A hundred years after the first International Women's Day it is a cruel irony that women and the poor are poised to bear so much of the cost of the economic crisis.
For we women, International Women's Day is a time to join with our sisters around the globe and raise our voices to demand the kind of society in which we want to live.
And today women are disproportionately in the front line, not only because a majority of workers in the public sector and in the not-for-profit sector are women.
And not only because continuing gender inequalities mean that women are over-represented in the lowest paid and least secure jobs.
In addition to these factors women will bear a large share of the pain as service users, as carers and as mothers of children and young people who will lose out heavily.
It is blindingly obvious to most of us that there is no moral justification for forcing great swathes of the population to suffer because of government intervention to bail out the banking system following a crisis created by irresponsible speculators.
There is no economic justification either, a less obvious fact but one which is increasingly being understood.
UK Uncut has been shining a light on tax policy in the streets where people live. Its message is simple and direct - people have a right to be angry that their services and jobs are disappearing and their benefits being cut to the bone while the government, far from doing something about the £70 billion lost annually to tax evasion and avoidance, is laying off tax workers.
As Britain prepares to bear the brunt of direct cuts to mental health provision, children's welfare and support, housing, and youth services, the coalition's big idea is the Big Society.
The notion of building such a society while funding is stripped from local services would be laughable were it not such a dangerous smokescreen.
It may just be PR-driven window-dressing from ideological heirs of the woman who believed "there is no such thing as society," but the rhetoric, along with the mantra that "we are all in this together," has been partially effective in fooling many people into believing that there is something inevitable about the decimation of their services and jobs.
This is nowhere more true than in the populations served by my own members in community, youth and not-for-profit organisations.
Being an activist in this sector is a challenge, but there is satisfaction to be had from the energy and determination with which trade unionists, community activists and users groups can come together in defence of their services, whether they provide disability support, community arts projects, community transport or any of a dozen other services.
This unity and passion was plain for all to see at the Choose Youth rally in Solihull last month.
A thousand young people gathered there to express their defiance in face of the potential loss of the services which enrich their lives.
The finest speakers of the day were in their teens - some their early teens - and they didn't mince their words.
They displayed the energy we all need to stand up to this ideologically driven attempt to destroy collective provision across our society.
Similarly, the political engagement of young people in coming out on the streets to defend their right to a funded education or a youth club is one of the most positive signs of the times.
It is right and necessary that we should speak out as trade unionists to defend their right to have their voices heard with respect.
There is plenty of work to do, and the week of International Women's Day and TUC Women's Conference is an entirely appropriate time to reflect on what is required of us.
The TUC demonstration on March 26 is important both as an expression of solidarity as a political statement of intent.
It should serve to inspire the growing wave of local actions in defence of jobs and services.
Trade unionists have responsibility, beyond the immediate defence of our members, to engage in defence of our communities and to drive forward debate on the economic alternatives.
Pat Stuart is chairwoman of TUC Women's Committee and a member of Unite the union's executive.
Mental health
All too often seen as a soft target, services in the sector are being deeply damaged by cuts.
NHS mental health resources are being closed, while charities such as Mind and Rethink face swingeing cuts to funding and a significant loss of jobs.
Women will lose out as users of these services but they also bear the main burden of care for family members, friends and neighbours who cannot find help when they need it.
Young People
Young people are being hit hard on a number of fronts, not counting the debacle over student fees.
The scrapping of the Future Jobs Fund, supporting the creation of jobs for the young long-term unemployed will, according to labour, mean the loss of 90,000 job opportunities.
The Young Person's Guarantee that a job or training will be provided to every 18 to 24-year-old who is out of work for six months is to end.
A number of initiatives to support young people into training, education or work are ending or under threat.
One of the hidden costs here is likely to be the loss of initiatives to encourage girls and young women to cross gender segregation lines in work via apprenticeships and other means.
They could well do without this extra setback, given the persistence of the gender pay gap.
Housing
England already faces a massive housing crisis and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are heading the same way.
Shelter estimates that over two million people find their rent or mortgage a constant struggle or are falling behind with payments.
Home repossessions are increasing rapidly, and this trend is set to continue as people lose their jobs or have their hours cut, while facing inflation and rising food costs.
The shortfall in social housing and long waiting lists mean that homeless households, including those with children, can spend years in inadequate temporary accommodation.
And of course, many sleep on the streets, frightened and facing a multiplicity of threats.
Children
The youngest victims of the cuts stand to lose out on a number of fronts - particularly those children with the greatest need.
Falling household incomes and rising prices threaten a variety of deprivations and an increase in family breakdown and domestic violence.
Non-core children's services are seen as an easy target for cuts despite charities' warnings that reducing or abolishing projects that provide support to high-risk families will put children at risk and increase demand on core services in years to come.
The government has backed away from plans to axe ring-fencing for school sports, but school crossing patrols and school library services are under threat.
Children also suffer loss from cuts to services such as mental health services, and from reductions to the benefits and housing support their parents may rely on.
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