7 10 77 https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2749/1977_Vol_3_No_6.pdf 7f2946da0fd3b9ba3780cb3b34f20332 PDF Text Text �The Northern Woman Regional Journal collective accepts the responsibility for publishing all articles in this However, the opinions of the paper. author are not necessarily those of each collective member. Any comment should be sent to our office. The Collective. GERT'S GOSPEL It was a great personal relief to me when multiple personalities began to be documented. It has been quite a long time since I faced my morning mirror and asked plaintively, "Who am I am now perfectly content I". to query, " Are we all here?" knowing that we are indeed all here and ready for just about When I first disanything. covered I was a crowd it was The collective of the North- my intention to be absolutely ern Woman Regional Journal owes fair with equal time for everyour subscribers both an apology one concerned but when I discovered we were a fairly easy and an explanation for the going crew we just decided that lateness of this issue. when I knocked on the door of The transition from paid cookies she bought at the market myself, whoever had the energy staff to a working collective in the cookie jar and take the would answer and surprise the cannot be successfully made loose dirt out. rest of us. without a firm basis of comA couple of days a week it's itted voluntary workers. In Consequently on any given bound to be Libby the Libber, off the past, the load has not morning it could be Carlotta, to the house of women where she been fairly distributed, and a gift from my Spanish grandfeels not indispensible but we have relied too heavily on Will she in her permother. reasonably intelligent, spiritthe creative energy of too few. petual lust for life invade the ually energized and creative. This has had the effect of chamber of my aging spouse, rip Lib is a late bloomer, stuck like making those who were involved off his sheet, expose him to the a fly in the syrup of the biblical feel they were taken advantage morning air, bite off half his good woman, she had stifled her of, and those who were not ear and sink her long nails inown rebellion by gnawing off her involved feel they were not to his quivering and flabby wings and laying down for the needed. Not likely, but she is flanks. Just in time she expersugar. We attempted to cement a not dead, she sleeps, weary of ienced a born-again conversion foundation of collective soliit all and no one mourns her which straightened her spine, darity before we went to press abscence more than my spouse. removed the film from her eyes again, to insure a continuous She was his favourite, and sent her out to preach the publication every two months gospel of the total female, hayIt could be Nanna, the proas we originally promised to do. mother, ing recognized the enemy who shall fessional relative, alias After long discussions, and She is out to grandmother, aunt, sister, and remain nameless. many disagreements, we have curb his influence, reduce his established a working volunteer wife not to mention daughter, him of his fantasmother-in-law and daughter-inpower, relieve collective. Some of the members ies while hoping there's enough In the days before I knew law. of the new collective particiin there to good stuff under all that garbage I had a lot of help pated in the evaluation and to win her love and respect. straighten her out, she almost Some new goal setting meetings. Hell-bent on being did me in. That is only the beginning of members did not. Some of the indispensible to an ever widenthe personalities that inhabit participants in the organizaing circle who were just as the long house that shelters us. tional meetings chose to withmyth, committed to testing the I am enchanted with the idea that draw as "collective" members, she found herself with a case of I might be a long house. It has but will continue to offer the terminal guilts whenever the connotations of natural people, their services. cookie jar was empty or a button While the format will not be ina natural place doing natural missing, used to grind her teeth things in harmony, where the gut changed a great deal, we hope She's very relaxed these fighter and dreamer, the dirt a lot. to do more that is original, days, saying things like "Is youi farmer and poet puff lazily on with each member of the colleg broken?" "Don't bother me, the pipe of peace and the smoke lective committed to their I'm thinking" and "Get your drifts out either end of this special interests. We just let foot off my neck". open -ended structure, where the We still make regional input o pack the her out long enough to aging crone who has advanced to a high priority, and earnestly reflection sits in solitary digsolicit from all our readers nity observing the sweat and letters and advice on the fever that takes place outside paper itself as well as news of the long house, lays another log things that concern women. on the fire and thanks the great We feel the bond created in spirit that love never diminishes the forming of this new collectwith use. ive will show itself in a richer, more diversified Journal. The single personality has no Stay with us and continue to balance. Without ling and yang, support us. it lies rigid as a stone, never The builder gets off the ground. builds better knowing the destroy It takes patience er is present. to know and appreciate the value Some of of your own complexity. people in me the most interesting are socially unacceptable which has increased my affection for them and made it practically impossible to be either surprised or disappointed in the human equation present in all my human northern woman journal page 2 family. APOLOGY PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �OUTERS CLUB Pam Wilson is interested in forming an informal Women's Outers Club. People interested in planning season's activities will meet Sept. 27 at 7:30 pm at Women's Place, 316 Bay St. or contact Pam for details, 683-5764. IMPORTANT NUMBERS THUNDER BOLT - TO RlArk Sauirrel for the sexist T.V. ads showing women 's posteriors and stating "We have the best bottoms in town" And to the Chronicle Journal who distorts the idea of women's Liberation by a sexist ad appealing to Have they run out girls (Girl's Lib.). of boys to exploit ?? . AL ANON ARTISTS CO-OP CRISIS HOUSING CRISIS INTERVENTION EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS FAMILY COUNSELLING FREE CLINIC HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION LEGAL AID MUNICIPAL DAY CARE NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION SMITH CLINIC SOCIAL SERVICES TELECARE 345-2711 622-9577 623=2711 344-3571 475-1691 623-9596 344-0727 475-1693 345-1972 344-3922 345-5841 345-7802 345-7802 344-2471 623-2711 344-2471 THUNDER CLAP to Marilyn Cavar one of four women who belong to the Toastmasters International. It took courage to speak on an unpoplar subject (Wages for Housework) in the presence of her male peers. Carry on Marilyn. Anyone interested in forming a group for Alcoholic Women please phone 345-7802 and leave first name and phone number. A meetin will be arranged. Cancer - causing Cosmetics The Food and Drug Administration is beginning an investigation into cancer causing properties of 27 popular shampoos and lotions. This investigation came only after a report on these products was prepared by Dr. David Fine for the National Science Foundation and released at the Americar Chemical Society's March meeting. Products under investigation are: Clairol Herbal Essence, Breck Shampoo for Dry Hair, PP Baby Shampoo, Mennen Baby Magic Shampoo, Head and Shoulders Shampoo, Wella Balsam, Johnson's Baby Lotion, Noxema Skin Cream, Keri Lotion, Nivea Cream Lotion, Sea and Ski Suntan Lotion, Extra Strength Desitin, School Cocoa Butter Lotion, Nutaderm Dry Skin Lotion, Bain de Soleil Suntan Creme, Diaparene Crado, Scholl Rough Skin Remover, Almay Deep Mist Extra Rich Lotion, Avon Topaz, Revlon Young Blush, Max Factor Ultraluscent Waterproof makeup, Clairol Creme Formula Hair Colour, Helene Curtis Everynight, and'Extra Body Conditioner. by jk "SHE WON" BRITISH RAPIST RELEASED London--Thomas Holdsworth, a guardsman in the Coldstream Guards, was given a three year sentence for his attempted rape of Carol Maggs. He broke herribs caused her serious internal injuries and ripped cut her earrings. When he appealed, his sentence was reduced to six months and suspended. One judge said, "It is probable that this girl would have been less severely injured if in fact she has submitted to rape by mere threat of force rather than forecebeing applied in the manner it was. " As the London Times said, "This almost suggestSthat refusing to be raped is a kind of contributory negligence." In other words, we can't win. If she had submitted without violence, they would have said that she didn't care whether she was raped. Maggs is seventeen years Inez Garcia, convicted of second-degree murder in 1974 for killing a man whom she said helped rape her, was acquitted this spring after a retrial. Raped and threatened with death Hitchhiker Advertise Availability she testified that she had picked up a gun, gone after her Calif. - In a nice companion tormentors, and killed one of piece to the Madison judge who them. After she was sentencedruled that rape is a normal refive years to life-Garcia stataction to women, the California ed simply, I have won...people Court of Appeals voted unanimbelieve in me...they identify ously to set free a man convicted with me." She spent 15 months of raping a woman because she was in jail before the decision a hitchhiker. In the written was overturned and a new trial decision, Judge Lynn Compton said, ordered. Susan Jordon, Inez "The lone female hitchhiker in the Garcia's lawyer in the second absence of an emergency situation trial, said she felt that thouas a practical matter, advises sands of women had identified all who pass by that she is will- with Inez Garcia's struggle and ing to enter the vehicle with any- had brought pressure to bear on one who stops and in so doing adthe public to reexamine its vertises she has less concern for attitudes about rape, and that the consequences than the average this was instrumental in winnold. female. Under such circumstances ing the acquittal. Holdsworth was ostensibly released it would not be unreasonable for Ms. Magazine,July/77 while waiting for his appeal bea man in the position of the decause of his fine military service fendant here to believe that the in Northern Ireland, where he was female would consent to sexual .,BNIII 1111M111 supposed to return. relations." However, A coalition of women's groups after his sentence was reduced, he was discharged from the army. picketed the Los Angeles Court Groups of angry women staged sev- of Appeal protesting the ruling. eral demonstrations in response The goups will work to have to this verdict. Two hundred Compton recalled and the ruling members of Women Against Rape overturned. (WAR) staged a mock trial in In other words, it is impossible Trafalgar Square, in which they to rape a hitchhiker because she found England's judges and gover- is the property of all men. The nment ministers guilty of connext woman hitchhiker raped in spiracy to rape and trespass again - California should sue the Court of Appeals. st the minds and bodies of women. 182 S. Algoma Str. NEWS 1111111=1111 11 THE CO-OP BOOKSHOP. AND RECORD CENTRE Info from LNS and the Detroit Free Press Info from LNS and In These Times Phone: 345-8912 Open: 10 A.M.-5 P.M. Monday to Saturday I 'm MIMI I northern woman journal page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �FEMINIST BOOKS individual problems, and individual solutions. Overall, however, there is enough material to sort through, so that most everyone will find something to take from this book and apply to our private and political lives. I've just finished reading a book I'd like to share. I made a mental note to buy copies for all my friends and family. I'd also like to donate a copy to Women's Centre. I realize that this first flush of enthusiasm may not last as long as it takes to find the necessary number of POWER POLITICS by-Margaret Atwood, Published by Anansi, Toronto, 1971. This must be what reviewers traditionally label "a slim volum It's also a book of poems describ a dissolving relationship between a man and a woman. I like poems which conjure up feelings and events and places In this book, th I can remember. imagery does not always make this connection with my experience. I does, however, make the connectio symbolically: I see you fugitive, stumbling acr the prairie, lungs knotted by thirst, sunheat nailing you down, all the things after you that can be after you with their clamps and poisoned ma copies. The book, Notes of a Feminist Therapist, by Elizabeth Friar Williams, is published in paperback by Dell, and sells Should I help you? Should I make you a mirage? for $1.50. My right hand unfolds rivers around you, my left hand releases The value of the book for me was that it helped me to analyze more clearly, and to identify specific behaviours in myself and others. I saw myself and some of my friends quite often among the pages. I will admit I was cautious at the outset for as I skimmed through the book before settling down to read it, some clearly Freudian references leaped out. I feared the title might not relate to the content. The book, however, was better than I dared hope. A number of "cases" are used to illustrate the conflicts in women's lives- in the areas of love, marriage, sex and work. Each "problem" could be connected in some way to either failures in communication, or a failure to reasses goals. For example, women are socialized to be devious and manipulative rather than to express honestly what we want. (In fact, we learn very quickly that making demands Is "uppity" and uppity women tread on very thin ice.) Ms. Friar Williams points out that nice girls/good girls don't often get what they want despite being nice/good--although they do manage to escape the hostility generated by "uppity" women. The book offered more honest examples of communication. With regard to goals, the author works closely with her clients to ensure that the goals like marriage and motherhood are realistically assessed and that goals like independence and work satisfaction are carefully reviewed. I am not without criticism of the book, of course. I think there is not enough (although there is some) recognition of the realistic necessity of much of the behaviour discussed. There is also an undue emphasis on its trees, I speak rain, I spin you a night and you hide i Now you have one enemy instead of many. Kin-flicks by Lisa Alther The title is translated as home movies and this author has a feast in store for the brave and the bold. A first novel, it could only have been written by a woman and one has the feeling that sadly it may only be fully understood by a new generation-of female readers. It's southern base firmly establishes of this only daughter as far removed from the realities that free wheeling Ginny Babcock explored with zest and as wicked a sense of humour as anyone repressed under penalty of exposure. Her adolescent fumbling into sex is the most hilarious you will ever see in print yet has the stamp of such authenticity one dredges up almost against your will a similar set of circumstances you didn't take full advantage of. Her abiding belief that there has to be more than this takes her out of her parents influence and embarks her on a trip of intellectual discovery through the hippy counter culture, the radical feminist movement complete with a journey into bisexuality, the back to the land trip with a woman's commune into the cult of trancending spirituality with a small episode of traditional wife and mother, and deposits her back at the source with a dying mother. There is a sadness here one senses rather than reads. It is an adventure story of grand proportions, mocking and tongue in cheek as she peels the varnish off each succeeding experience. Her feeble attempt to end it all tells us all plainly she still believes there is more. The sadness comes when we recognize there will never be enough. Gert Beadle northern woman journal page 4 Same of the poems are brutal their description of the man and relationship. These ones most Some o certainly evoke memories. the poems offer insights that rel to any number of reltiprships. We are hard on each other honety, and tali choosing our jagged truths with care and aiming them across the neutral table. The things we say are true; it is our crooked aims, our choices turn them criminal. On the cover, the reviewers comments include references to ti peeling away "layer after layer c protective armour", "cutting dcwi to the bone", "poems that lie on page like secretive and dangerou pieces of glass". This is very definitely what the poems in man' instances do for me--sometimes I appreciate the results, sometime: feel uncomfortable because it al: seems so raw emotionally. One thing the book didn't doN to offer viable alternatives to traditional male-female relation: The poems may tell it "like it but not "how it could be". PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �The Wind Through the matches the wind blew Caressing and weaving about the teaves Bending and ploughing the grass, Gently so St on steadity iast. The soothing brush oi the breeze, Ftowing, sensuat, beholding Stowing in /Lich sweetness and cteantiness, Atways there ,so youltt never be 6tiendtess. Mown and golden edged in black the moment Where you crushed my chin in you/L. 6ist And I Leaned °vet without thinking Kissed you on the mouth 40 solitty I Liked the taste 40 much it seated me And I drew back. On the beach waters it entertains you. Showing you its enetgy, its pow n, Stinning viatentty on shaking tovingty the blue, Jotting and sttiking but never at you. Goddamn you and your ttuth6ut whispets Goddamn you and yout mouth 1 should kitt you ion_ att the broken glass sptendot, Roaning to the iuttest masses, Mighty axe the cuts tents which never test, Son the best. No matte& what it does, i your ctuet gestures break me. It L majestic in att Jutie Stojko Tennace Bay Actoss my kitchen goon And the rings in my hand But instead you break me Deitdte Ham Thunder Say Why am 1 the one to do the dishes, and wash the goons, make art the meats and not compLain? POETRY Am I here onty to have the babies change the diapers do the shopping and keep smiting? When move money is needed, 1 go to won& and make a meagre Living, I take the bus everyday white you take the cat. BETRAYED There was a man With whom I chose to Live. The others did not matter, 06 no cane did I give. Unshamety there was Love, and cane. There was this woman Who said she was a sistet. Who cowed resist het? Behind a deceptive smite She puttayed a 6tiend and assistot. What contemptuous deeds, Have been done in the name o6 Sistethood. She slept with my man, "you're my sister, so I could." "Whyte", I recounted "is thiis sisterhood?" Promising tespect and considetation o6 women Ruining something o6 mine that was good I condemn him But I condemn you too. I witt sttip you o6 your deceptive 4m-ice, 1 witt sttip you o6 you/L. thetotic. What then, sister, £4 theme te6t but gwUe. There is no cane oi hutting hen, That who you pto6ess to protect. 06 distespect and contempt, To that woman you project. Sexuaeity that £4 not yout night Fon other women's men you Sight. You ate no sistet o6 mine Yout acts and yout kind. What contemptuous deeds Have been done in the name o6 Sistethood! Doreen Boucher Why, when something is bought it is away:5 youits never mine because art my money went into just sutviving? And you tett me It £4 better that evetything is youts. A6tet att, women can't handle money, and things tike that. And then you wondeA why I packed my bags, walked out and started a new ti6e os my own. Eve/77 To The Pink Goodie Cutlet Set I was having a good time untie a boy tad me to shave my Legs and stop spitting on the ground my ti6e was very simple then a Lady teacher said to weak dresses to the knee and paint my Lace to prove non-mascutinity I used to be a happy gint penson then glamour magazine said I should be mattied and dependant I was 6tee goating enetgy why did "society" teach me not to be me now, evetytime I breathe 1 must explain and prove my honesty in order to be the tittte gite again I must terrain 6nom potitics and tegatities the peon inside oi me canes not i6 it £4 mate of iemate the peAson inside this ptison is a human-being 6itst this body-cage-machine matte/Ls tittte oi its' sex my point £4 to tespect every 6otm o6 humaness Beverly Pudas Thundet Bay Aug.22nd, 7977 northern woman journal page 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DOING IT TO US The job situation for women in Thunder Bay is absolutely horrifying. am one of many women, university educated, who for the past few years has gone from job to UIC benefits to job, etc. Collecting U.I. benefits has to be the most degrading and humiliating experience. The workers at the UIC building behave as though the money you are collecting and it is rightfully yours) comes from their own personal bank account. They suggest that you are a liar, a burden on the country and that you are "ripping off" the government. Women, more than men, are generally harrassed. After all, most women are not unionized, and from my experience, UIC workers assume they don't know their rights. Some unions (male oriented) don't even have to go to Manpower for interviews cr to the U.I.0 office because their union has made a deal with them. Their unions are considered their sole hiring agent. This means of course that if these men refuse a job for lower wages than they were getting before, or whatever, U.I.C. will not "cut them off" because they have no knowledge of their activities. Whereas they know almost every move you make when you do not belong to a union. Many men in trades, plumbers, electricians etc. are not harrassed or "cut off" because they are considered trained in a specific area and are usually unionized. After a certain number of weeks there is a system where you can be demoted. For example--if you are a nurse after this certain number of weeks,U.I.C. can make you work as a waitress for minimum wage even though you may have made two or three times that amount. These woman are trained too, but U.I.C. doesn't seem to really recognize this. There is a case that happened last year to a woman collecting U.I. benefits who was making $150.00 a week before being laid off. She was "cut off" when she said she could not possibly work for anything under $3.00 an hour because she had babysitting expenses that would cost her $12.00 a day. That would cut her wages in half and she would be living on $60. a week-no wonder women are forced to live on welfare--they can make more MANPOWER AND U.I.C. - If you want to speak to a counsel for at Manpower or UIC - demand it. It is your right. 7) Ask the Interrogation Officer if she/he can provide any ideas for jobs if you get to the point where you don't know where else to apply. That is also part of their job. 6) Following is the procedure when applying for UIC benefits: I The first step when applying for UIC benefits is to be interviewed by a counsellor at your local Manpower office who will determine if you are eligible for benefits. Then they will fit you into a category they.believe suitable. You are then given an application form for UIC benefits. Remember to have your If you separation slip with you. have not received it, your previous employer has five days to send it After filling out the apto you. plication form, some people (not all) will be asked to go to the UIC office for a group interview. If you are not called within two weeks of applying, they have not forgotten you, you will be called eventually. At the group interview, be prepared to wait at least ten minutes after the set time to be called in. You will be directed to a room to watch a film which is incredibly immature and an insult to intelligence. The counsellor will then explain your rights and obligations under the UIC Act. Before you leave, you will be given a Job Search form which you must complete before returning for your next interview (in about a month). Possibly it has changed, but last year was called into the office every two weeks for three months and my Job Search form was checked for approval. ( money. It's a wonder no one has nervous breakdowns while collecting benefits. recall last year that every time the phone would ring would contemplate whether to answer it or not for fear that the U.I.C. Interrogation department were checking on me and heaven forbid wouldn't want to be caught having a cup of tea when should be on the street begging for I I I I a job. An organized group is needed to harrass these bureaucrats back and stand up to their abuses, perhaps calling itself the UIC Action Group. Something must be done to stop this unnecessary harrassment of people who's rights are being violated. W.I. C.) I I I I I tto,:r4ftiox,ii e V1C4 .