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years after his epilogue they were seen as a group once more. Feminism
had in both cases pointed to the fact. In 1974 , using the very criteria by
which Tawney estimated the march of equality-poverty-a survey
carried out in Britain found that women were the single most im–
poverished social group . The survey was not carried out by feminists,
but feminism had made the investigators conscious of this category :
women were found both to be a distinct group and an underprivileged
one .
The fight for equal rights for women today takes place against this
weakening of the liberal conception ofequality. This talk is a plea both
to remember that ideal and to realize its limitations. Too many
revolutionary groups would skip the present and think that given both
a falseness in the conception and its ultimate unrealizeability, "equali–
ty" is not something to be fought for : too many not-so-revolutionary
groups think that equal rights are attainable under class-antagonistic
systems and are adequate . Equal rights will always only be rights before
the law but these have by no means been won yet nor their possible
extent envisaged. A new society that is built on an old society that ,
within its limits , has reached a certain level of equality clearly is at a
better starting point than one that must build on a society predicated
on privilege and unchallenged oppression . At a more general level ,
there seems to me no doubt that civilization and human dignity is
better served by as many people having as many rights as possible.
Weare saddened by the death of
George L. K. Morris
a friend and member of our advisory board.
I
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