1. International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8, was established in 1910 to strengthen women's organised struggle against exploitation, inequality and injustice, for the achievement of their economic, social, political and cultural rights in all areas of life, for equality between women and men, against war and for Peace.

In Portugal, this date is associated with the struggle of successive generations of women who joined the resistance and opposition movement against fascism, for freedom and democracy, women who were active in the achievement and enshrinement of new rights that were included in the Constitution of the Republic, adopted on April 2, 1976. Over the last few decades, this date has been associated with women's struggle to defend the rights they have won, as well as to win new rights.

The PCP joins in this date every year, not only valuing the importance of women's struggle for their rights, but also assuming its commitment to defend those same rights, as evidenced by the many political and institutional initiatives aimed at preventing and combating exploitation, inequalities and discrimination, and promoting equality and emancipation in a sovereign Portugal, of social justice and promoter of Peace.

We recall that this year marks the 40th. anniversary of the PCP’s National Conference on “The Emancipation of Women in the Portugal of April”, a unique event in the national political and party framework, highlighting the value of women's emancipation as an integral part of its project.

2. The celebration of International Women's Day takes place in a political and social context marked by the consequences of the neoliberal choices of right-wing politics and the reactionary agenda of the PSD/CDS Government and the majority that supports it in the Assembly of the Republic – IL and Chega –, choices that represent new dangers for women's rights as workers, mothers and citizens.

A policy and agenda of social regression that undermines important aspects of women's rights at work, in motherhood and in society in general, but which is masked by a gigantic propaganda and disinformation machine that sells a parallel reality that has nothing to do with the material reality of working women and women in general.

A policy that, in clear confrontation with the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic – which marks 50 years since its adoption in 2026 – abolishes the role of the State in promoting equality, as is evident in the objective of dismantling the social functions of the State enshrined in the Country's fundamental law.

What they aim is to further devalue the productive and creative work of women who are heavily penalised by precariousness, who remain in the same career year after year, taking home the national minimum wage, or even without wage increases that restore their purchasing power.

The social function of motherhood continues to be disrespected, serving as a reason not to hire, to dismiss, and to prevent flexible working hours that ensure the child's right to breastfeeding. Setbacks in the monitoring of pregnant women and hospital births are deepening, with emergency obstetric services being closed, forcing women to give birth in ambulances.

The conciliation of professional and personal life is focused exclusively on greater sharing between men and women in the organisation of domestic and family life, which, while desirable, ultimately sustains the deregulation of working hours and shift work, impairing family time and undermining the right of mothers and fathers to accompany their children as they grow up.

Retired women, pensioners and elderly women are denied the right to age with dignity and rights. Women workers are forced to retire increasingly later (66 years and nine months), and their lower wages are reflected in low pensions. There is a growing lack of facilities and services to support the elderly and there is an urgent need for a Public Network of Care Homes.

Women need changes in their lives that will enable them to live, study and work with quality of life, fully enjoying their rights as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic.

3. The PCP will continue its intervention to effectively prevent and fight various forms of violence, as well as its political and institutional initiative with solutions to improve women's living and working conditions, by extending maternity and paternity leave, creating more places in pre-schools, and establishing public networks of nurseries and support facilities for the elderly, namely care homes.