-Sr..r4 sr- ,cloys k &,1.1 . I'm a secretary, at least accord, ing to my work history and my marketable skills. In my heart am no a secretary. want better things: to be able to use my head, to have freedom of movement, to make a livii I've tried in the past to ge wage. Manpower to recognize my own desire for something better. I've asked t( be registered as a labourer, told was interested in different them training, perhaps heavy equipment Of course, my clerical operating. skills remain on record, and since they are much more impressive than my lack of training in other areas, and since there has been a period was collecting U.I.C., the when times they have called, they have called to tell me about available And that is frequen clerical work. My heart ly at least once a week. pick up the phone dies ever" time and my helpful Manpower Counsellor asking me if I'm interested in a secretarial job at $4.00/hr. "Of course, of course", say to the U11 police force, "What's the address, I'll call to arran, what's the pay? I'll let you know ho an interview. it turns out." And all the time I', like to scream, "Leave me alone stuff your typing jobs at $4.00 an Help me find something diffe hour! ent, give me some support to break out of the typing pool, open up you training courses in male-oriented expect fields to women." But if that next UIC cheque to keep me goil explore other alternatives while keep my mouth shut. my own, I I vt-it.rrt.(Aqii I NEFAer;,-iizieT I I 04ue 145+ oLppl,eck -Ccr \ c\os e. mo,41,.. When you go for your interview, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!! Because they have a quota (for cut-offs), many will try to trick you. Here are some important rights to know: 1) Read the pamphlet they have given you very carefully. If you do not understand something in it, ask for a better explanation from a UIC counsellor. (That is their job) 2) Don't sign anything unless you Again, ask have read it carefully. if there is something you don't understand. No matter what education you have, tell them you will work for less money and will take any kind of job. 4) Apply for Every job Manpower sends 3) you. 5) Check in with Manpower once a month - talk to the person at the information desk. She/he will mark down on a pink card that you were there. northern woman journal page 6 Testimonial : 1 I've been working for some years had Grade 9 typing and begat working for agencies selling tempor, did this for a clerical workers. never wanted to long time because accept the fact that secretarial wo always might be my lot in life. figured, this is a temporary job, won't be here long, when this is ov, I'll go on to something different. would work for $3.50 an hour. The company selling me would get $1.00 hour for finding me a job, screening me and sending me my pay cheque. Manpower has never challenged these Right here in Thunder Ba, agencies. such an employment agency exists, and is able to find work for women looking for temporary jobs, and yet Manpower hasn't/won't do the same. and give the women in those jobs th, extra money that private agencies currently make. now. I I I I I , It seems Manpower plays an effec ive police role for both private agencies and UIC, and provides a fairly efficient, cheap service for employers looking mainly for cheap If UIC labour to do "shit work". continued on page 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �filed nerFive other men and vously into a room and sat around a hadn't written any kind big table. "Please don't let of test in years. We played word prayed. me fail," games, games to indicate hand and finger dexterity, simple algebra, basic geometry, the usual shape puzzles and round peg/square hole I continued from page 6 wants to take a few claimants off its roles, it can call Manpower to put pressure on claimants who have little choice about the kind of work they accept. If an employer has unsavoury jobs to do and doesn't want to pay to have someone do them, he can call Manpower and count on their coercive abilities to again shame someone into working who has little choice or training. And the private agencies can count on Manpower to leave them a clear field for providing another cheap, convenient service to employers while cheating their workers out of their rightful wage. I I tests. Then it was on to the interest All of these were done under the direction of a monitor with stop watch. staggered out at noon - a nervous wreck. They informed me that would need another 2 hours to go over the results with my counsellor.. And so returned the next week. tests. I I I The worst thing about both UIC and Manpower is the image they present as defenders of the public good. The progaganda certainly contradicts my And experiences with both agencies. what so often happens is that I'm fooled by the pitch, and start to believe that it may be my fault that can't find a better job. r r If You're Smart - Don't Bother with 0 4 was out of work. Last spring UnThe first time in twenty years. able to return to my trade because of applied for U.I.C. and an allergy, registered with Canada Manpower. I I I I I I I thought you were goir "Anyway to retrain me? How about welding?" "Oh no, you can see by your interest chart, that you hate routir It would be a bad investment for us to place you in something that you would be bored with in a year or twc said Mr. C. told him Iwouldn'tbe When evoked a sick smi' bored on payday told him I'd done hous( from him. work for 20 years and couldn't thinl didn't of anything more boring. quit that. Another sick smile flow "Well is there an, across his face. can be retrained in, what thing asl about a professor of English?" "We have to take into consider ation how many years it would take and your age." "So you're not going to retrail could do How about your job, me. This got a real hissed. this," chuckle out of Mr. Counsellor. "I suggest you go to the Chron icle Journal and apply for a job there," he said, "but you might have to start at the bottom. didn't mind start told him I I I We went over these results, my creativity was high, routine was low, All these results were etc., etc. numbered and this gave me a rating. My number started with 836. He showed me how we would look up my number in a great red book to see what kind of job would like. We went to a private room upstairs to evaluate my results. My counsellor drew a Bell Curve for me, explaining that the first section indicated the 10 percent of the population who are in the below average range of intelligence. The large middle section was the 80 percent of the population who are average and the end of the line indicated the 10 percent of the population who have above average intelligence. "Where do you think you are on this curve," he asked. "Well probably about here," said, indicating somewhere in the upper average range. "No, no," he said and smiled, "you are right here," and he pointed He was really to the top ten percent. "You can do anything - anything you set your mind to." thought, "now "Oh good," don't have to get stuck with a clerkI I I I I I I I ing at the bottom, but I was a litt too old to scrub floors. "I can't They'll laugh me right even type. How about retraining me in there. typing, then at least I'd have a sk to sell." He blinked at me and said, "We we can't retrain you in just one su ject, you would have to take the wh secretarial course. And as you can see by your interest chart you real hate routine and need a challenging job to keep interest up. So you ca see that would be a bad investment. told him that my babysitter could only stay two hours and had already been there for 21 hours. have to leave. "Let me know what you come up left. with," he called as waited for the bus thou As "let me know how YOU make out..What is his job anyway?"...What ever it could do it. Five hours I'm sure spent at Canada Manpower and still job....What do they do there? wonder where you apply for a job wi Canada Manpower? My counsellor did tell me." I I I ing job. I had an interview Eventually told him that with a counsellor. would really like to be retrained in some other field. He thought this was an excellent idea and said that would first have to take some tests to see where my aptitudes and interThese tests are given in ests lay. would the morning he explained and need 21 to 3 hrs. to complete them. arranged for a babysitter and reported for testing bright and early at ten tp mine Wednesday morning. said. I happy. Canada Manpower I I Vn I (Manpower) I I I Testimonial: I I I Are you willing to accept any kind of work - at minimum wage? Waitressing? Babysitting? Cleaning House? I I CANADA MAN POWER I have never outrightly been harTheir method of operrassed by UIC. ation seems much more subtle: telephone calls from Manpower to let me know there are always jobs if I'm willing to work for minimum wage; cheques delayed in the mail; the constant pressure of knowing that UIC requires a job search form; being called into interviews and being given helpful suggestions by a UIC counsellor while she tries to find out the "real" ,truth - have you been looking for work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week? to be a film director?" "Well no, "he said. We went through the red book and the possibi Marvellous job ities were endless. could hardafter marvellous job. ly contain myself. "They are really going to get IT thought to myself. a great job," Mr. C was ecstatic as he read Finthrough this prestigious list. "We'll go ally he closed the book. downstairs and see what is available for you." After we wer said. "Great:" seated, he burrowed through some papers and finally said, "well this isn't the greatest but..." said. "What is it," "Clerk at a stationery store, $2.65 an hour with Sunday and Monday off." am a Universil "Are you nuts, said. professor, remember," guess you're right, it "Well doesn't sound too interesting," he "Now," he said, "the important thing is to check your interest chart. We must see where you would be most happy." Mr. Counsellor flipped through "836... the pages of the red book. 836 Ah yes, here we are, Professor of Anthropology, Professor of Archaeology, Professor of English." He read on and on. thought, "they are go"Wow," ing to send me to university." Then could we looked up 638. This time be a film director, an editor of a newspaper or a stage manager. "Hey," said, "are you going to retrain me I I I I I I I 4'0 (nameg bv 0 u. reAstw6,s northern woman journal page 7 I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women Against Rape Local News In May of this year, the Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre acquired two paid staff for the interim of ten months through a Canada The women that Works grant. were hired are Bev Pudas, who has a lot of experience in the communications field, and myself, Doreen Boucher. We will be endeavouring to fulfill the criteria of the Rape and. Sexual Assault Centre of victim support, education, and social change, as well as co-ordination of activities of the Centre. There are various projects in the making. An education kit will be ready for the fall to be distributed to schools, public speaking engagments, etc. We are in need of additional volunteers who can help in areas of victim support, public speaking, fund raising, etc. We are sensitive to the problem that many people would like to help but hold back because they do not feel they have skills to In order to overcontribute. come this dilemma, we are considering training sessions for the fall, and individualized Interest is training manuals. the first step, direction, hopefully, will follow. If you are interested in attending meetings, please call us and we will inform you of Our number our next meeting. is 623-3220. We have an answering service that takes calls if we are not in the office, and we return any calls we receive. Bev, myself and concerned individuals have been monitoring court cases. There will be two cases coming up during the fall assizes. It is our intention to monitor furthercases that come up and lend solidarity and support to the victim through our presence. We cannot print any information on one particular case which will be going to trial in the fall. The defense lawyer for the accused requested that none of the material on the preliminary trial (which we attended) be made public,and the judge granted this request. We are abiding to this condition because we do not wish to jeopardize the victim's case in court. We will inform interested parties as to the date of the trial, with the understanding that those who attend the trial are doing so in support of the victim, and will respond to the circumstances with discipline regardless of how much our sensibilities are outraged. I am writing this with the hope that the judicial system will northern woman journal page If come forth with justice. this does not happen, we will not be silenced. under the code of silence enforced by the Italian attitude toward women. There is a growing sense of outrage in some Italian women who no longer want rape to be silenced by attitude and tradThe risk one took by ition. rape was disownment by father, family or husband for disgracItalian feming the family. inists are angry about this tendency that openly reveals the contempt for women in Italian society. They are further outraged by the treatment of police and the ten synecological examinations one has to go through if raped. Women are now demanding public It hearing on rape charges. has been revealed that rape in Italy is a bigger problem than realized--gang rapes being the "thing" for bored youths practising violence and torture. One woman came to the front to symbolize this struggle, and was firmly backed by Italian feminists who took up her cause. International News One news item that has gained a place of distinction is the Claudia Caputi case in Rome. There is a dilemma involved with the sensationalism that was We induced by the mass media. recognize the need for some exposure of the atrocities of rape, but this kind of news does not seem to get priority or coverage by conventional media unless the attack is of such brutal calibre that it results in murder--and in those circumstances, the rape Otherwise, is minimized. rape is swept into a basket or relegated to an inch column on the last page of a newspaper. It is not often treated with sensitivity. The Caputi case is unusual because of the social and political impact in the geographical boundaries in which the rape occurred--Italy. Bound and restrained by male domination in a system that would prefer a rape victim to marry her attacker and put an end to the whole insignificant This is only the incident. second time in judicial history that a woman has chosen to make public the crime of rape committed against her. There have been rapes, and perhaps as brutal and sadistic attacks made previously on Italian women, but they chose silence rather than family Therefore, we will disgrace. never know their torment Claudia was not a feminist at the time of her rape. She had gone to Rome to work, leaving behind a small, poverty-stricken village. One summer evening, she was walking with a teenage man and was chased by a gang of 17 youths who threatened her with a club She identified and raped her. some of the rapists before she was transported to the hosSeven were arrested, pital. including her "friend" who joined in on the rape. Backed by her employer, two well-known lawyers and feminists, she defied tradition and demanded a public trial. Because she pursued the case against the rapists, she received threats on her life. Four days later, she was found semi-conscious by a road She told police that side. she had been abducted coming from her lawyers' office and raped and slashed with a razor blade several times over her breasts, face and legs. The new abductors were recognized by Claudia as members of the gang from the first Within 24 hours,an estrape. imated 15-20,000 women marched into the assailants' neighbourhood in outrage against the latest assault on Claudia's The group was made up of life. various feminist collectives, the UDI (Union of Italian Women) and the large national organization of Communist women. Feminists took up a 24hour vigil at Claudia's bedside. Complications and political manoeuverings followed. The original judge selected for the case was replaced by an extreme conservative, Paolini 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �When the charges Dell'Anno. for the second rape were filed, the next in line as prosecutor was side-stepped and Dell'Anno took over, something almost unheard of in Italian judicial procedure. The prosecutor's next move was that after he had interrogated Claudia in the hospital, without her lawyers present, he announced that he felt Claudia had devised the second assault and mutilated her own body. (Doctors' reports later showed that the lesions could not have been self-inflicted.) Conflicting statments from Claudia further clouded the Claudia's lawyers askissue. ed the public prosecutor to resign because of obvious prejudice, and he refused. The lawyers walked out in protest, as 4-5,000 angry women waited in front of the justice hall in defiance of the attitude of Dell'Anno, and the exploitation of and violence toward women. Further complications resulted when the possibility of Claudia's involvment with prostitution was rumoured. Her background was not unusual. She was raised in poverty in a small village and attempted to leave this situation by going to work in the big city. She answered a request for employment advertized in a Rome newspaper. Her employer, Vito Gemma, evidently wanted a bed partner as well as a housekeeper. Without friends, family or money she adjusted to these circumstances in the only way she could. The only alternative she had was to give in to the situation. We, who feel we are sophisticated in the art of survival, should remember that in Italy, women are not encouraged to participate in the labour force, and there are few alternatives to choose from. When Vito Gemma was rumoured to be involved with organized crime and prostitution, Claudia's involvement with prostitution became a viable concern although details of her inclusion are not clear. Italian feminists were thrown for a loop. Some withdrew their support, others chose to stay by her side. Some realized that rape is political, as are other facets of female exploitation. The Italian movement had some stiff competition to face up to. On one hand, their religious upbringing that condemns contraception, abortion and prostitution, and held sacred strong extended family ties, came into collision with the rape of a prostitute. Obviously, if the fact of Claudia's relationship to prostitution caused so much disorder within the Italian feminist movement, the response in the general populace would have been disastrous in Claudia's bid for judicial retribu- The prejudice against (Her her was already rampant. own father had slapped her when she told him she had been raped, telling her that it was her own fault for leaving home and trying to make it on her own.) The discussion of prostitution was kept out of the case by Claudia's defense lawyers until the moment was right, and the feminists were given time to regroup and take a stand on prostitution. Seven of the youths were sentenced to prison terms, with four released on probation because they had been underage. The "friend" of Claudia's who joined in on the rape was charged only with public obscenity because Claudia had originally accepted his invitation. Some of the defense statments reveal the degree of seriousness they attributed to the crime. "My client did not know such a sexual act was against the law." "My client was one of the last. If he refused they would have thought he was impotent." "Boys will be boys, and when a girl likes to go out and have a good time, she has to expect trouble (emphasis mine)." tion. _00,Inftc1/4 1.40t5Or+ toow.e.AN's-ce4ke. exreS> To further add insult the lawyer accused Claudia of having a phallic fetish - inferring prostitution. He reminded the judge that the testimony of minors and prostitutes is not valid evidence. Claudia disappeared with the help of feminists and her whereabouts are unknown. Vita Femma was arrested for perjury because he gave conflicting statements during the trial. He tripped up on dates and time regarding the second rape. In a sworn affidavit, after Gemma's arrest Claudia admitted to perjury because she feared for her life. She charged Gemma with setting up the second rape to keep her quiet regarding the first. Circumstances are rather vague and scattered. Obvious- ly the situation turned out to be less than "ideal" for setting a precedent in changing realities regarding attitudes and behaviour toward But it made rape victims. the Italian women face up to the broader implications of female exploitations part of which involves prostitution. A single court case cannot end the repression and stigma toward women in Italian society but to those involved, the economic necessity of prostitution became part and parcel of the whole issue of rape. Is it any less a crime if the victim is a prostitute? If a prostitute cannot say no then would it be any more unrealistic for those of us with husbands and lovers to deny ourselves the right to choose if we want sex or not when a partner demands or wants it? Nineteen percent of Italian women are employed and this number is decreasing. Prostitution is an avenue open to women being denied education and resources to enter into other "The avenues and occupations. growth of a revolutionary feminist movement depends on our understanding, and of combatting the mechanisms which produce mass poverty, prostitution and rape - all of which are part of Claudia's personal experience." Off Our Backs, June 77 Perhaps this case will never be paralleled again as to its However, the complexities. violence of this case cannot be No amount of intellectdenied. ualizing and moralizing can diminish the degree of degradation inflicted on Claudia and thus, women. We cannot begin to imagine the attitude and climate toward women unless we have been brought up ourselves under the Italian rule of female silences and obedience, pope, power and poverty. Prostitution has relevance in our own court system as well. The condition of "lack of consent" comes into play in a court case. Who says a prostitute has the right to say no? There is hope. A new generation of Italian women might learn from Claudia's experience if one recent situation is any indication of the rejection of submissiveness in Italian women._ Reportedly, 400 girls at a Milan highschool held a nineteen year old youth hostage in a "people's trial" after he was accused of rape. Only after the mother informed police was he released. The process seems slow but it only takes one assisted by others before the ball begins to roll. We hope for a mountain and lots of snow. Doreen Boucher On page 12 is the survey. Please fill in conscienciously and send to: Rape and Sexual Assault Centre McKellar Hospital, Box 47, Thunder Bay "F", Ontario. northern woman journal page 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �women in music THE WOMEN S WORKSHOP "We are each our sisters, mothers, We daughters, lovers and friends. have our own quests and struggles. We are We are workers and slaves. We artists and revolutionaries. have a mythology and herstory. We need to sing with and for each other...We need those shared highs that give us the energy to go ahead in our lonely quests for selfrealization. We need to sing our lives and share If we don't sifg for our songs. ourselves, no one will sing for us." NORTHERN LIGHTS FOLK FESTIVAL I went to the Sudbury Folk Festival on July 15, 16 and 17 of this year, and from my experience there, I decided to do an article on Wbmen in Music. Because this is a very complex topic, all that I hope to do is share some of my impressions, and perhaps from thLE, more specific areas can be exanined in future issues. The Northern Lights Folk Festival is a valuable concept because it draws a large part of its music and people specifically from the Northern regions, as well as from other parts of Canada. It supports and encourages talent from Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay, etc., and it reflects the English, French and Native cultures through its music and crafts. