women, special oppression, stoves and cooking.

When I was kid I lived in a house in the countryside. We had a wood burning stove. Every day my mother and us children had to go out and gather fire wood and cut it with a hand saw or chop it with an axe. This was hard work. Now I see that the issue of wood burning stoves is coming up internationally and correctly being related to the special oppression of women. It is mostly women who cook and use the stoves especially in the poorer countries. The United Nations Foundation has announced a target to provide 100 million cleaner and more efficient stoves around the world by the year 2020. The smoke from poorly ventilated stoves kills nearly two million people a year, more than malaria. Forging for wood takes the time and effort of women and children and exposes them to attack. The stoves are a source of black carbon in the atmosphere which contributes to climate change.    We have to increase our consciousness about the special oppression of women. It pervades capitalist society on all sides. We male Comrades and all Comrades from the more advanced capitalist countries have to recognize this.  

Sean.