Why, at the beginning of the 21st century, are most women still at the bottom of the pile? The demand for real equality has hit the limits of what capitalism is willing to concede. Low pay, unsocial hours, expensive childcare and the erosion of welfare provision dominate the lives of millions of women. The battle for women's liberation urgently needs to be renewed but, argues Lindsey German, it will only succeed by linking up with wider struggles to change society as a whole.