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for women. What I mean by this is that, while women did participate in the festival, their numbers in all areas were either significantly less than their male counterparts or, in some cases, non-existent. For example, workshops took place everyday from 12 noon to 5 p.m. This is supposed to be a time when, people get together and share their music with other performers as well as with the audience. Approximately 81% of the performers invited to share their craft were men. In workshops for individual performers, women made up 39% of the total. In mixed workshops (male and female), this declined to 25%, and workshops which were hosted by women totalled only 20%. The evening concert performers included women even less often. Out of 17 evening concerts scheduled for the three-day festival ,only one woman was billed for a solo performance; only four women who appeared on the stage with men as part of a group. In contrast, there were 10 men scheduled for solo performances (some of whom had male back-up musicians) and four groups with men only. I think these figures are significant in terms of the kinds of struggles women musicians are underIt is certainly not that going. there is a shortage of women who are capable or available, but perhaps more a reflection of how the organizers of the festival perceive women in relation to music. The festival organizers gave names to the workshops that were meant to indicate what kind of music you could expect to hear. For example, there were workshops called Honky Tonkin, Songwriting, Blues with a FUse, Unusual Instruments, Northern Songs, Love Songs, Latin American, Odes to Mbther Nature, Songs of Protest, and, finally, one called Women. Now that's leaving a workshop wide open. All you have to do to participate is to be a woman. Host Rika Ruebsaat introduced the workshop by pointing this out. She felt strongly that it was not enough to label a workshop Women without talking about the importance of the music to be found there. She saw the workshop as a "token gesture", and suggested that a specific theme such as "Sexual Liberation Songs" might have been more appropriate. I can see the value of a women's workshop with a Sexual Liberation theme as a way to combat the traditional view of women, which for example includes the view that women "just sing" while the men "play"--leaving the real talent and authority to be seen through male musicians. Women being there "just to dress up the act". In this workshop, sane excellent music was shared, although there were some disturbing elements seem to indicate we still have a long way to go. - one woman ignored the female back up, and asked men to cone up and play "One time the M.C. forgot the name of the female half of the performing It's hard to imagine the duo. reverse happening, that is, the man's name being forgotten. Ellen Shumsky from Sing Out, Vol. 25, No. 2, 2976 INA6 6sA4m.64RN- "The judge said, Screw 'em, Boys, you're only human. They brought it on themselves being born a woman. Like a mountain's there to climb and food's there to be eaten woman's there to rape to be shoved around and beaten." Malvina Reynolds from The Judge Said BACK IN THUNDER BAY Caning back from Sudbury made me curious as to the kinds of struggles women locally were going Sane of through with their music. the women I approached talked about feeling vulnerable, always feeling on the outside, and constantly havir to "prove" themselves as good musicians. There were feelings express of belonging only on "male terms"- like a leader/follower structure, with women seldom in positions of leadership. "It's easier to stand by the side of the road and cry than to change the damn tire...it's easier to put on a record and live vicariously through Joni Mitchell, or putter about makinc, coffee, while the men play music in the living room, than to go through the pain of learning to play oneself. Holly Tannen A friend talked about what workin< with male musicians meant to her. She feels that it's important not to be fooled into believing you operate from the same power base as the men, and to avoid the trap of any special attention you receive as a woman performer because it could be a cage. I asked some women if they would like to play in an all-woman's band. Many of them felt that it would be fine if women worked together to develop a feeling of comeraderie, a sense of exploring the culture of women's music--to sing about their own experiences instead of always doing music related to men's experiences. "I could never write about a song But if I like Stand By Your Man. were to sing something Zike Stand By Your Man, my responsibility would be to put that song into some kind of context that says this attitude has to be overcome--but nevertheless_ this attitude is a reflection of women's experience." Alice Gerrard I can see support and encouragemer, occuring in this way, with women taking control over the kind of music in which they participate, in order to provide some rpal alternatives. Nothing could be better than .n and men) to work with people (w who were interested in change and responsible for the kinds of music they produce. While it would be nice for women to work together, we are still often faced with the old values. Competition is their within us all, because we've been geared to it--but for women, the roots of mistrust often go deeper. northern woman journal page 1C PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Although women may like to work with each other ,it is not a general rule. One woman in a group of men works very hard to acquire acceptance, but if there is more than one woman, feelings of fear and insecurity for your This type of position may surface. situation can then work as an advantage for some groups by keeping women isolated from each other--just as they do in society as a whole. It helps perpetuate the traditional power structure. Some women musicians feel they have reached a plateau when they are considered in a male group as "one of the guys". This deception, along with stereotypic relationships like "kid sister", "torch" between women and the men with whom they work, show how much further we need to go before we as people, as women, -1-71alans achieve equality in the truest sense. I have only touched on a few areas, but there are many more concerns and issues that should be talked about and shared: "Most of the Garlands loved to sing. We sang when we were happy, sang when we were sad. Sometimes I think be-ing a-le to express my feelings in song has kept me from going nuts." Sarah Ogan Gunning from Sing Out, Vol. 25, No.. 2, Z976 Albums: A Few Loving Women Lavender Jane Loves Women Lesbian Feminist Liberation, N.Y. ..77!E - sexism in music - what influence has the women's movement had on women in music - what contributions have women made throughout herstory in the field of music - what types of roles are women portrayed in--Mother Earth, .11cre, deceitful bitch what kinds of exoerience and struggles are women having locally? "We can't reach liberation unless But one the whole society changes. of the many problems under capitalism is the the competitive values we all have to Zive with. For example, it has been very hard to find men to accompany me. They feel ashamed, diminished and put down by accompanying a woman." Suni Paz Singer/songwriter from Argentina I'm Gonna Be An Engineer, Peggy Seeger "It should be noted that the song was written in Britain for British usage, and in Britain, an engineer is not a train-drive, but one of a huge body of industrial workers, a profession which includes toolmakers, lathe operators, fitters, etc. Give Your Hands to Struggle, songs by Bernice Reagon You Can Know All I Am Words and Music - Songbook Holly Near Held Over Malvina Malvina Reynolds, aZZ by Malvina Reynolds. Order directly from her own company, Schroder Music, 2027 Parker Street, Berkeley. ************************************************************************ Cur credibility grows, and with Women's place :omen's Place is settling in. What began as a possible dream is now functioning as a centre of various activities. The Women's Credit Union has a growing membership, with share capital around $15,000. The Northern Women's Centre has the hottest phone in town despite existing social services. The Citizen's Committee on Crisis Housing has become revitalized and re-committed to an eventual interval house specifically designed and operated for abused women and children, to supplement existing facilities. The Rape and Sexual Assault team have found it convenient to operate their research project from here. The Northern Woman Regional Journal has formed a strong collective of both old and new energy, with long term goals for the paper. The NWO Decade Council does its office work and keeps its files in their own space here. The files on the Herstory Project await future attention, but the joint effort to produce the Salt and Yeast book of poetry from the manuscript presented to the Journal by Gert Beadle, and illustrated by Sirpa Bishop, is in high gear. It will be "camera ready" in September. There are well over 100 women represented in minor and major roles in Women's Place, each group fully autonomous, with its own structure, but all moved by a single ideal, that of commitment to women. it our ccnfidence. The time has long pased when we can be dismissed as malcontents with no direction. We are a voice that has been too long silent in the pursuit of acceptance. With a little help from our friends, COMING SOON We are pleased to inform our friends and readers that the book of poetry we will speak carefully, thought- SALT ANDAND YEAST SALT YEASTpresented presented to to the the fully, and with conviction, in Journal in manuscript form by our defense of woman's right to be sister Gert Beadle is now being a full partner in the decisions It is readied for the publisher. that concern us all. a matter of great pride to us that from the financing to the final Women's Centre is open every day from 9am to 4pm and Thursday proof-reading it has been the combined efforts of a very special evening until ??? Thursday The talented artistry sisterhood. evening this fall a series of of Sirpa Bishop will get it's first information sharing meetings exposure in it's pages and the warm are planned to increasewoman's and human chronicle of one woman's awareness that they individually search for the larger truth in her as well as collectively need to own life over half a century will, examine their economic power. we feel, find it's place with women Stocks, bonds, Real Estate, your It is our intention everywhere. own business, 'and other investto share with women's groups a ments will be discussed with We invite profit in distribution. knowledgeable resource people. inquiries as to the method, write Come out and share with us your The NORTHERN WOMAN REGIONAL JOURNAL needs for economic growth. We for further information. can all learn together. Every other Thursday night meetings will be open discussion on a variety of topics emphasizing self awareness and growth potential as women. We will be sharing our frustra-' tions, problems as well as our joys and successes as women in our individual situations. We welcome everyone to share themselves so that we may all benefit and grow from each others experiences and thoughts, Phone 345-7802 for more information or to see what else is happening. NEW GROUPS THAT WILL BE FORMING. Being A Widow. Outers for Women. Newly Separated/Divorced. Over 60 and Female. Women's Breakfast Club. northern woman journal page 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women Against Rape CON'T FROM PAGE 9 The Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre is attempting to compile statistices. We need honest, open responses. Please think carefully before answering. If more space is needed write on separate sheet and attach. Marital Status Present age Education 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) Race Occupation How long ago ? Have you been raped or attacked ? How many times ? Do you know anyone who has been raped ? How old were you at the time ? What time of the day/night was it ? Where did the rape occur ? Did you know the attacker ? What relationship to you Struggle ? Did you scream ? Have a weapon ? What kind ? Did the rapist have a weapon ? Did he threaten you ? Did you report the rape ? How did the hospital/ police treat you ? What circumstances surrounded the rape ? Were you hitchhiking ? Did you tell anyone about the rape ? Was there more than one rapist ? Did you have contact with the rapist after the rape ? Did the rape change your attitude toward men ? How ? Did the rape affect your sex life ? Did you become pregnant ? How was the pregnancy handled ? Has an employer ever requested or demanded sex from you ? What ethnic background would you think the rapist was from.? How old was the rapist ? What background do you judge him to be from ? Do you know if the attacker had previous rape charges ? What kind of notable qualities did he have ? As a child, were you ever sexually molested ? By Whom ? Have you taken self-defense ? In retrospect, would you handle the rape differently ? How ? ? Comments: IMO mom O 0 IMO= I OMEN II NM= I I MEM MEN UMW 11111111 speaking, in the dark as to what happens to that woman when she has, as it were, gone through the city mill, we have to ask ourselves, did she have the advantage of a restored self-confidence, was she exposed to any self-analysis, were her options clearly presented to her, could she in fact have had an alternative to marriage break up? It was generally felt we must begin a serious documentation encompassing both the agencies now involved in marital violence and the numbers of victims of that violence. Our location in Woman's Place presents us with the evidence we cannot deny; a survey in west-end Toronto presents us with the statistics that over 50% of women need it as a result of physical abuse, and further states that in more than half cases, there is no evidence of whether or not a satisfactory conclusion was reached in each case. We have no to believe the situation is any more enlightened here in Thunder Bay. have waited patiently for three years for the words "battered wives" to be spoken out loud, even in polite conion. Our mayor has been running around speaking for the sanctity of life, but we have yet to hear him give an n on the abused wife. Would he walk a mile for them--even for a crack at a bicycle? becomes more obvious to us every day that if ever a true refuge is in the future of this city, it must be through forts of a feminist group. crisis housing cont'd 0 MOON 0 MOM I izaction Guatanteed I MIMS O 10010101 BEATEN WOMAN FIGHTS BACK e, 1 was &Lazed to the teeth ked down McKibbon Stneet attoad o4 ziatheAing boy4 I woad be the 't evening toy oweted me with hoots and jems ng that's happened to me bon yea A4 ey once mote cacted the ()Zack ed o4 them to make a mock cat pated up to the cut() ompeetety teady to di4tatb amty I tai4ed my 6ace tty stated, sZowed my pace wanted to expne44 with pit.o4e nos4ed them out....with my 6inga s e. Bev Puda4 Women from the Women's Resource and Survival Centre in Keyport, N.J. have volunteered to set up a legal defense fund for a young woman, Roxanne had been batRoxanne Gay. tered for years by her husband, Blenda Gay, a defensive lineman for the Last Dec. after Philadelphia Eagles. hours of threats and beatings, Roxanne finally fought back and fatally stabbed her husband. Until recently Roxanne has had virtually no legal assistance. The Women's Centre has taken up her case in order to assist all women who may be punished by society's neglect of their terrifying situations. Besides the urgency and importance of Roxannes's position, this case has tremendous implications for battered women. Anyone wishing to write Roxanne may do so via the Women's Centre, and people are urged to send any donations possible to help pay for her defense to: Women's Resource and Survival Centre Roxanne Gay Legal Defense Fund 57 West Front St. Keyport, N.J. 07735 ern woman journal page 12 111111011i1 NI PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NORTHERN WOMEN'S INTRODUCTION The concern for equal access to credit is based on the premise that women will only be equal with men when they have a measure of control in the This includes economic sphere. the ability to finance and pledge their credit just as it includes receiving equal pay for work of equal value. A major step in achieving this goal was taken when women began seeking independent financial commitments. This is the first in a continuing column from the Northern Women's Credit Union. This column will discuss some of the obstacles, both legal and social, that women have encountered and will continue to encounter until prejudices are challenged and eliminated. This first column is concerned with women and retail credit. CREDIT UNION occurred at their head office. Later a second card arrived still in 'his' name, this time accompanied with an explanation that -- here was the additional card had requested !!! cut this card, wrote a more indignant letter, mailed it, and was finally rewarded some weeks later. Even though the computer had only managed to spit out my first initial, it had managed to retain the Mrs., was satisfied. Fortunately my first initial and 'his' first initial are not the same or might have given up at this point. I I I I The second attempt to obtain credit came as a result of reading some material obtained from the Women's Credit Union office and an article in Chatelaine, July/77, on the importance of establishing a credit history. During the time of my marriage had opened, signed the agreement, and used extensively, various charge accounts. was also the person who was responsible for seeing they were paid, from a joint chequing account. (2) My husband rarely entered a store, let alone made purchases on the account. I I I I informed them now wanted a separate history kept, and this was agreed to. Now, after five letters, three phone calls, two interviews - not to mention the anger and frustration have two charge accounts in my name. will continue to proceed till all the accounts that use are in my name also. I I I I celebrate went to Simpsons-Sears to try and get an account with them. made purchases from this store on 'his' account CREDIT UNION day Oct. 20 I want to share two experhad in trying to obiences tain charge accounts with two local stores. The first was about a year was phoned by Macleods, ago. during a campaign they were having to get more charge custshould felt that omers. have done something earlier about getting accounts in my name but had not, so this seemed like an opportune time I I I I I to try. agreed to open an account with them on the condition that it would be in my name. (There was a long pause and then "just a moment please"). It appears she had not encountered this request before and had to consult someone with more authority. She returned to the phone and said this would be alright and that someone would be around to my home with the contract agreement. The person came, signed, emphasizing "my name only or don't want it". There was a space provided for on the application where the name of the spouse had to be entered. gave 'his' name but was not asked for any other information on 'him', employment etc. (1) A few weeks later the account card came and, you guessed it, it was 'his'name. cut it in half, wrote an indignant letter and mailed it to their head office. had first called the local office to complain and was told this 'oversight' I I I I I I I I I A testimony need three guesses. Having learned that the account with Simpsons-Sears was a joint one, dropped into the Credit Bureau (6) expecting that they would have a credit history on me. They did not. They did have an excellent history on my husband, however. The credit rating that had established while was single (7) was only kept for seven years. was also informed that if separate records on your credit history are to be kept, you must request that this be done. I a lot. filled in the application form (3) and within a few days received a phone call informing Me that could not have an I I account with them as my present employment was only on a contract basis and this was not considered permanent. My past, and lengthy employment, my financial contribution to the joint chequing account, my credit worthiness was all negated; it meant nothing to NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION 316 BAY ST. HOURS TUESDAYS & FRIDAYS 10 a.m. TO 5 p.m. THURSDAYS 7 p.m. TO 9 p.m. PH. 345-7802 them. Feeling that this refusal was not fair, wrote to the credit I manager asking that they confirm in writing the reason for their refusing me an account. (4) The manager responded to my letter thus, "I have reviewed your application for an account and wish to advise you that our decision can be revised, however an applicant must have steady employment to be considered....upon reviewing our files we found that in (year) you signed an agreement. This account was set up under your husbands name but has been a "joint account". (5) The letter also said could have a line of credit for $300. responded to this letter in agreement and requested that the account be set up using my first and last name, eliminating the titles denoting sex. (I could not tell by the signature from the credit manager whether it was a she or he) but didn't I I join now ! FOOTNOTES (1) Most lending agencies request information on your spouse, but if you have acceptable qualifications and plan to maintain the account on your own, you are not obliged to provide this infor.