by women, in the home, on the land and in the community, is devalued, unwaged or low waged, leading to poverty, dependence and endless work. The pandemic and above all the climate emergency have forced us to recognise that caring for and protecting people and the natural world must become the universal priority.
Read MoreJoin us at Oxford Real Farming Conference, 4-6 Jan – Register now
The Global Women’s Strike is speaking at two sessions of theOxford Real Farming Conference (ORFC) 4-6 Jan 2023. We hope you can attend and tell others about the conference: three days of packed sessions, the first day online only, the following two in person & online. You can register for the online sessions HERE (free…
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