= mation. (2) The signature on the cheque means nothing - unless it cont'd page 14 I northern woman journal page 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �footnotes cont'd bounces - to the store or the Credit Bureau. The credit history belongs only to the person whose name is on the account. (3) The information asked for is not enough to determine properly whether you should be given credit. (4) Credit grantors in Ontario are legally required to give you their reasons, however it may be a phone call or a form letter listing many possible reasons. You take your pick. It is your responsibility to inquire within 60 days. (5) Creditors claim it is expensive for them to open two accounts for a family and with a choice between the husband and wife, they prefer to deal with the man. (6) At one time, a married woman could not only not get credit on her own, she was also denied access to the family's credit record unless her husband accompanied her. To-day the associated Credit Bureaus of Canada has a policy whereby a married woman who wants to establish a separate file may do so by advising the Credit Bureau. (7) You can maintain the credit history you had before you married and keep the accounts in your maiden name. There is no law that requires you adopt your husband's name. Married Women the Credit Ability Gap In recent years, women's desire to share in the market place equally with men is probably more pronounced. Their ability to do is often linked with their capacity to obtain credit. and in spite of the high cost of credit, its availability is vital in the upgrading of women's economic status because it determines their access to education, home ownership self employment, private transportation and independence. Few people would be able to buy homes, cars, and appliances without some form of credit. Some women, particularly divorced and separated women, suffer the results of being dependent on their husbands credit rating, even if they have worked and contributed to the family income. A woman who divorces must establish from scratch her own credit record. No matter how faithfully she may have contributed to the record it belongs to her husband. Widowed women "inherit" their husband's credit history. If it is not a good history they too must start from scratch and establish their own. It is important that married women should insist on having "true" joint accounts or separate accounts. In the area of retail credit we can start by examining What Can We Do In the area of retail credit we can start by examining those charge cards we use. Some women believe that the space provided for our own signature means the account is ours, however, these are only courtesy cards and the computer punched name in them is the name of the person whose credit history is being recorded with the Credit Bureau. We should go to the Credit Bureau and ask that they set up a separate file for us. Although credit-granting policies and practises have changed considerably in the past year or so, the whole credit-granting industry will not necessarily be aware of all the changes. If you are denied credit and believe you have been discriminated against because of your sex or marital status, ask to see the credit officer of the agency involved. If your request for credit is still refused and you are not given a satisfactory explanation contact the Women's Advisor of the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations, 555 Yonge St. Toronto, Ontario. And of course,(it goes without saying) join your own Northern Women's Credit Union, a good place to begin to establish your own credit history. As women we must pursue our right to obtain credit. The attitude is in general that women are poor credit risks. Regulations and rule will not be sufficient to combat tl attitude. The assumptions must be exposed as myths. Those that offer services to the public must be forced to treat women on the same foot ing as they treat men. Noreen Lavoie Credit Union update The Women's Credit Union is growing steadily. There a now 169 members with shares o over $17,000. This is an average growth rate of over $2,000 per month in the eight months we have been open. We have $6,900 of this money now out in loans with a further $2,200 in loans approved. We have $2,000 invested in the Ontario Credit Union League. Expenses to date have be( covered by the donation we received in January from the Northern Women's Centre. It is important that we maintain our growth rate. Yoi. can help promote the Credit Union by telling your friends about it and also by starting a Credit Union savings account for your children (a great way to encourage them to save). We urge our members who now have the minimum share in their accounts to increase their shares. The importance of regular (even if small) dep osits cannot be over-emphasize as well as saving your money you are helping make loans available to women in need. Welcome to our newest anc youngest members, Beverley anc Brandy Sedore, 19 month old twin daughters of Charlotte ar Randy Sedore. Betty Harkema CRISIS HOUSING The Citizem's Committee for Crisis Housing met August 15 and again August 17 at Woman's Place, 316 Bay Street, to revitalize our original intent to have in Thunder Bay an interval house specifically designed for abused women and children. Our membership of interested persons shows both growth and energy. We discussed seriously how we might supplement the present city family crisis homes in a way that recognized the basic needs of food and shelter as being met by them, and at the same time, provide that further service we see as necessary to the emotional stability of the women concerned. The value of continual followup which is nct met in the present circumstance, is a matter of great concern to us. Since we are, in a manner of Continued Page 12 northern woman journal page 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Decade Council News The International Women's Decade Co-ordinating Council of Northwestern Ontario held their monthly meeting at Confederation College on August 20. Plans are being made for an indepth evaluation seminar on Sept. 17 and 18. This will be for the purpose of assessing the work of the Decade Council in the last year and planning the direction for the next year. The focus of the Decade Council at the present time is on two very important issues, Waitresses' vs. the Tip Differential and the Widows' Pension Brief. Both of these briefs have been circulated throughout Northwestern Ontario by the Decade Council asking for support. Waitresses' Action Committee Since organizing last January, the Waitresses' Action Committee has been able to give a voice to the concerns of many workers in the tourist industry. They formed originally in response to proposals and lobbying by his industry to the Ontario Government to freeze the minimum wage of workers earning tips. In March 1976 a precedent was set for this, when a new category was formed, alcoholservers, who were to receive 15C less per hour than the standard minimum wage. These new proposals would expand that category to include all workers who receive tips, and increase the 'differential' to as much as 50c per hour. Action Committee, Immigrant Women's Centre and Opportunities for Advancement met with Tim Armstrong, Deputy Minister of Labour, Marnie Clark, head of the Women's Bureau and three The purpose of this other officials. meeting was to present to the Government a broad view of how not only waitresses would be affected by a lowered minimum wage, but how this would seriously limit the options for many other women in the paid labour force, who have had to continually fight just to keep their heads above water economically. The meeting ended with support from both the Deputy Minister and the Women's Bureau, and a pledge to take the call for a public forum to the Minister of Labour. These changes in the minimum wage would affect thousands of workers directly and even more, indirectly, by setting a precedent for an industry to obtain special privileges to pay for its crisis at our expense. The Waitresses' Action Committee, with much support, has driven a wedge into the Government's closed-door decision-making policy. Please get your organization to mail the form on this page in to the Minister of Labour, calling for a public forum cn minimum wage, before any changes are made. Widows' Pensions In response, an action committee was formed to oppose any impending lowering of the already much too low wages. A brief was circulated which gained support from a wide variety of organizations. Many groups wrote letters of support to their local rIPP's, newspapers, and the Ministry of Labour. Media coverage has been steady and sympathetic. This support has been crucial in pressuring the Government to consider a meeting to present demands and points of view. The need for a public forum for debate was a focal point of discussion when the Waitresses' Action Committee met with senior officials of the Ministry of Labour on June 27. RepTesentatives from the Waitresses' TO: Two areas of concern regarding widows' pensions for older women have been brought to the attention of the N.W.O. International Women's Decade Council. These are concerns that should be widely publicized so that all will be made aware of the injustices experienced particularly by widows in the 60 - 65 years of age bracket. Protests against these injustices should be voiced to all branches of government concerned with pension programs, urging correction of the existing conditions, and the inclusion of survivor's benefits in all pension plans both in public and private sectors. A news release from Ottawa published in a number of newspapers on February 24, 1977 stated: *"ELDERLY WIDOWS PREY TO PENSION WRINKLE. About 200 elderly women a month receive condolences from the federal government for the death of their husbands...and are informed that because of his death their old-age pension (his old-age pension and her Spouses Allowance) will be cut off. They are victims of a wrinkle in the rules governing the recently created Spouses' Allowance, paid to people aged 60 - 65. But the death of the elder marriage partner cancels out the pension of the other. It means that a combined monthly pension of as much as $460 is suddenly reduced to zero. The Spouses' Allowance was set up in 1975 to assist couples when only one partner is eligible for the Old Age Security pension, but where there is little or no other income. The spouse must be at least 60 to receive it and about 70,000 now do, most of them women. It is, in effect, an old-age pension paid early for those in need. But a clause in the rules says that the Spouses' Allowance is only payable to the spouse of a pensioner. If a pensioner dies, his pension dies with him and so does his wife's. Officials say about 200 penisons a month are lost because of this rule."* * (Toronto Sun, Feb. 24, 1977) May Sutton of the Decade Council has prepared a brief on this injustice affecting widows. Copies of the brief are available at Women's Place, 316 Bay St., Thunder Bay P. Letters of support for the brief can be written to: THE HONOURABLE MARC LALONDE, MINISTER OF HEALTH & WELFARE HOUSE OF COMMONS, OTTAWA, K1A OK9 THE HON. BETTE STEPHENSON, MINISTER OF LABOUR OF ONTARIO 400 University Ave., 14th Floor M7A 1T7 Toronto, Ontario We feel that changes of any kind in the minimum wage must not be made without consulting the people who are going to be affected. We demand, therefore, that the Ontario Government provide a public forum where workers can present their position to industry and Government. SIGNED: (organization or individual name) ADDRESS: northern woman journal page 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DAY CARE NEWS " P ARE NTS " Parents who are using or interests in DAY CARE and AFTER SCHOOL LUNC1 What does this tell me about how AND BEFORE SCHOOL programmes PLEA: Council views day care? It tells write to your alderman requesting me they see child care as the sole their full uncompromising support responsibility of the parents; that complete quality child care servic they do not see children as our Emphasize the child's right to shared resource for the future; that complementary parenting as a comm"parents" is a special category, and unity and municipal responsibility "full paying parents" should be the A meeting for those concerned abot ones to help out the welfare parents, DAY CARE will be held at Women's instead of sharing the responsibility Centre on November 3, 1977. This equally between parents and non-parents. a regular Women's Centre meeting we'll discuss the philosophy of dE City Council has effectively care as well as plan some action limited day care to very high income strategies -for support of day care people and to very low income people. As someone in the middle , I know I would find it difficult (an understatement) to finance two children in day care, and even harder to finance three children. NEW RATES FOR THUNDER BAY MUNICIPAL DAY CARE As a parent who uses City Day Care, I received a schedule of the new rates effective September 1/77. For day care centres, the rates are Maybe it's a Council plot to I know reduce population growth. I've considered waiting till my son is 6 and in school before I produce yet another child. Maybe Council smugly assumes that one parent in every family (probably the mother) should be at home anyway. e m" now: $8.50 5.25 4.25 6.50 3.50 for for for for for full day half day with lunch half day without lunch 3/4 day (between 4 and 6 hrs) 2 hours or less If I have two children (or three), the above rates apply to each child. Before the price hikes, second and third children obtained "special family rates"--additional $1 per day per child. Now, two children in full day care would cost $340/month, and three children would cost $510:: For private home day care, the rates are now: $7.50 for full day, under 1 year old 8.00 full day, 1 to 21/2 years 8.50 full day, over 21/2 6.50 3/4 day, any age 5.25 half day with lunch 4.25 half day without lunch 3.50 two hours or less And the special family rates no longer apply here either. In the case of private home day care, it costs the City $7.80 per child per day to offer the service. This includes administrative costs. How many other City programs recover all expenses--including administrative? The extra $0.70 will not be applied toward improving the conditions of day care workers. Home providers will still be paid $7.50 per day per child ,without receiving sick pay or vacation pay benefits. "KIDDIES " BOOKS 16151111 Travels of Ms. Beaver Rosemary Allison I'm a Child of the City Ister Fine Grown-ups speak funny They say choo-choo When they mean train, And bunny When they mean rabbit. They say goo-goo to my sister Who's a baby. She laughs at them. I'm not surprised. My aunt calls a clock A tick tock. Our dog had puppies, My aunt calls them bow wows. Perhaps she didn't have the chance To go to kindergarten Like me. Strange St-Ann Powell All About Us Bonnie McSmithers Sue-Ann Alderson True Farm Stories, Freda Kamstra (local) My friend's mother Calls cows moo moos, And ducks quack quacks. My aunt should meet my friend's mother. My teacher knows The right words But she says them in a funny voice Like my mother uses To my sister. My grandpa speaks normal. Not many people understand him Except me. Anne Clifford, adult Kitchener, Ontario from Weekend Magazine northern woman journal page 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Graft I 4k* Poolift Gollft P.M P...40 owl 11%.0.01' Bulk En hombre third Milani, dam cisme 220 TENT.w ...or moo RETURN TO: mom m . . TABLE OF CONTENTS: : is ..... THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. !Editorial THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Bits and Pieces Return Postage Guaranteed ' Feminist Books Poetry Doing it To Us Rape and Sexual Assault Women and Music Credit Union pg 4 31 5 6 8. 10 13 15 'DayNews Day Care 16 I Who Did This Issue - Eve, Pat, Doreen, Noreen, Gert, Thyra, Leona, Lenny, Julie, Peggy, nne, Sharo n, Donna, Betty, Lynne, so MMMIM= tnnette. l Want Call Free Free , . I11I MM all to get involved? 345-5841 weekdays to single-parent families to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal, Vol 3 No 6 Description An account of the resource Vo. 3, No. 6 (1977) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Transition from paid staff to volunteer collective at the NWJ London, UK - Rapist reduced sentence Women’s Outers Club California - Hitchhiker Rapist acquittal/women’s coalition to overturn Cancer-causing cosmetics Group for women AA forming Acquittal of woman who acted in self defence against rape Feminist book list Poetry Unemployment insurance for women - sexism & harassment Comics Canada Manpower Women against rape Canada Works grant for Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre Claudia Caputi Case - Rome (media sensationalization of rape case; rape/marriage laws; feminist vigil; public trial) Rape as political Female employment rates Italy Women in music Northern Lights Folk Festival Women’s Place Thunder Bay Crisis housing Keyport, N.J - Women’s Resource & Survival Centre Northern Women’s Credit Union Married women & the Credit Ability Gap Decade Council Waitresses' Action Committee Widows’ pensions Day care news Authors/contributors: Gert Beadle Margaret Atwood (originally published by Anansi, Toronto, 1971) Julie Stojko Deidre Hamill Eve Pykerman Doreen Boucher Beverly Pudas Anne Clifford (Kitchener ON - Weekend Magazine) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Published on this site with permission. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977 Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2748/1977_Vol_3_No_5.pdf d66035f469f5e5b30b9cadc6f670d40c PDF Text Text 1\110,r1Rern Votnan 7 v01,11110 c0 CUM 3 4010 T/ 7 7 - PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �to high school women This issue was planned for high school women. We sent a letter to local high school guidance counsellors asking that they let women in their schools know that the Northern Woman's Journal wanted creative writing from high school women to publish in the paper. We received about 15 responses, most of it was poetry or short stories. One woman wrote an article describing her feelings of isolation and boredom. We would like to hear more from high school women about their everyday lives. We know that, according to "creative writing" standards, everyday life is not considered to be The exciting material on which you base a short story. "What I did on my summer vacaclassic essay assignment, tion", usually results in stories of moonlight canoe rides, trips to exotic countries, or everyday experiences embelNo one wants to admit lished to the point of fantasy. painful, boring, lonely, that many life experiences are scary or confusing. On looking back, we feel that asking each other the following questions, and talking with women friends about the conclusions, might have helped dispel some of the confusing, lonely feelings and led to changes that would This process is called make for a more fulfulling life. "consciousness-raising" and is a method that has been developed by women in their struggle for liberation. What position does lack of money put me in? Why can I not be financially independent? What kind of jobs are available to me? What kind of jobs are available to boys? How many women are in machine shop classes? How many boys take home economics? What are the differences between arts, technical and commercial courses? Why do these differences exist? Do guidance counsellors encourage women to break from traditional roles, and take courses that will lead to decent paying jobs? Who controls the school? Who is the principal? the vice principal? Who's on the school board? Are they men or women? How much money do they make? How much money is available for physical education? How much of it goes to men's sports, how much to women's sports? Why is there "men's" and "women's" sports? Is self defense available for women? How many books on women's liberation are available in the school library? What do I learn about women who have fought for their rights in the past? How many books, or paragraphs in books, describe women's role in history? Are there dress codes at school? Are they imposed by the school or self-imposed? What kind of pressure results from following these standards? Does anyone question the status quo, the way things by other are? How are they treated - by me? Do I get the feeling it's students? by teachers? not o.k. to ask questions or challenge the status quo? What do I do so that boys will like me? What do I want from relationships with boys? What do I get? If there's a difference in what I want and what I get, why does it happen this way? What happens to women who get pregnant? What do I know about my own sexuality? Where did I Is information freely available at school? learn it? Is masturbation, intercourse, orgasm, birth control, lesbianism or abortion discussed in sex education class? Who decides some women are sluts while others are good girls - the kind a man would like to marry? Why are there these kinds of differences between women? How do I get along with women friends? Do I get support from women? Do I see other women as a threat? Is my best friend a woman? Will I drop her for a boyfriend? Has this happened to me? Are there any women I look to as an example? are they? What do they do? Who What is the attitude to women's liberation? What father? mother? teachers? principal? do boys say? other women? TOWARDS CHANGE Talk with other women. Discuss problems. and trust each other. Build solidarity. Learn to like Begin challenging Learn and understand who holds power. them if what's happening is not in your interest as women. Do it together! cti4; Read about Women's Read about women's history. Read the Northern Woman's Journal. Liberation. Study. Talk with women who have some experience fighting for their rights. Ask your mother, your grandmother, your women teachers. Come to Woman's Place, 316 Bay Street and talk with women there. Find out what resources are available to you - through the library, local women's centre, community college, university, local Y - use them! Get in shape. yourself. Build your strength and learn to defend readings in women's liberation The following books may be available at the local libraries Confederation College (if not, see Lynne in the Women's Studies Dept.) or the University library. They can be bought from, or ordered through, Co-op Bookstore, 182 Algoma St. S. voi,ceon,, from W°111 Li,bera"° n THE SECOND SEX by Simone de Beauvoir THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE by Betty Friedan THE DIALECTIC OF SEX by Shulamith Firestone SEXUAL POLITICS by Kate Millet VOICES FROM WOMEN'S LIBERATION, edited by Leslie B. Tanner SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL, edited by Robin Morgan RADICAL FEMINISM, edited by Koedt, Levine & Rapone FEMINIST REVOLUTION, Redstockings, P.O. Box 413, New Paltz New York, 12561 WOMEN'S ESTATE by Juliet Mitchell AGAINST OUR WILL by Susan Brownmiller WOMAN'S CONSCIOUSNESS, MAN'S WORLD by Sheila Rowbotham 2 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �From High School Women.... ONE WOMAN'S STRUGGLE So why not take some courses at different grade levels? I tried that, but they couldn't work it out with my timetable - I wanted too much, or something... Then there's the teachers. In high school, there are two types of teachers - the wimps and the bullies. This year I was blessed with exactly four of each. Needless to say, they aren't helping me grow or develop as a person at all, and plaCe all sorts of unnecessary restrictions and punishments on those who try to be individuals. Finally I come to the students, who comprise the bulk of the population at the massive institution where six hours of my life are wasI could, at ted five days a week. this point, viciously flay my peers, describe in graphic detail how they've mocked and ridiculed me, how they've considered me a radical because I'm a feminist, how they hurl insults and torment me. But I'm not It would be futile, going to do that. seeing as how they're so puerile, immature and so sadly unaware. Most of them reached their peak at about age eleven anyway. But anyone who doesn't succumb to the whole teen culture bit - swooning over the likes ol,Peter Frampton and Kiss - has to be prepared for a backYou pay the price for individlash. uality. Their rejection doesn't matter, since my peers are not my friends. I'm just ten steps ahead of them, in terms of values, perceptions, "Ah, to be young again!" That's almost become a cliche among those in the over-forty age bracket- even those in their mid-thirties utter it I listen to wistfully on occasion. them and wonder "Don't they remember?" and think that they must have either become senile or mellow with astonishing speed. I noticed a book recently which reminded me of the above exclamation. The book was called Why Am I So Miserable If These Are The Best Years Of My Life? and the morose-looking young woman on the cover, not to mention the title - caught my eye. I picked up the book, flipped through it, and put it down again. I'm sure that it will help many young women make decisions regarding their lives, but it doesn't have the answers that I'm searching for. You see, it's rather difficult to School is a major reason explain. for many of my frustrations and (until I'm a high now) hidden resentments. school student, approaching sixteen (anxiously) and, to put it bluntly, fed up with school. If I were a typical student Why? I'm not I suppose I wouldn't be. a troublemaker and my assignments are handed in and returned with ASo what's the pluses attached. problem? Well, there are a number I've learned I'm bored. of things. more on my own through the wonderful world of books than from school, so most of my classroom time is spent daydreaming and/or gazing out the window. poet, cir% goals and even the books that I read. Education should be a very individual thing, and right now, the system is just too judgemental to let that be so. Now you may shake your head, saying that I've grown up too fast (which people have told me countless times) and I can see that, in a way, that's true. But I can't go back - and I certainly don't want to. I know that there are going to be days filled with loneliness and depression (which I feel is inevitable no matter who you are) but I've already experienced that, both in and out of school, and know how to cope with it. I thought long and hard about this situation for some time, and eventually decided that I don't like the way the teachers and students are reacting towards me, and that I have to find an alternative method of education. They think that I'm weird ...or at least very, very strange. I don't need that attitude perpetually surrounding and stifling me. I just don't need that. So, until June, my time in the classroom will continue to be spent gazing longingly out the window. And I know that the best years of 17.-i Life are still to come and they will, they will. Eventually. by Athena Caine Thunder Bay 14111SLI1Do1 wowlest5c wevAtAkts Sittdies MISTER ON THE RADIO I No vwe,,,,,.. o n worrier $ ,eC..teVi role_ Ccursts3 Hey misteA, on the Judi°, I want you to know, Someone'.6 very sad today. Why don't you gay tisykk.ryvecN Hor"e, Ec..0 »OP% KS 4 IP'"5 600et?""1. a coupee o6 sad songs? Not too 4hott on tong. Because I'm so biue I'm 2.eaving it to you To bting back my smiZe to my 6ace Hots I Zort it some pace. Whete? I don't know, But some time ago. When I to paying the nadio Yes miztet, the good ofd tadio. wean, misteA, you'te doing neat 6ine I got to say you're zo kind. I tea-C.4 got to hand it to you, You sune hap someone btue. Oh, a-4ot o6 aU, Thanks iot taking my cat, And bon "Someone, save my Zi6e. tonight." Thanks again and good night. Cotteen Aube Thundetc. Bay PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �H.S. Women CONT D Memories The ad woman sat on the dboutep, Hen head hanging timpty on het bxeazt, The cased, cobweb Lace disclosed nothing 06 the memonies nevotving in het mind. . Although the memory o6 you OL aitmoon walks in the pa/Lk With het Latest beau, Mama and Papa waked sedately behind Supposedly unsuspecting 06 the glances oL Love. stia tingeAs on my mind, The teradAops and the rainbows the past ate Zeit behind. o On that golden stain way you bxought me to the top... I didn't seem to xeaLize OWL Love must someday stop. Now there is another who has captuxed at your heart.. The coniusion and the tutmoit is teating me apart. I nemembet being with you; at the good times that we had, Now you're with the other and that can only make me sad. My ieetings now ate &Leaky, my tears axe bleak as /Lain. Happiness i4 Zike the sunshine ib we chance to Love again. Yes, it's been a white but my yearning just won't end, I've suxtendeted to you everything, my /oven and my ixiend. Tomovcow ..4 anothet day, When the anticipated day had attived at -east, Papa was nervous, and Mama anxious, The sun shone btittiantty above A4 she waked down the gowet-4ttewn aisle. When the ioteseeabZe notice was anzwexed And the unitioAm adjusted to 6it, Fined_ goodbyes were said Amid tears o L parting and dxead. Lists oL suxvivoits were tead out In 6/tont oL the old count house. "Where ms his name? Why doesn't he read out his name?" "Hey Lady, you aLL tight?" The voice jetked het back to teatity, Her wainkeed hand brushed away a Lew stray teats As she nodded and tutned to go into the empty house. Cathy Metcatlie Long Bow Lake I'LL try, my best to cope I'm always Looking, always Aeraching, Fox where there's Love there's Hope. Lori Christensen Geitaidton Highschoot. A NIGHT WALK The waves were &Upping upon the skate The tomist Lay on the sand A swat bxeeze blew about the txees A4 to ove,tcoti,e the -Cond. And the chiLdten oL the woAid shalt. Live; The sun went down to We .its el 6 When the moon They stand iion innocence and putity. - beautiut tays o6 moontight Their hands and minds have not yet touched Which glow and glow and glow. Upon the neaeity and ways oi the world. Let them gtow and undeAstanding witt goutish Jackie Duxochet Grade 9 Let them Live and there witZ be LOVE. Gexadton Highschoot Lori ChAistensen GuLaZdtn Highschoot Spring The smelt oL the eatth, /tanning water, GIANT STEPS Canada has always been my home, and I am very fond of it, but it is not where I would choose to live. These may sound like traitor's words, but they are not. I am not a true "woman's libber". I am more old fashioned. I do believe in careers for women, but for me they are secondary matters. I like to be treated as a woman. I have travelled widely over our beautiful country, but nowhere have I found a place to fulfil'. my needs. Canada does not satisfy me. I believe I have found a place that does. I am not totally informed on European life, and I have not spent a great deal of time there -- only one week in southern Spain, but of all the places I have been, it satisfies me the most. I love their way of living, their style and warmth, and I suit their environment. So, when I am capable of doing so, I plan to move lock, stock and barrel to Costa de la Sol. I also have plans of becoming a Writing is my pet and journalist. I enjoy taking proper care of it. Essays in school do not "turn me off" as they do others; I enjoy them. Joining journalism and Spain together would be the culmination of all my I intend to do everything dreams. possible to make this happen. I also realize the problems involved in "creating happiness" but am preparCourses in French and ing for them. Spanish are on the agenda, and obtaining a post as journalist to establish myself. These may be exaggerated dreams for such a young person, but I feel the time to start is when you are young, not wait until it is too late. I do not feel that mine is an impossible case, The power of prayer and faith goes a long way in solving impossible I shall leave things in the cases. hands of God and trust. 6xogs singing in the swamp, pussy witioaz, tetatning bitds, bikes, and ditty chitdten, art herald the end oi wintet and tebitth. Nancy Fume. ton Dryden Highschoot Linda Longe Lakewood Highschool Kenora, Ontario PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �H.S. Women PERHAPS LESSONS.... My mind's eye vieta Deeds oi past days CONTD When tiSe seemed zimptu And summers .longer: Last yeat - the yeah, A wanted wonthtezz white Hampeted by 6eetingz 06 dreams and naivete; Yeatning Son the unknown Putzating with every breath And misguided step, Emotion's tapping out To communicate with others Please undetztand me, Can't you zenze my Longing? Supply me with anzweAz Fon ate oS my queztionz Yet I don't neatly want to know. Come closet - back away Love me - hate me ON AN AUTUMN EVENING A POEM WITH NO TITLE The tat pines yietding to the wind. Dancing, nodding, There within my mind tiez a connen all my own to gaze at pazzetz-by but steel be ate atone. and taking IS my conzciouz mind could .S eel in gtoupz. Sithouetted againzt an evening sky. I'm certain it would say Leave me here atone, pteaze go away. IS my ti6e depended on a ptiend one succeeding aitet the °ther they would being me to the end. Those who have 6ot4aken me ptuz those who didn't cake never 6ett my ptezence Nancy Fumenton Dryden High4choot Hetp me - hinder me Do you neatly know me? They say they do But they don't. theit act auz a metre eat. So -in. _my etdetty catiow zubconzciouz Let me 6ind my peace and mark upon the milestones one eternal ttuce. 16 my mind should drive me ctazy I wish Got you to know I don't want you to know. Like an .iceberg You zee only pant: What tiez beneath Is oS more signiiicance And -is Son you to uncover. BcUtoetent rebel with Give Give just Show Swelling anger and Sean, Yet 40 unawate oS The would and tit's wotkingz. We weren't then We won't be tomontow We ate NOW! My mind's eye cOpq0AtiS My tezttezz 4out Projecting images Show me Lill e and the rhapsody of Living in zotitoquy. Qui, va t2t. dams ma pied-a-tette? 14 it the atien who means nothing, N' eat paz? On a Hank, barren screen I catt my memory; Recalling my past, Sutviving today, Fotzeeina mu 4utunp. But de I neatly Sonzee? Oun time will come To set out sights on Ctaiming OWL tivez InheAiting out wottd 6tom Dead worn out once-upon-a-timed. My mind's eye evaluates today: Cynicat, zatcaztic neatity - me quiet. me tight enough to zutvive. me grace. i4eLizs A meanAngLeas t.h.t.c. yak:de._ waLL staking my brain zertAch.Eng ion. a hat. Let hir sea.Lch. Let him taboux in vain. Let him tart shoat Sot he ishatt bind no heft within the ckevicez oS my being. Simp4 unaduttetated peace. Connie Johnson Age 16 Hammanzjkotd Highzchoot but -c4 A.t neat? Harrah gtazz and zteet city, Ptecizion kni6e-edged sophisticate. 14 it worthy? Is it teat?. SttuggLing to ii-td outzetvez Shuiiting thnough a deck oS Experienced Eztabtizhment Vatuez now outdated Where ate we? Ate we any ctosen on iutthek to out goat? What goat? madness? Waz there a teazon behind thLs /Lace My mind's eye views Deeds o6 past days The present iz piing mane btickz When tip. seemed zimptet And zummetz tonget: to the 9/teat bat/Lien And now have we impnoved? that zepatatez Were not the pat days oS childhood better? now £A0171 then. On did we not know bettet? Too great Lon any human to zcate Ake we expected to gnace6utty use it mockz mortal me Out adotezcent days to zuddenty evolve az I gtimpze the past From optimztic caneSnee childhood minnoned in old peoples' eyes adulthood? To wovUzoMe burdened hypoctiticat and azk in iutite eatnutnezz Was thus- to be done eazity? "can I get thete Snom here ?" Out values exptoited Mona t4 chattenged Vintuez deiied iStumbting in the dark We beet confused; What vatuez? What monate What viAtues? Did we even have any at att.? Perhaps teszonz zhoutd be given Suzan Reid Age 16 Hammaltajad High4choot But then a pebble oL childhood .lath Satz 0.0m the watt stonily teminding me: Mice never did go back dawn the kabbit hate. Atma Byzewski Font FAancez High4choot 6.0m TUESDAY NIGHT 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �The Sexual Revolution This antiete on the Sexuat Revotution was done by Eve Pyketman and campaign. CerFiona KaAtztad. but lost the larger tainly, they had the vote, but those who the had fought for our civil rights sible woman could only realize will be examinremained very conservative on questIn this paper, we and privileges a penis could bring in attitudes and Freud ions obof female sexuality. Women's ing certain changes by deduction desire one. sexual relationwith- consciousness became political roles in terms of served psychological structures by asking: What anesthetized by the "myth of emanciships and will begin out ever questioning their social in the sex pation" for the next fifty years. is the role of a woman context, but given his cultural entitled to an act? and Is the woman Ifexpecwomen were still unhappy with the prejudices we can hardly have and joy in this problem. After al equal mutual interest ted him to make such an examination. Perhaps, at Simple questions? they had gotten what they wanted, act? But Freud was only one of a large throughout history What more could they first glance, but cast of 19th century male experts on the feelings Emancipation became a wherever we can trace conask for? female sexuality, all of whom and the reand ideas on this matter to responsibility: salvation wa private cluded that women are very close find discord, personal, not political. With the sultant conduct, we being asexual. Dr. William Acton, conflict and anguish. thirties, came the Depression. In the Victorian English sexologist, Throughout Notate every act o6 the forties,there was another world decided that pneceded by a zexuat union a and to think about. Women had subThe best mothers, wives war There a stantial jobs for the first time in pxocezz of courtship. manageAz a househotds know tittte physiotogicat teason decades - they were genuinely needed a sound on nothing .06 zexuat indagencez. ion ,.in the bon this couAtzhip, by society. And, if women were sexLove o6 home, children and domestic bang wooed, act o6 wooing and they frustrated, they had Kinsey to dutLez are the onty pazzionz ually gnadHe laid to rest the belief the psychic excitement look to. beet. 5 watty genetated in the btains that women got no pleasure at all while Dr. Isaac Brown was performing 0,6 the two pantneAz ac tz as a from sex. The marriage manual craze women numerous clitoridectomies on that stimulant to amuse into &at followed him assumed that a to prevent the sexual excitement activity the mechanism (fhich lifetime of psychological destructio caused which, he was convinced, union... enzuAez sexual could, with the aid of a book, be "insanities", "hysteria" and other remediedlthus ensuring the right of The evolution of society, however, Monogamy and home diseases. 6 a woman to her sexual birthright to tended to overlay and sometimes even existed for the benefit and protection orgasm - provided it was vaginae and suppress these natural tendencies. But while women were abof women. so long as their orgasms were zimaIt a conceivable that the Oncesolutely confined to the home, men (Contrary to the most eletaneouz. 6u2 zuppAezzion of women's inwere free to exercise their erotic mentary common sense, which shows ondinate zexuat demands was a The activities outside the home. the clitoris as the source of orgasir pnekequizite to the dawn of every had sexual order thus establishedmen had invented that a woman's orga modern civitZzation and almost repressive influan unnatural and must be transferred from the clitori every tiving eatune-Not untit women's ence on the erotic aspect of to the vagina. Nobody would ever these dAivez were gtaduatty have thought of asking men to transf brought under conttot by Aigidty their orgasm from the penis to the enOtced sociat codes coutd... But the effect of these scrotum.) modern civitized man emerge... the manuals ran counter to their purpose 4ttength oi the drive deteAminea Sex was made so mechanized, detached the 6otce tequited to zuppnezz it. and intellectual that it was robbed On the basis of social, economic Man became a spectt of sensuality. and legal developments which were experience. ator of his own sexual established as the conditions of a There was a swing from repression developing civilization, new moral, :':o preoccupation with the orgasm spiritual and religious forces were resulting in new pressures on the generated, based on rules of exter'men to perform; witness the menior order, giving men power over ials' endorsement of the desireabilwomen's souls as well as their bodies. oity of vaginal orgasm. All through history legislators, With the fifties came the first # priests, philosophers, writers and long stretch of peace and affluence, scientists have striven to show that As anthropologists have shown, women the subordinate position of woman is sexual response is culturally conwilled in heaven and advantageous on ditioned and the political conserearth. vation of the fifties was echoed in The Opiate a a 6ema2.e by viAtue a social conservatism which stresse oi a centan 41ack o6 quatitiez; a Victorian ideal of the woman's we should regard the iamate natune a full womb and selfless life: as aWi ct od with a natutat de:'octdevotion to husband and family. Wit 4 the end of the war the average age ivenezz. at marriage declined, the average .St. Thomas for his part pronounced size of families went up and the woman to be an "imperfect" man, an suburhan migration began in earnest "incidental" being; while the first In her book, The Feminine Mystique, sexual life. among the blessings which Plato always been Freidan documents the stifling he had there have thanked the gods for was that Although creative motherhood cycle and its female rebels in history, conditions enslaved, the been born free, not devastating effect on women and the The before existed to enable women second, a man, not a woman. never families.7 Young girls of all ages effectively and collectively overresult was that directly andtoindirIt was dreamed of escaping the dull homes throw their oppressive roles. erotic ectly the legal, economic and of their mothers through Teenage until the Industrial Revolution nonrights of women were all butnot leave the home and Romance. We saw adolescent boys when women began to existent. force that things growing up begging for sexual cruml enter the labour the "envy of Freud has described But from from girls frightened for their began to change slowly. the penis" as an essential component "reputations". The parked car, Freud's very beginning, their simple of the feminine psychology. the and finally the perhaps the one prop that best cha: demands for justice view of women was that they are not being acterized the passions of this vote were met with violence, whole human beings, but mutilated decade, became an urgent necessity viewed for as a serious threat to the males who long all their lives After a But girls were taught that since t established (male) order. a penis and must struggle to reconneeded sex less, it was their resprolonged and frequently bitter To be cile themselves to its lack. struggle, women did win the battle sure)in the Victorian Age when everything was permitted to man and everything was forbidden to women, a sen- 4 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Cont'd ptom page 6 ponsibility to impose sexual restraints and they were so busy setting limits and holding off that they never got a chance to explore their own. They were continually selecting actions and repressing erotic impulses in order to conform to what was acceptable. As this bleak decade came to an end, social developments emerged which were to make a rebirth of the women's struggle inevitable; the large influx of women into the labour market, suburban life and marriage was turning sour, and a growing civil rights movement was sweeping the continent. Traditional political ideologies and cultural myths, sexual mores and roles with them, began to disintegrate in an explosion of protest. The sixties is remembered as a decade of liberation. Masters and Johnson published Human isexuat Reoponise, a massive clinical study Briefly of the physiology of sex. and simply, their conclusions about the female orgasm are: (1) anatomically all orgasms are centred in the clitoris (2) women are naturally multiorgasmic (3) women's orgasms vary in intensity and (4) there is an infinite variety in female sexual response in terms of intensity They wrote and duration of orgasms. "With orgasmic physiology established the human female now has an undeniable opportunity to develop realistically her own sexual responses." With the advent of the Pill and other birth control methods, women were also no longer at the continual mercy of biology. They could enter into sexual relations without the accompanying fear of pregnancy. What else was needed to make their sexual liberation a reality? Men travelled to Europe, joined political movements, went to University. We witnessed the growth of the "love generation". Liberated men with a new lifestyle who needed women who could keep up. But there was no place for women there either. Although sexual mores may have appeared to have changed, it amounted to no more than lip service. If a woman asked for some commitment in return, she was labelled as "uptight" and told she should strive to be more "independent". Women couldn't register fast enough for all kinds of courses - ceramics, weaving, psych. and lit. courses - anything to get off his back. Women were still reluctant to organize around their own issue and thus they fell once again into the trap of the "private" solution, which as often as it was art or academia was the "bag" of radical politics. Radical politics gave every woman the chance to do her own thing, but the sexual class system existed everywhere and the old double-standards were expressed just as succinctly there. Stokely Carmichael once said, "The only position for women in revolution is prone."9 This left women in a bewildering dilemma: were they to remain in a movement which allowed them only to exist as silently submissive bedmates or would they refuse to accept a subordinate status. It became clear that if women were to establish the right to self-deter- mination it would not/could not be within that framework. As Robin Morgan said, "Goodbye to Hip Culture and the so-called Sexual Revolution which has functioned towards women's freedom as did the Reconstruction towards former slaves - reinstated oppresSion by another name."10 The result has been the growth of a new women's movement and the creation of a variety of organizations which have facilliated the critical examination of the institutions controlling their lives. Ranging in politics from reform to revolution, the movement has produced critiques of almost every segment of North American society, and constructed an ideology that rejects every hallowed cultural assumption about the nature and role of women. However, the sexual problems of our society will never be dealt with effectively until there is real and unfeigned equality between men and women. This equality does not imply that women adopt certain male characteristics. There must be a'conscious effort made by all men and women to examine the quality of their life, for sexu4lity today, if it is to be fully enjoyed by both, is the one drive that demands recognition of its values: cooperation, spontaneity, openness, sharing, sensitivity, trust and freedom. If prolonged pleasures and meaning are to be drawn from sexuality these values must accompany the lover who seeks them. When that understanding and recognition become apparent, then we will know that the Sexual Revolution has indeed come to pass. RejvLedcea avaLeabi.e upon uquat at the NoAthenn Woman JouAnat 066ice. further reading on sexuality OUR BODIES OURSELVES by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective, $5.95 at Co-op Bookstore. THE HITE REPORT by Shere Hite, $2.75 at most grocery and MUST reading! book stores. Send $4.00 to Betty LIBERATING MASTURBATION by Betty Dodson. Dodson, P.O. Box 1933, New York, N.Y. 10001. FOR YOURSELF: THE FULFILLMENT OF FEMALE SEXUALITY by Lonnie Garfield Barbach. $3.95. Order through Co-op Bookstore. TEENAGE WO When I was in high school, I had no doubts about my future. I would marry a kind and handsome man - he didn't have to be rich because I knew love was most important, not money. My husband and I would have beautiful, clever children. I woul be a young, attractive, fun-loving mother to these children. The picture of my future family was a conglomerate of all the ads I see dail which depict clean, healthy, happy families. And, oh yes, a career. This career would enable me to support myself until I married, and would be one to which I could retur when my children no longer needed me at home. Now for the realities. I did become one of the 8 in 10 women who PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �HU- DEFENSE Attacks on women, especially rape, are continuing to increase. Any woman is a potential victim. How we look or dress, our age, our occupation or economic condition does not protect us. As rapists continue to escape legal sanction for their crimes the threat to all women grows. Self-defense training for women is growing in popularity and availability for this reason. Some common reactions about selfdefense: 1. It takes long and strenuous training. 2. It may make a woman overestimate her physical capabilities. 3. Resisting an attack may only enrage an assailant and cause more serious injury. I'd like to comment first on the body awareness women have been conditioned to have and then look specifically at each point above. Most women have never had access to activities that test their physical abilities and develop realistic physical integrity. Traditionally girls and women have not been encouraged (or allowed) to participate in body contact sports or playful roughhousing. We have had little or no emphasis placed on developing activities that keep us physically fit. We've learned that men ( our brothers friends, spouses) are supposed to protect us. Agression is punished in girls and we are shamed for being unfeminine. We've been told to "help" never to "hurt" others. This type of conditioning has announced us to the workd as "easy victims". It has denied women the opportunity to develop the confidence in their bodies essential for physical and psychological well-being and personal safty. 2. Self-defense training can provide the means for developing a more realistic estimate of physical capPractice, not lack of it, acity. develops both competence and evaluation. 3. Self-defence techniques aim at giving you the chance to get away. There is never a guarantee that submission will prevent injury. However, in any situation the woman facing attack is the best judge of whether resisting will increase or decrease her chance of escape. Only you can decide that if you are attacked. Self-defense training develops quick responses which give you the advantage of surprise in an attack and let you get away. When there appears to be no opportunity to run or if an assaillant is armed you have to rely on your own judgement. But self-defense training does increase the alternative available to someone who is being assaulted. Consider these facts: 1. A rapist doesn't expect a woman to resist; he especially doesn't expect her to resist effectively. He wouldn't risk the attack if he He relies on the "fact" that did. women are physically inferior. 2. In countering an attack, surprise and speed are the best weapons. Since the rapist doesn't expect resistance the woman has the advantage in using these weapons. 3. Most men rely on pure strength or the threat of it to overpower a woman, not on skilled fighting techniques. This all means that it is our lack of training and confidence, not any physical inferiority, that is our biggest disadvantage in an attack. It is this increased confidence in nur bodies (coupled with some basic techniques) which is the main benefit of self-defence training. A woman whose demeanor indicates physical competence is less likely to be chosen as a target than the woman who looks weak and passive. When confronted'with an assault, the woman whose first actions indicate confidence and effectiveness is more likely to make an assaillant consider finding an easier target. Most rapists want to prove their "power" not risk losing ft. LEARNING SELF-DEFENSE -Photo "Pess Srni*K Regarding the three points above: 1. Self-defense training need not be long or strenuous. Self-defense is not the same as competence in a martial art (karate, judo, etc.) Selfdefense does not aim at making someone a-skilled fighter. Its aim Is to teach a few basic defense techniques which can help you counter an attack long enough to run."Distance is the great equalizer" in any confrontation. An additional benefit can be an increased awareness of general fitness which can be the incentive for a regular exercise program. The best way to learn is to enroll in a self-defense course. These are available locally through Parks and Recreation YM-YWCA Confederation College Courses normally run one night a week for 6 - 8 weeks. An excellent book is Self-Defense for Women by Jerrold Offstein (available at the Mary Black Library or order through a local bookstore) SOME BASICS IF YOU ARE ATTACKED 1. If there is any chance that people might hear you, yell "FIRE". This is more effective than "Help". 2. A sharp clear yell (eg. HUT!) coming right from the diaphram can startle an assaillant. Practice this! fn addition to attracting attention and distracting the assailant , a yell is a physical energizer for you. The oxygen breathed in after a loud lung-clearing yell helps you utilize the adrenelin that the body produces when faced with a threatening situaThe yell takes practice. If tion. you can't bring yourself to practice in you home or yard (due to reactions from others) practice it while riding It's not as good because in a car. you should be standing up, but it's better than no practice. 3. If you decide to carry a weapon, (and opinion on this is quite divided) a. it must be immediately available, not in a purse or clothing pockets covered up by a coat. b. it should not be something easily taken away and used against you. c. know how to use it. 4. Some common objects (keys, umbrellE books) can be used as weapons. Use keys to scrape across an attacker's face or jab them in his taceL Don't swing with a book or unbrella - get a firm hold on it with both hands and jab it at the assaillant's face (jab with the corner of a book). A lighted cigarette can be smashed in the attacker's face. D. Women typically are much stronger in the legs than in the-arms. KICK! If someone grabs you from behind, come down hard with Y our heel on his instep. YELL as you do it. RUN! If attacked from the front,kick to the shin or knee hard. Men tend to naturally protect the groin so a kick to the leg may be more effective and isn't as likely to throw Kick fast and don't you off balance. leave your leg out where he can grab it. 6. 7. Jab up under his nose with the heel of your hand. 8. Don't flail your arms around. They can be grabbed. Make fists and keep them close to your body unless you are punching with them. 9. Maintain eye contact with the This lets you know what assailant. he is doing and can, in itself, indicate confidence. These are only a very limited number of suggestions and are no substitute for a good course in self-defense. The threat of rape has been used throughout history to control women and restrict their freedom, even within their own communities. What are our options? We can retreat into our own homes (though many rApes occur in the vicim's home) OR we can educate ourselves and our friends (male and female) and the public in general about rape; we can support local rape centres; we can do everything possible to demand law reform and the demythologizing of rape. Rape and Sexual Assault Collective 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor AN EXPLANATION OF FEMINISM I 1111=11111 INIIIMII II �KEEPING WOMEN OUT OF PAID LABOURPART 3 fitting, they say. Women might think History attests to the real basis for the division of labour in the work force, and it has little to do with natural abilities or inclinatTracing women's work history ions. we see that "women's jobs" became defined as either jobs men didn't want to work at, finding them boring and drudgeful and lacking advancement or jobs which opened up to women because men were scarce, especially during war times, and which they managed to keep a foothold on. In the 1880's telephone operators They were soon replaced were men. by women,supposedly because men didn't do well. Actually, there were many better work opportunities for men around. They didn't need to put up with confined, disciplined Telephone compersonal service. pany jobs were among the few around for women and they took them, and did well, and for less pay than men. The same thing happened in the clerical field. When the typewriter was first invented, men alone operated it; it was then said to be too complicated for women to handle. But as soon as men were able to move up and out of the clerical field and it became available to women, women easily "caught on" to this complicated machine (did they ever!) During the Civil War when men were away, women entered the teaching field in large numbers. They continued to increase their numbers in this field chiefly because of the dual pay scale which made it cheaper to hire women teachers. Women also became sales clerks during this time Storekeepers hired women due to the It is not natural shortage of men. ability that's the reason for the existence of segregation into "men's jobs" and "women's jobs" and the lower pay and status accorded to "women's jobs". Yet everywhere it would seem that natural ability is used as the explanation. The liberals do not claim the continuing segregation patterns are due to nature; they say they're due to tradition and education. But what does tradition mean, except "things have always been that way". We're "programmed from birth into employment patterns" is the way they put it, and proceed through life learning our appropriate "sex roles" dictated by society through training or "conditioning". Women, for example, become nurses, secretaries, teachers, because they learn that is what they're supposed to be, that is what they see other women working at, that's how women are pictured in the books and in the media; and men become doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. for the same reasons. Traditional work patterns just perpetuate themselves. But nurses, secretaries and teachers make less money than doctors, lawyers and engineers.So the "roles" women "learn" obviously don't benefit them in the same way as "roles' that men "learn". "Sex roles are oppressive" the liberals say, and their future elaboration, that they are equally oppressive both to men and women, obliterates the idea that one group is benefitting and the other is not. Neither is bene- they have it tough being continually on the bottom, but men supposedly have it just as tough being continually on the top. The fact that women have been restricted from men's jobs, yet men have never been restricted from women's jobalfurther challenges the liberal theory that "sex roles" are equally oppressive. Why were restrictions imposed on men's jobs in the first place, if this orderly division of labour were absorbed so obediently through our training? Are women after all so stupid that they'll keep proliferating in fieltis that are lower-paying and less important just because society says it's their place, their role, it's what they've always done, it's traditional and they think they should keep on doing it? The third possible explanation, and the truest one, for continuing sex segregation of the labour force, is Discrimi nation in discrimination. the form of overt or covert restrictions of women from men's jobs, is one way of keeping women out of men's but for segregation to be jobs; truly effective it is necessary for the power structure not only to keep women out of men's jobs but to make sure women's jobs remain defined as the low-paying, low status, relativeFor example, if ly powerless ones. women were suddenly to get equal access into medical schools and women doctors became commonplace, we might then see a situation similar to what happened in the Soviet Union, where a majority; of women are-doctors and so being a doctor is neither prestigious nor high-paying. If women are going to move into high-paying, high status fields, then either their numbers have to be kept to token levels so as not to disrupt the basic imbalance of power, or if large numbers of women "move in" the field must then subsequently become lowpaying and low status. This is the whole point of segregation. Women are discriminated against, which means that although they are qualified'for certain jobs, they have a hard time getting those jobs. Women's unemployment rate is always a good deal higher than men's and would probably double if you were to count all the women who are housewives but would want to work if they could find a good job. This sets up a vicious cycle for women, of either not being hired because they're women, or being hired because they If are women and can be paid less. women_move into a field, they're going to be paid less than male If their numbers are kept workers. to a minimum the overall pay scale of that occupation will not be affected. If, however, large numbers come into the field, then naturally since their salaries are lower, the field will become low-paying. Men leave both because they have more opportunities elsewhere and because the general salary range is driven down as well as the prestige of the work. Such is what happened in the case of telephone operators, bank clerks, teachers, and with the doctors in the Soviet Union. Such are the cyclic manipulations of women workers which dictate the types of job we hold and enforce segregation. LIBERAL FALLACIES Liberals recognize that job restrictions both overt and covert exist, they talk about quotas at length and the discrimination which abounds, but they also suggest it is women themselves who are the major obstacles to getting into men's jobs. Women accept limited and damaging selfconcepts, accompanied by low aspirations and lack of self-identity and women have difficulty throwing off their "sex roles" they say; women aren't interested in moving into men's fields. Your general view of women's adequacy or inadequacy is essential to how you see the discrimination issue. Because if you look at women as being equal right now to men, just as adequate and just as qualified, then you know the full significance of discrimination. Granted it is an overwhelming outrageous experience to "look at" the discrimination against women in the labour force, to "see" and understand that the great majority of women are qualified, capable workers who are being kept out of better jobs, kept down in mediocre jobs, shuffled around into dead end jobs, and all for the benefit of the few in whose interests it is to keep women powerSo outrageous is it in fact less. that many people will not see it. The effect of the liberal theory that women have been "socialized", "conditioned" and "brainwashed" is to soften this view, to dissipate the injustices of discrimination by suggesting that all that much isn't going on, part of it is women's fault for not being qualified. WOMEN ARE TRYING Liberals say that women are not But before trying to get better jobs. we even consider the validity of such propositions, let me ask "Is trying for a woman the same as trying for a man?" In order to qualify for a doctoral program a woman student much try for an A average. a man must try for a C. Women college students on the average get less financial aid than men, and since many families won't support women going to college, with some even still objecting, more of a try is required from a woman. Once in a male dominated field it seems it's even harder to survive. A woman scientist working in the lab said "I was told not to expect favours just because I was a woman in a male dominated field. And yet every male I worked with expected favours of me because I was a woman in a male dominated field. This ranged from expecting me to clean up after them, to keep smiling as it kept the atmosphere of the lab jovial, to sex... The drain of energy needed constantly to fight these pressures make a woman lose interest, and confidence in her ability to work." Cont'd page 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Con-t'd inom page 10 If you're going to get into judging whether women try hard enough to advance or not, then what you must first prove is that what you're asking women to try is equal to what you're asking men to try. It it's not equal and you're asking for a more enormous try from women, then you're discriminating. Nowhere in all this talk of trying is there the recognition that women are up against a lot more than men, that women are in fact facing discrimination. Not only must we be excellent at our work but we must also constantly be battling the forces of discrimination which try to keep us down. To suggest that when we don't make this enormous try we are damaged, or that our position in the labour force is then our fault, is both illogical and Trying for women is anti-feminist. battling discrimination; trying for men is just trying. But despite this, women tried anyway. They triad and they battled discrimination. All the jobs we see around and don't see any women in, women have tried for...have even at one time or another filled and filled well, but they have been pushed out. If women are not represented in these fields at this particular time in history, it's because strong efforts are being made to keep us out. And we're always trying to get back in. In 1918 women became street car conductors and ticket agents. Railway companies allowed women to work at these kinds of jobs because they could not secure a sufficient numIt was a real opportunber of men. ity for women since the pay was good; they were being paid the same But we were kicked out! as men. Come World War 11, women tried During the war, necessity, again. plus the fact that women were proving to be as capable as men in many industries, eventually opened all inTheir numbers dustries to women. increased from 13 million in 1940 to over 19 million at the peak of lower rates of pay than they had been jobs earning. And so if women had of the war, they at all at the end were not essentially different from the types of jobs they had before the war. But this is past history, right? In 1974, a survey of 84 Wrong. the war. Women worked as mechanics, in the aircraft engine plants assembling airplanes, in the munitions factories, in the trucking industry, on the assembly line in automobile plants; suddenly they were perfectly qualified and competent. A government survey in fact showed that women could perform four-fifths of the almost 3,000 occupations studied. Women were working at good jobs at But higher wages than ever before. we were kicked out! Within one month after the war ended, over 600,000 women lost their jobs outright, and without much explanation. Although unions recalled "that women had done men's jobs during the war with 100% efficiency" such jobs were now re-designated as men's jobs and not suitable to women ...the very same work which weeks earlier women had done adequately. Certain female classifications were changed to male classifications in order to exclude women. Protective legislation, which was suspended during the war to permit women in men's jobs temporarily, was reinstated. Women who weren't pushed out or laid off were reshuffled into women's jobs. Women who tried to resist this reshuffling were denied unemployment compensation if they refused jobs at industries showed that 50 of them employed no women in starting bluecollar work. The employers said are you ready - "Women aren't trying for this kind of work ". Meanwhile a women's group reported it had to stage a long, cold, overnight vigil just to get 22 women as applicants for an apprenticeship program in blue-collar jobs. Before 1973, the first year the Police Dept., at the instigation of women, began hiring women in any number, women police officers were barely visible. Yet when the barriers were lifted, the quotas and other discriminatory criteria, women swarmed into police work, quickly raising the number in New York from the quota level of 350 THE SELECT FEW Qualifications are what is being talked about and not the more obvious issue of discrimination because in effect liberals in the Women's Movement don't believe women on the whole are qualified any more than the male power structure does. We've seen the contradictory position they take on the discriminatory issue, stating that it is indeed the problem then undercutting it by focusing on women's "socialized", "conditioned" behaviour, which then turns out to be Behind this contradicthe problem. tory stance lies, I think, the liberal position on discrimination and explains why they've fought discrimination at all. What the liberal position amounts to is that some women, a small select few, are qualified, but most women are not. to 618. It seems if you fight every obstaclE placed in your way and manage to make it in some sense, like the tokens, that's the test that you!re qualified. All the rest of us, however, who can't surmount the incredible odds, who cannot get around the barriers, prove we were never qualified to begin with and hence discrimination does not apply to us. Some women, the small select few, have apparently overcome their conditioning, and because they're so qualified they are the ones the discrimination issue must apply to. But who are these small select few? They are token women. We have performed in every area. We are, in fact, sick to death of having to prove our qualifications. Our history, past and present, attests to them and to our ever-present discrimination, the real culprit behind such accusations. UNDERSUPPLY OF QUALITY? In line with this view that there are large numbers of unqualified women milling about in the labour force and "I want a votuntany ovettire agtement, too." WOMEN ARE ALREADY QUALIFIED. Let's just look at some facts about women workers. A woman college graduate working in the labour force is making less money than men highschool drop-outs....are you going to accuse her of being unqualified? Not only are women PhD's available and not being utilized, ie. not only is there an adequate pool, but looking at the facts, it seems like it's a very selective, highly qualified Just consider for a second pool. 44% of women entering freshman year across the country had B+ or better average compared with 38% of the men. Add to that the fact that only 54% of women enter college as compared to 67% of the men and only 29% of those in college go on to graduate school compared to 44% of the men this tougher selection process, points out that by the time a woman finishes her PhD, she is probably better qualified than a man, since she had to hurdle more barriers. If this is so, then why isn't every woman PhD not only employed, but employed at a salary and status position commensurate with such training and perseverance? Qualified women are available; businesses and government, like the colleges and universities have only to hire them. women, liberals can't fathom why society would be discriminatory against a select few. This has to do with their basic assumption that society is as it's presently constituted benefit of all, being run for the for the common good; that the smart are on the top, and the stupid are on the bottom; that the present system needs and wants quality and They see no problem excellence. here of vested interests contending with the common good and have no recognition (analysis) that vested interests exist. Not to understand the basic structure of society is not to understand in oppression. Women are oppressed because men can't this society not understand our capablities or see what we have to offer, but because they they have the power to see what what they want want to see, to use to use, to makethings as advantageous What for themselves as possible. class you came from decides your excellence; what sex you are decides what will be recognized. You don't and educate away vested interests receive by exthe privileges men They'll get their plOiting women. token women, but tokens can be replaced whenever it's thought expedient. Cont'd on page 12 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WAITRESSES' ACTION COMMITTEE Cont'd Thom page 14 mother somehow more noble than the unwilling perpetrating our function as merely carriers of the royal seed. The rising role of women who see themselves as more,comes under a tremendous pressure to return to the birthing stool. The old saying "Keep her barefoot and pregnant" still holds true, and what better way to preserve that status than having other women in whatever guise to reinforce it. Abortion is only one of the sad realities of our life and times. Battered children, children dying of neglect and hunger, rape, incest, a growing obscenity, rising suicide rates among the young, drugs, delinquency, promiscuity ( a search for love) all point to the ridiculous statement "There is no such thing as an unwanted child". The Alliance for Life have a point and cannot be faulted for making it, but the maternal instinct cannot be legislated and an early termination in a pregnancy that is unwanted, unsought and emotionally revolting is a humane response to the That women are reality that exists. sufficiently responsible to make that decision has now been recognized in the very bastion of oppressive thought is a signal that the time is past when we can decide a question of individual conscience. Gert Beadle Pro-choice is NOT Pro-Abortion Consider how you did, would or might feel if you were pregnant. Is it from birth control or sterilization failure? Is it from a lack of knowledge of effective contraceptives? Whatever the reason, as a woman you have the right to decide to bear and rear the child, give this child up for adoption or approach a therapeutic abortion committee if one exists in your locality. ARP IP 1100 vfoRt_. . H.S. Woman o 11 pro- choice The following letter was sent to It was Donna Shaw and Julie Fels. written by a highschool student from a local high school. I want to thank you very much for your presentation at our school. I, and a majority of the class found your talk very enlightening. The following day the "Right to Life" Organization gave their presentation and it was found by many in the class including myself, to be sensationalistic and in poor taste. I was antiabortion but now I am pro-choice. I believe this is the only humane way to deal with the issue of abortion. Thank you for helping me see it in another light. (Name withheld) The tourist industry has been complaining recently about its falling profits, which it attributes in part to the "exorbitant" wages of individual workers. The Ontario government, ever sympathetic to industries' crises, is said to be considering raising the differential between the standard minimum wage and the minimum wage for workers earning tips in hotels and restaurants from the present 15c to 50c an hour! The majority of minimum wage workers and workers in the tourist inOnce again, women dustry are women. are being asked to bear the cost of industry's crisis. But just as when the federal government froze the Family Allowance last year, and the local governments tried to shut down Nellie's Women's Hostel in the autumn, women are refusing to make any further sacrifice to "help out the government". Waitresses from the Wages for along with Housework Campaign other waitresses, have formed the Waitresses' Action Committee, and with many supporters, are demanding an end to all minimum wage differentials and wages for all the hidden work that waitresses now do for free (setting-up time, cleaning uniforms, etc.). We are sending a brief to the Ministries of Labour and Industry and Tourism to protest the government and tourist industry's plans to take money out of our pockets and put more work on our backs. For more information, contact: , Ellen Agger Waitresses' Action Committee 112 Spruce St. Toronto, Ontario TO THE NORTHERN WOMAN REGIONAL JOURNAL RE: PLEA TO OMBUDSMAN I thought you might find it interesting to know about replies I received after writing to the people I had I enclose copies about my situation. of all letters I received in reply not much to encourage anyone, and very little help anywhere! I do have a copy of the book mentioned - Law Reform Commission Report - and I imagine one could be obtained for anyone requesting it. Fortunately, since I wrote the article you printed, I have obtained a job I had hoped for and am now working full However, as far as a proper time. settlement, I have received none a very discoluraging situation, and no forseeable one to come! Yours very truly, Lillian Turner Lillian Turner received replies from The Law Reform Commission in Ottawa, The Law Reform Commission of British Columbia, The Ontario Ombudsman, and Each in his the Law Society of B.C. own way told her 1) she must look elsewhere for help 2) it was not within their jurisdiction 3) they were aware of the injustice 4) they Well, we're sorry too, were sorry. Lillian, sorry that the poor old wheel of justice is such a sorry Thank you for sharing your thing. experience with us and congratulations on finding work. MA LE R.EAC Ti N One of the evaluation reports el erging from the Working Women's Conference contained a personal ri Alt] action from a male educator. he found himself outnumbered and overwhelmed, his comments hold a grain of encouragment that we as His frank admi women appreciate. sion that he was not always aware what his wife was saying to him a then to find himself among 200 wo who sounded exactly like her, mus have been a terrifying experience "As that great gap between the ma and female experience" came home him and in his own words the enor of the job we have before us was revealed, he felt depressed. That depression is a hopeful sign. We however, cannot afford to be depr The gap between the thinkin sed. of the sexes has always been appa We have struggled singly collectively to be understood, to play our full part in equal parti The days of the stoic re pation. itory of male thinking is coming This calls for celebrati, an end. not depression. to us. Cont'd pLom page 11 Liberals are in error about the structure of this society as they are about the amount of qualified, adequate women that are being disIt is the ess criminated against. of discrimination that female exce lence is not wanted, is not seen, found threatening; not that it is The huge number of discrim there. ination cases being brought by wom before the courts challenges this view of the select fewias any peru of the facts about women workers challenges the fact that we don't have the qualifications. Liberals see a society where qua is scarce and urge women to get qu Yet qualifications abound, ified. Caroline Bird pointed out in an ar Th idle entitled "The Job Market: Class of '73 Need Not Apply" that there was a surplus of college gra uates for the present job market, tremendous in fact that the Carne Commission on Higher Education war that during the 1970's there will about 3 million more graduates tha there will be jobs traditionally Then requiring a college degree. is always a need for certain basil skills, but beyond that level, sil '.:hat level is adequately being me it is not a question of qualifica it is a question of or quality. goals. And if your goal is keepi: position, rather than opening (7111r eyes to excellei then logically the "out" group ca never qualify. Women are one of "out" groups. The fact is that tl is an over-supply of power to use people's abilities, all people's abilities, for a better society a The problem is not exploit them. organizing society to utilize all the quality and still get the har work done. Male supremacy and ca italism prevent this from happeni THE END 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �THE NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE, for reasonable rates, will produce copies of notices, announcements, etc. We retain the right to' refuse work from groups affiliated with The women presently working on a political party. the paper - Thyra Digby, Noreen Lavoie, Sharron Lund, Eve Pykerman, Donna Shaw, Peggy Smith and Lynne Thornburg - would like to build a stronger collective and.a better We are going to begin newspaper. discussions to re-evaluate the goals of the paper and find better ways of working together. The following questions will give you an idea of the direction our discussions will be taking. 0041,.**Aftsk COMING CHANGES COMMUNITY LAW PROGRAM, The Community Law Program, as a special project, is planning a public legal education Caravan which will visit various communities in Northern Ontario this summer. The Caravan project is designed to accomplish its aim of public legal education through 1) the presentation of forums, public meetings,and seminars on a variety of legal topics 2)the distribution of copies of legal publications directed to the layperson; and 3) the screening of videotapes and films on various legal subjects. The Community Law Program Caravan will be in Thunder Bay tentatively on June 12 - 15th. Watch for further announcements in the local media. THUNDER -t 7 CLAP What is a collective? What is feminism? What does each individual want the paper to be? How can we reach more women? Is government funding hampering or helping us? What problems have women working on the paper experienced? Fed up with little squealers? High What criticisms do School readers have? Women's Liberation is a pam- Fight Male Chauvinist Piglets! phlet with 20 articles by and for young We invite our readers towhich sendwillinhelp raise your women ICS only $1.25 from criticism and feedbackconciousness. about the 2007 Washtenaw Liberation, Youth paper, and constructive sugges.tions Ave., Dept. W, Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104. for change. Any woman who is interested in working on the paper and would like to be part of the discussions defining our future direction should call the office at 345-5841 for further information. 4004100.00.0.0 THE CO-OP NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION BOOKSHOP The Credit Union has now moved into AND RECORD 4omen's Place at 316 Bay St. Our office is bright and attractive and you are welcome to share our pleaIt will be open officsure in it. ially on Tuesdays and Fridays from phone number 10 AM from to7 5- PM 9 PM. and onOur Thursday nights is CENTRE 345-7802.. IA ;t. s" ett, Margie h and Cheryl April as the enter and win on First Aid stry of ey did it with n who came The lties. e Thunder Bay o brought a e-month to y at the As of May 9th, we have 87 members and deposits of over $8.000. Loans are available and application may be made at our office at 316 Bay St. A general membership meeting is planned for June 6 at 8 pm. Members and those who are interested are invited to attend. We are looking for an assistant anyone with bookkeeping treasurer; experience or an interest in learning please contact us. USEFUL NUMBERS AL ANON ARTISTS CO-OP ANTI-POVERTY NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE WOMEN IN NEIGHBOURHOODS NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL SOCIAL SERVICES CRISIS INTERVENTION FAMILY COUNSELLING LEGAL AID TELECARE SMITH CLINIC CRISIS HOUSING HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS MUNICIPAL DAY CARE' FREE CLINIC 345-2711 622-9577 622-1538 345-7802 623-8411 345-5841 623-2711 344-3571 623-9596 345-1972 344-1192 344-2471 623-2711 475-1693 475-1691 344-3922 344-0727 182 S. Algoma Str. Phone: 345-8912 Open: 10 A.M.-5 P.M. Monday to Saturday A POEM The Piano it playa come hawi-tLng notez and tettz me not to tatia and when £ Zook £ zee wan eyez etazed and £ am tined oi thiz canztant aching in come the viotinz and £ begin to cry the guitan £ a baztand who dnivez me night and day he tettz me when to make Love and who with he beat6 me come to me in the ho4pitat Let me go back there don't come to me zometime £ need you tomomow bland CUAt4 PLOM the pzychiatnic wand zcneamz in the manning the 21 day zatute take me in the piano zoundz 40 4ad the only d4um beat tb a cymbal Deindte Mamite Thunder Bay PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �QUOTATIONS FROM THE BADGLEY REPORT AN ILLUSION "the procedure provided in the Criminal Code for obtaining therapeutic abortion is in practice illusory for many Canadian women." p. 141 SOCIAL COSTS AND DISCRIMINATION "a substantial number of single mothers who had unwanted pregnancies had low incomes and many lived in Because they were less poverty. well educated and less familiar with the workings of health services a number of these women would have preferred to have had an abortion, if they had known how to proceed." p. 175 EXCLUSION OF SMALL HOSPITALS "Hospitals whose medical staff consists of three of fewer physicans are in practice ineligible to establish therapeutic abortion commitp. 86 tees." ACCESS IN SMALL CENTRES "In this small community of less than 25,000 people, the Right to It inLife group is very vocal. timidates local physicians with phone calls in the middle of the night. Hence, few physicians are willing to perform the operation, so that patients are referred to larger metropolitan centres." DELAY AND COMPLICATIONS "The major factor contributing to the delay by most women obtaining abortions in Canadian hospitals occurred after an initial consultation had been made with a physiciar. An average interval of eight weeks between the initial medical consultation and the performance of the abortion procedure not only extended considerably the length of gestation, but increased the risk of associated health complications." p. 19 BIRTH CONTROL FAILURE "47.3% of the women who had had abortions in the national patient survey "reported they were using birth control at the time of conception of the present pregnancy." They "can be considered to be seeking an abortion as a result of a p. 352 contraceptive failure." ILLEGAL ABORTION "It is estimated that 46,096 Canadian women between the ages of 15 to 49 years have had illegal abortion. This estimate excludes women who have attempted self-induction or had abortions in the United States." p. 71 For more information about Freedom of Choice contact CARAL at Box 527 Stn. Z, Toronto, Ontario M5N 2Z6 every child a want ed child, mother a willing mother. ever y EXCERPTS FROM THE C.A.R.A.L. CRITIQUE ON THE BAGLEY REPORT The Committee on the Operation of the Abortion Law Report abounds with evidence that the law is not In 1976 there were 1,348 working. civilian hospitals in operation; 789 of these were excluded from eligibility to establish abortion committees, either by the Provincial Government, because of their religious affiliation, or because they did not have a large enough medical staff to conform to the requirements of the law itself. Of the remaining 559 eligible hospitals only 271 of them (48.5%) had established therapeutic aborIn 1974 the tion committees. figure was 265 hospitals with abortions committees; and 46 of those reported doing no abortions. There were "sharp regional disparities in the accessibility of the abortions procedure". In British Columbia there was one abortion committee for every 10,000 women; in Quebec there was one committee In 1976 for every 96,000 women. two out of five Canadians did not live in communities served by hospitals eligible to establish therapeutic abortions committees. After the initial visit with a physician, Canadian women were faced with "an average interval of 8.0 weeks until the induced abortion operation was done." In 1975, 9,627 Canadian women were forced,to go, to the United States to obtain an abortion; seven out of eight of them indicated they would have preferred to have an abortion in Canada had it been available to them. Since the C.O.A.L. Report has been tabled, Mr. Basford, the present Minister of Justice has announced, with considerable relief, that the Federal Government was going to begin discussions with the Provinces to find ways of bringing about a more equitable interpretation of the law. In his initial response to the C.O.A.L. Report,.the present Federal Minister of Justice does not appear to be as dogmatically opposed to freedom of choice as was his predecessor Otto Indeed, in his promise to conLang. sult with the Provinces about making abortion services more equitable under the existing law, he might even be called sympathetic to the plight of unwillingly pregnant women. But the record of the Federal Government's treatment of Henry Morgentaler is still fresh in the minds of physicians and hospital administrators for them to be persuaded to interpret this law more liberally. The government is obviously fearful of the political power of those opposed to freedom of choice in abortion, and appears to be prepared to go to any lengths to avoid a parliamentary debate; hence the "don't do as I do, do as I say" approach to the Provinces. But if Canadians are expected to get behind Federal Government in its attempts to keep this country together, are we not entitled to a higher calibre of leadership than it is presently showing in the abortion issue? abortion: a woman's right to choose! From time to time in the last year we have found it necessary to reaffirm our position as supporters of free choice in matters that concern the individual as against legislated In view of impendforced pregnancy. ing debate in our parliament and the blanket coverage afforded to the forces that see this question as a test of their own superior morality, we have a duty to speak on behalf of all those women who see another view to this very important and sadly inThe last freeflammatory subject. dom granted is that which removes us from the perimeters of someone else's reasoned judgement. All the high-sounding phrases, all the cold statistics to support that judgement will not remove from it the arrogance of the Ego that demands subjugation to a minority view that is based on unrealistic interpretations of the times and mores of our society. Abortion is not the kind of thing that anyone approaches lightly. The inference that either a doctor or a patient approaches it in the spirit of a romp for simple gain or offhand convenience is a myth. There is no question that more emphasis on family planning, better methods of birth control and better counselling for the young would manifest These itself in lower incidence. are the things that need all our attention. To think we can simply legislate a reality out of existence shows only our head in the sand, our "stop the clock" mentality. A willing mother is a loving mother. She contributes healthy, loving children to this society. Abortion will play no part in her life style. An unwilling mother, cemented into playing a role she has no talent for, provides us with the product of her discontent or in desperation aborts herself or puts herself into the hands of incompetent people. Here is the traffic and the first thing we have to face up to is abortion is with us; it always has been. The old weapons of shame and guilt and retribution from the almighty are obsolete, We have seen power and wealth send millions to their death, and flourish in the exercise; it just won't wash anymore. We have made the willing cont'd pg 12 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Decade Council in Fort Frances The Decade Council had a long, but very rewarding trip to Fort Nine of the Council Frances. members travelled there on May 7 to meet with women of Fort Frances and the surrounding area who had recently formed their own council to work on issues of concern to them. Joan Packota gave a brief history of the Decade Council, and then sub-committee representatives reported on the activities of their respective groups. Highlights of some of the reports appear on this page. REPORT - FAMILY PROPERTY LAW Joan Packota brought everyone upto-date on Family Property Law Reform. With the election approaching, these bills have all died on the order papers. However, Joan reviewed some of the highlights of the last bill presented to the legislature (Bill 6). REPORT - HOMEMAKERS' ACTION COMMITTEE Florence Richard reported that they have had a founding meeting, 1) preand have set certain goals: paring a brief on Old Age Security benefits to widows (at present a widow can receive the benefits at age 60 if her husband received OAS, but this is stopped if he dies before she turns 65); 2) researching the issue of Canada Pension Plan for non-wage earning spouses; and 3) researching the question of a -guaranteed income for all people. REPORT - EQUAL PAY COMMITTEE Mickey Murray and Thyra Digby spoke on how successful the Working Women's Conference had been. The Committee is presently working on a booklet summarizing how the conference was organized, what happened in the workshops, excerpts of keynote speeches, and the resolutions which were passed. Julie Fels served as a resource person on the Day Care issue. Fort Frances women are particularly concerned about establishing Day Care. Several years ago the Business and Professional Women's Club presented a brief to the local Council but nothing hapSeveral groups wanted to try pened. Julie informed them of the again. Regional Conference on Day Care scheduled for June 10 - 12 and suggested they attend. Fort Frances women were also greatly concerned about teenagers there who have no planned activities. There is a bylaw against teens gathering in groups (loitering). It was reported that four local teenagers were trying to get something started and they had held a coffee house recently. It was suggested that the women's group support the activities developed and provide help if needed. The women continued their conversations over coffee and a snack. The meeting adjourned with an invitation from the Fort Frances women to participate in a social later that evening. Billets were provided for those women who needed them, and the Council women began the return trip to Thunder Bay the following morning. NATIONAL ACTION COMMITTEE Joan Farrow, a delegate from the Decade Council to the National Actio Committee annual conference and lobb held March 18-21 in Ottawa sends this report. Over 200 women met in the Skyline Hotel to attend the NAC conference From the Maritimes to and lobby. B.C. and Alaska, the delegates represented over a million members of this energetic women's action group. Judge Nancy Morrisson was one of the key speakers. Humourous and intelligent, she made a point to reach every woman there and left us with many helpful suggestions. Kay Macpherson, now president of NAC, when asked by the media when we were going to take a stand on abortion said "1972 - Am I making myself clear?" She stated while many members were not entirely in agreement on the abortion issue, the majority favour the "Free Choice" We must let Marc Lalonde option. know how we feel about the Bagely The effort is small when Report. we consider its importance to ourselves, our friends and our daughter The lobby on Monday was well organized and stimulating and left me in awe of the collective determination. "I waiLhed you they iLeaity don't Like being dogged and conked on the head. GIRLS WILL BE WOMEN SEX EDUCATION GREAT IN THEORY The following is a letter to the editor of the Globe and Mail, Feb.'77 I am a Grade 13 high school student and so was interested to learn that we have reached an era of enlightenment and freedom in the teaching of sex education. According to Bob Gladish, health and physical education director for Toronto Board of Education, "through role playing, discussion and film, students are now taught about things like personal identification in the belief that if people are sure of themselves they don't need to be promiscuous." I'm delighted to learn this, but I'd like to know exactly where all these "sophisticated family planning" Certainly courses are being offered. not at my school, where the only course that vaguely resembles the one you describe is a Physical Ed ucation option which in practice is -1,1e to a limited number only av Nor are these students. of sea-, confit, "sure of themselves" students present in great droves, Most of my peers are conei:Lier. fused about, and pressured into, sexual activity, in spite of the advice of such competent teachers as the one who urged all voting women to remain virgins until marriage, but did not give the same advice to young men. Book Review from StatuE of Women News. BUT WHERE IS IT? Then in Dick Beddoes' column, I read that school trustee Dan Leckie tells us it is immigrant parents who are largely to blame for the poor school reception of Birth Control Try explaining that to my Week. principal, who through dealing with a predominantly WASP community, is persuaded he will be charged with encouraging promiscuity if he allows an informational display in the school. Surely uptight Anglo-Saxon Canadians can bear the responsibility...significantly ones such as Messrs. Leckie and Gladish who insist on diffusing the issue. It makes me darn mad to read about all the great things that are hap- pening in high school when they don't seem to be happening at my school, or at any of the schools my friends Fatuous comments such as attend. those made by Mr. Leckie and Mr. Gladish misinform parents, many of whom have handed over the responsibility of sex education to the schoclg. Toronto Board of Education policy looks great on paper. When will it be implemented in the schools? Susan Wright Toronto In their growing awareness of themselves, today's girls appear to have attained the objectives of many femIn their own words young inists. Canadian women declare their liberation and their willingness to assum( the responsibilities of free and They are remarkactive citizens. ably non-belligerent, and admirably self-assured. In sensitive, articulate poetry and prose these 6 - 18 year -olds set They especially forth their views. recognize the importance of caring about human beings - old and young, rich and poor, male and female. These poems and essays by and abou young women cover the wide range of joys and concerns which are part of growing up in today's world. The serious responsibility of becoming a woman is contrasted with its bitte sweet counterpoint of loving, losing They write of the are and learning. old search for the meaning of life well as their perceptions of cont 1,porary problems that beg for persona and global understanding. Readers of GIRLS WILL BE WOMEN wil be left with thP feeling that their world may well be a more humane plat if these concerned young women are free to make their fullest contribution. Edited by Betty Nickerson Available from ALL ABOUT US Box 1985, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Rf 1! PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CARE NEWS DRY The 3rd Annual Regional Day Care Conference is being held in Dryden on June 10, 11 & 12, under the sponsorship of the Lakehead Social Planning Council, AECEO - Thunder Bay Branch, Confederation College and Dryden Day Care Centre, with funding assistance from Secretary of State, Thunder Bay. All those interested in the care and education of young children are invited to attend. Please contact LSPC at 623-7071 or Dryden Day Care Centre at 223-5724 for further information. my dog is a plumber by Dan Gxeenbutg My dog is a plumber, he must be a boy. Although I must tell you his favourite toy Is a little play stove with pans and with pots Which he really must like, 'cause he plays with it lots. So perhaps he's a girl, which kind of makes sense, Since he can't throw a ball and he can't climb a fence. But neither can Dad, and I know he's a man, And Mom is a woman, and she drives a van. Maybe the problem is in trying to tell Just what someone is by what they do well. VEOM FREE TO BE... YOU AND ME Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company JOY Joy Joy Joy Joy Joy is is is is is on Wimen's Day today a beautiful thing just like a wonderful perfume on every face Here are some more titles of books (They you might wish to order. are available from Toronto Women's Bookstore, 85 Harbord St, Toronto) Children - Ages 3 to 8 Mandy and the Flying Map -Beverley Allinson Girls will be Women Fresh Fish and Chips - Jan Andrews Mumbles and Snits - Beverley Allinson Grunk - Doug Jamieson Myra Builds a House Older Children - Ages 8 to 12 Heroine of Long Point -Leslie Benham Cockoo Tree - Joan Aiken Charlotte's Web - E.B. White Blue Castle - Montgomery It's not Always a Game. Judy's Journey - Lois Lenske by Tania Shaw Age 8 1110 man's Pia (P WOMEN SHARE Housed in a spacious building five groups of women share resources, equipment, skills, and a common concern for the needs of women. WOMEN'S HEALTH COLLECTIVE -otganization in pnogAess To help facilitate this harmonious working and socializing relationship, delegates from each group regularily participate on the management committee, ,(photo). Also pictured is part of the working area. To the right is a comfortable living room and a saparate credit union office. Of course there is a kitchen, very large. A warm invitation is extended to all women to drop in to see our new Women's Place. NORTHERN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues. 6 F/Li. Ph. 345-7802 7-9 p.m. ThaAs. NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO WOMEN'S CENTRE 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thu/Ls. evng - coLg. in ptogtess Ph. 345-7802 Mon.-FA i. NORTHERN WOMAN REGIONAL JOURNAL 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-FAi. Ph. 345-5841 THUNDER BAY RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE McKatan Hosp., Box 47 Ph. 623-3220 (answeAing seAvice) CITIZEN'S COMMITTEE ON CRISIS HOUSING FOR WOMEN -oAganizat,Lon in pugtess 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �t C. Ads .431. o.d Peva* Ca Woe Ennombm third VISIWIrm dim dome 220 RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Return Postage Guaranteed TABLE OF CONTENTS pg. 2 Editorial - to High School Women 3-5 From High School Women 6 The Sexual Revolution 8 Self-Defense 9 Explanation of Feminism Keeping Women out of Paid Labour 111 10 14 Quotations from Badglet Report 15 Decade Council Report 16 Day Care News People Who Did This Issue:Thyra, Eve, Gert, Pat, Noreen, Lynn, Donna, Peggy, Sharon, MargGraphic on Cover done by Sue Reid of Hammarskjold Want to get involved? 345-5841 weekdays PLEASE LET US KNOW. Call HAVE YOU MOVED? postage to keep (We must pay return Free to single-parent families up our mailing list) Free to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 3 No 5 Description An account of the resource Vol. 3, No. 5 (1977) Title: Northern Woman Journal Topics include: The everyday lives of high school women Solidarity building & open communication between women Reading list for women’s liberation Limitations of high school - restrictions/punishments for individuality Loneliness & depression as a feminist high school student Poetry Comics The sexual revolution The role of the woman in sex Reading list for sexuality Teenage women: expectations vs. reality Self-defence for women An explanation of feminism Sexism in rock music High school women on pro-choice Community law program caravan for public legal education CARAL critique of the Badgley Report Abortion: a woman’s right to choose Fort Frances Women’s Decade Council Equal Pay Committee Fort Frances National Action Committee Women’s Decade Council conference Book review Sex education Day Care News Day Care Conference Dryden (June 10-12 1977) Women’s Collective Thunder Bay (Northern Woman Journal, Northwestern Women’s Centre, Northern Women’s Credit Union, Thunder Bay Rape & Sexual Assault Centre, Citizen’s Committee on Crisis Housing for Women) Authors/Contributors: Athena Caine Colleen Aube Lori Christensen Cathy Metcalfe Jackie Durocher Nancy Fumerton Linda Longe Connie Johnson Susan Reid Alma Byzewski Eve Pykerman Fiona Karlstad Peggy Smith Rap & Sexual Assault Collective Leslie Campbell Deirdre Hamill Thyra Digby Noreen Lavoie Sharron Lund Donna Shaw Peggy Smith Lynn Thornburg Susan Wright (Toronto) Betty Nickerson Dan Greenburg Tania Shaw Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2747/1977_Vol_3_No_4.pdf f80f56c197c7bc0697fbbcea7e2db9f7 PDF Text Text orfRon Voincon NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO WOMEN'S PUBLICATION 1.1-1.1....1-.91...1.-1-1-..1.1-1-1..-1-1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1-.., )1. 4nslieo ea,/ HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WORKING WOMEN'S CONFERENCE GUIDELINES TO EQUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Dear Gert Beadle: dvertising in the Woman's Journal: (25 sq. in.) $35. (15 sq. in.) $20. ( 6.qq. in.) $12. e the right to select we are prepared to Some non-profit groups ceived Margaret ble for from reduced rates. she stated her sup- $ Gert wrote ournal. lowing her answer. : I was very touched by your letter and want to assure you that I am interested in groups working on improving the quality of our society in all regions in Canada. I know that the specific needs must differ from community to community, but that in the end they reflect the general $ need. 0 0 0 24 ,111X9ES PritIt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I look forward to receiving a copy of the Northern Woman Regional Journal. Sincerely, and in sisterhood, 0 I 0 0 o 0 o 11.11- relevent the philosophy) ional maturity plays its s we approach our persons with our own sisters ity and a code of behaosters trust, we cannot e an impact on those who h justified suspicion. t itself flows in many but like rivers and creeks a certain sea. Let's rrent open and the water THE SNOB STORY Snobbery is an old vice. When the wily serpent thought himself to have a truth that superceded every other truth, he printed it chapter and verse on the only audience he ernational Women's Decade had and established himself as a ng Council Sub-committee, superior intellect and a first class Collective, for the fantasnob. Myth or fable, the drama plays ng Women's Conference Held its little charade in the name of th, 12th, and 13th. truth whenever a difference of opinion dares to challenge. One normally supposes snobbery operates from the top down but on closer scrutiny, we see it up, down and cross-wise and it takes some fancy footwork to avoid the selfsatisfaction it brings. Our truth is our total experience, as fluid as tears. It forms and reforms and it grows no larger than we grow. Why we should imagine foisting as Works" (the new Manpower tenuous a thing as the'sdm of what ation make work programe) is ours alone on our human family is the worst kind of snobbery. be exploiting workers by es of $122. per week. Splits and factions and divisions, slevels and strata and classes, high style, no style and life style, progressives, regressives and passives - a million truths and all with something to teach us. What a feast tive just az women but for the intellect to pick and choose without pressure/ Would we see each other differently if we had nothing to sell? Would we love each other better if we felt no need to buy? The Messianic fever that sends minorities flailing about to establish their personal and collective wisdom as eternal truth, is retarding out growth as thinkers. We are the truth and in us resides the capacity to distinguish what refines or retards the person we like to live with (our selves). We can be weary foot-soldiers in a divided army that may or may not stone each other to death before we ever "see the whites of the enemies' eyes". Indeed, we may 0 be so preoccupied pushing our own 0 0 point of view that we will never recognize the all-pervasive danger that threatens us. 41. atit a PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Dear Editor, and Friends of "Northern Woman", With the enclosed cheque for three dollars, I shall be glad to receive your paper for another year. Owing to eye trouble that makes newspaper reading difficult, I have sent the latest issues to Hazel Wigdon of our Editorial Committee. As the struggle of the Women's Decade goes on, and we do our best for Development and Peace, and take as full a part as we can to bring these about in our country and across the world - then I think we shall win Equality. But until we do, the gap between men and women will possibly even widen. In our society)so largely controlled by the multi-national corporations whose aim is money and power, we as women are the easiest victims. If not always just in Canada, then in Taiwan South America, Africa - where ever the great companies are powerful - even our own Alcan in Jamaica for instance. But I do believe in the growing struggle, and believe that the women's part in it is extremely important and it will help us to win out. Sincerely, Nora Rodd Toronto, Ont. We cannot express too strongly what a joy it is to hear from a woman we know to be over eighty years old, an expression of solidarity and encouragement. Our deepest admiration and love for this senior sister. Dear Northern Woman; Please find enclosed six dollars for my subscription to Northern Woman which is long overdue. Hope this will at least bring me up to date. I enjoy your paper and I think you girls are doing a great job. Keep up the good work and good luck in the future. Sincerely, Ruby Roulston Abbotsford, B.C. Dear Sisters; Received Issue No 3 of the Northern Woman on the last mail plane and cannot express the joy it brought me. Have been teaching Adult Education here in Webequie Ont.for the past five months and as a consequence have been totally out of touch with the outside world except for news passed on through letters from friends. Your paper certainly was enlightening; congratulations to all who have worked so hard to give women the support they need. I will be returning to Thunder-Bay in April and as soon as I have an address will be one of your ardent supporters. Peace and Friendship, Chris Torre, Webequie Ont. Dear Women; As a subscriber and an avid reader of your paper, I would like to know more about those of you who put it together. To some of my non-subscribing friends, you represent a nebulous group of "women libbers". However, whatever else your name and image implies, it does seem to pose a threat to many men and some women. Reddem yourselves. Why first nanes only? You would appear far more credible with some background info on yourselves. No harm in asking! Curious Dorothy Dear Editor; I was really impressed by the radical view on women in the work force, "New Ways..." in your last issue but was disappointed that the writer didn't even suggest one positive remedy for improving the situation.* No mention was made either about discrimination towards women who work for self-empThis area is not too loyed husbands. visible or well-known perhaps. I am only one of the many wageless women who are so employed. By law, an unincorporated business cannot deduct as a business expense any money paid to a wife who works in any capacity for such a business. The'attitude)eing(in my view) that * Although you didn't sign your last such women are not viewed as working name, we are printing your letter. for the business, but rather working We, as a collective don't put much for their husbands ,so are not entitled credence in marital status, age, etc. to a wage. However, you have a point about last Women are still legally the pronames. Perhaps we don't take ourperty of men and any service provided selves seriously enough. See next is considered as just part and parcel issue. of being a wife. The inequality in Editor. this law is more'blatant when you consider this same self-employed business man can employ and deduct as a business expense any wage paid to a son or daughter. I have been working for over 8 years with my husband and alone for three of those years while he was recovering from a stroke; expanding, operating, being open long hours, and doing the bookkeeping for our/ his confectionary store. We have a large family and the child-rearing duties were also my job. We, or should I say my husband)is now talking about selling the store. For my contribution, I'll get nothing, not even C.P.P. as I was not eligible Hello! to participate. I'd like to subscribe to your magSorry for going on like this, but azine. I heard about it through I am angry. I hope Women's Laurie Hill. I was travelling from Conference can in some way protest this England to Holland, and met Laurie injustice. I cannot attend; I am on the train to Amsterdam. We got working on Saturdays. In the meantime, a place together in Amsterdam and I hope other women who work for their Laurie continued the next day to husbands will write your paper and also Copenhagen, and I to Assen, Holland. write to the new minister in charge... I joined up again with Laurie in The Honourable Monique Begin, Dept.. of Oslo where we stayed with a friend National Revenue, Parliament Bldgs. of hers, also from Thunder Bay, for Ottawa, Ont. a few weeks. I returned home shortly Sincerely, before Christmas, and have received Jane S. a couple of letters from Laurie since. You probably already know *We were remiss in adding she's in Greece and it sounds like that the article would be she's having a great time. She just continued in the next issue. said to let you know that I'd met See page 10. her, so....I have. Back to business! I'm not sure of your subscription rates; I'll send a money order as soon as you fill me in on the price. Thank you Judi Gough Dear Northern Woman; It seems that I have been delinSault Ste. Marie quent in paying for my subscription, and there is no excuse for it. I can only apologize for my procrastination. Dear People; As I am enlightened by)and enjoy I am writing on behalf of myself reading your publication, I would and one of my friends. We are doing still like to continue receiving it. a project on Women's Rights. Please accept the money as a payment We are wondering if it would be for two years subscriptions. possible for you to send us inforOh, and keep up the good work, I'm mation on Women's Rights in the form sure our sisters everywhere appreciate of pamphlets, newspapers or other your hard work and dedication. Thanks material. again! Our project is due on April 20/77 Lots of love so we would be most appreciative if your sister you could send them as soon as posKate sible. Thunder Bay Rosemary Shuslawry Thunder Bay 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �AND CONGRATULATIONS TO Lorraine Smith from Ear Falls for being selected for the Ontario Status of Women Council. Her presence on the council indicates another step in removing barriers that were a detriment to the potential of that Council. OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO Maria Seymore for being chosen Woman of the Year by Kenora Business and Professional Women for outstanding service to her native brothers and sisters. A teacher of Ojibway language for the past six seasons at Confederation College, she also translates on a volunteer basis at the Kenora Jail, works in the summer camp for children in the care of the Children's Aid Society, teaching them Indian crafts, and advises the Foster Parents Association in the care of native children. She currently works part-time for the probation after-care in the Juvenile Division. These are only a few of the things Maria has lent her time and talents to. Her recognition as Woman of the Year is simple justice. That she accepts it as a tribute to her race's potential makes her a worthy candidate of the honour. TO Roberta Wren from Ignace, who has been chosen Citizen of the Year by the township council. Through her efforts, Ignace now has a Library with 9,000 books on the shelf and a membership of 700 adults and 300 youngsters. 182 S. Algoma Str. Phone: 345-8912 Open: 10 A.M.-5 P.M. Monday to Saturday AL ANON 345-2711 ARTISTS CO-OP 622-9577 ANTI-POVERTY 622-1538 NORTHERN WOMAN'S CENTRE 622-3989 WOMEN IN NEIGHBOURHOODS 623-8411 NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL 345-5841 SOCIAL SERVICES 623-2711 CRISIS INTERVENTION 344-3571 FAMILY COUNSELLING 623-9596 LEGAL AID 345-1972 TELECARE 344-1192 SMITH CLINIC 344-2471 CRISIS HOUSING 623-2711 HUMAN RIGHTS COMM. 475-1693 EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS 475-1691 MUNICIPAL DAY CARE 344-3922 344-0727 FREE CLINIC News anais nin dies LOS ANGELES--Anais Nin, the widely-read writer, died of cancer at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital on Friday, January 14. She was nearly Her diaries and seventy-four years-old. novels discussed sexuality openly and were enjoyed by many women. SPECIAL THANKS To all those who included something extra along with subscription rates both brothers and sisters and especially to Marg Bengtsson whose gift of calligraphy has given us a new look. THE NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE, for reasonable rates, will produce copies of notices, announcements, etc. We retain the right to refuse work from groups affiliated with a political party. Good Numbers In New York City, a class action suit is under way against the New York Police and the Family Court.It is being filed by one of 12 married women who were seriously beaten by their husbands and were then refused assistance by the police and the family court. This is the first time ver that such legal action has been taken by women. The National Congress f Neighbourhood women and other omen's groups who were active in rganizing the suit are also demanding funds to provide shelters for attered wives. They insist that these shelters must be controlled y women's groups, not by the state. is class action suit follows on the eels of a large speak-out in NYC by attered wives, most of whom were oor and working class, nearly half f whom were black. In Vancouver, a research group sponsored by the United Way has just completed an extensive study of Wife attering. Included in their Recommendations are the establishment of Transition Houses. We must ensure that such new Houses are staffed and controlled by feminists. LAST LAUGH New York - Tex Antoine, TV weather reporter/sketcher of a quarter-century, blew his cover and his $100,000 a year job; after a news item on the rape of an eight year-old girl, Tex guffawed that, according to Confucius, if a rape victim can't avoid attack she might as well enjoy it. Within 25 minutes, 650 unamused watchers called the station, ABC, to Tex was indefinitely complain. suspended for an "inexcusable lapse of judgement". info from Washington Star EQUAL UNDER THE LAW Chicago - Angela Winslow was arrested on charges of failing to have proper gun registration and discharging a firearm within the city limits. She had discharged this improperly registered gun within the even narrower limits of her 15th floor apartment - at a man who broke into it, raped her friend who was visiting her, and then threw her friend from the window (her friend escaped death by landing on the building's canopy and was taken to hospital in serious condition.) info from Lesbian Voices WHAT'S THE WORLD COMING TO? Adelaide, Australia - Rape within marriage was made a crime by the South Australia parliament, the first such law in that country. In the US only Michigan wives have the right under the law to accuse their husbands of rape, but similar provisions are being considered in Florida, California and Washington, D.C. info from Washington Post BEATER BEATEN (NY) - Julio Elias was sentenced to three years in prison for beating his wife with a kitchen chair, a screwdriver, a bicycle wheel "and anything else he could get his hands on." When he was arrested, he said "What's wrong? She's my wife." Elias pleaded guilty to first degree assault; the case was resolved by plea bargaining. Info from Washington Star c.;s PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CINDERELLA: We, Led Ate Fox TAKE ONE Swept and shovelled and zctaped and zcAimped and saved onty a dottat a week but that was enough to putchaze a winning tottety ticket entitling het to iaity godmothet pumpkin coach dtawn by mice boatmen good box 1 passage to bale and netutn by midnight oi same day onty the witting by the unknowing doing the impozzibte the ungtateiut- 1 We have been doing zo much Fox zo Long, with so eittee, We ate now quati4ied To do anything With nothing. 1 Weendamahgawin Newt (Indian Ftiendzhip Centne and a4tet the bat wads aver and the prince disappeated and she needed an abottion SAILING ON THE SEA Sailing on a zait boat and piling itee, To be able to zee the beauty which haz zutitounded me. To be able to tide on the water and to Arnett the zea. Thiz iz heaven Which I have just seen. I'm glad to sail on the sea. Fax it btingz a great beefing to me. It 4eeezaz 4.4 the tea ato pant c)4 me. I'm happy to sail on the tea, So bond Let it be. at the tate o4 saving only a dottat a week and the had the baby and was Lucky enough to be given her ad job back and who knowz the baby might grow up to purchase a winning Lottery ticket o6 itz own. WHAT IS LIFE? It 4...6 the gnacquenezz oi a gooze in 4tight It iz the breath oi a buiiato in the wintet time It Ls the swi4tnezz o4 a deer in 4/Light, Eve Metz] iam coedit Newioundeand Statuz o4 Women Council Newztettet. Sailing on a tail boat and 4ee2ing the breeze, Where thete'z no -zmoke that could choke the ait out oi me. I ptayed Lotd that I zee there thingz. Then, the good Lotd Let these things be. It -cis the teat on my bale. Colleen Aube For it can be wiped away, Like nature can slowly be. (age 14) Thundet Bay J. Pie Ate Feat o4 tape L a cold wind Hawing all o4 the time on a woman's hunched back. Nevelt smote atone on a sand toad thtough pinewoods, never to ctimb a ttait actozz a bald without that aeuminum in the mouth when I zee a man climbing towatdz me. POETRY It izn't always way to zee anothet point oi view. In out conceited tighteouznezz We want out 4niendz to think tike uz. We only zee the zuniace o4 what moves the people that we Love, and so we ztnike to wouqd and shame -hose who te4use to play out game. How necktezzty we make the bteak, when only FRIENDSHIP L at stake. Gett DREAM OF TROPICAL ISLES Nevet open the doot to a knock Without that tazot just gtazing the thuat. The bean o4 the datk side o4 the What I am tetting you hete iz that I have lost what he called a state oi grace hedges, and what I bet the back seat o4 a cat, the empty house tattting keys tike a snake's az a thread o4 mist. watning. The beat o4 the 6m4ing man in whose pocket -1.4 a kni4e. waiting to glide zhatkiz Length between the tibz. The bean o4 the zetiouz man in whose 4ist Ls Locked hatted. ALL it takez to cast a tapizt iz to be able to zee yout body as jackhammet, as blowtorch, as adding-machine-gun. Atl it takes -is hating that body your own, your seti, your muzcte that zoitenz to blab. All it takez iz to push what you hate, It KVZ Lost Long ago I tete you And the beack tivet 4ot the thitd time iz &wet on Lts banks. Fitzt 4utt with zpting Second gone in the winter Thitd gone in the Ott. I tizten to many voices I tell you and they at hum and my wotdz goat out I stile heat the dtipz o4 watet Loud and echoing in the steel ztAuctute that once issued clangs that once aaz not thete. 14 it being buitt at tarn down I azk you tell me tett me am I being buitt of torn down? what you beats onto the 4c/it alien gezh, To bucket out invincibte as a tank anmouted with tneadz without rented to passers and punizh in one act, to tip up peeazute, to mutdet those who date live in the teaiy itezh open to Love. Mange Piency Wettgeet, Mazz. (Betceuse, betceuze, will you always mourn ?) And I am tort goddamn you id I cannot conceive that I am being buitt and torn down simuttaneourty Even as I tread unevenly in the muddy ttachz o4 a giant machineEven az a Lead bAuzhez my neck and Leaves it wet. Deitdte Hamitt When tined oi winter's sleet and snow, To some ttopicat izte I Long to go, Whete watm gentle bteezez blow And palm tteez way to and 4to, Over tunny silvery sands. In teae tibe it does not seem possible, Enjoyed by the /Lich setdom the pock, In dteamtand bate evens up the score, How could you azk ion mote. Sheila DesChenez age 12 Thundet Bay IDENTITY Call me Mrs. Miss, Ms, It doesn't mean A damn. I am what I am. I do not need To pose. To quote G. Stein: "A rose, is a rose, Is a rose" Janet Craig-James Thunder. Bay 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �9 Guidelines to Equal con't from Credit Opportunity Two major guidelines have been set out for consideration of the individual's application: m 0 . pg 11 1. A married woman shall be granted credit in her own name if her credit Ieach spouse free to engage in a busqualifications, including her earnings ~ iness without having to have the othe or separate property are such that a spousels agreement or opinion in inman possessing the same credit qualdividual transactions. However, ifications and property or earnings where both spouses actually particwould receive credit. ipate in the business, the contribWHY A WOMAN'S UNION? woman shall be granted . ation of each would be recognized. 2. CREDIT An unmarried credit if her credit qualifications, Bill 14C 7(2) "where one spouse has Those of us property who are founding mem-are such that or earnings contributed work, money or money's bers of the newa Women's Credit Union man possessing the same credit *worth in respect of the acquisition find ourselves qualifications, explaining dailyproperty why or earnings management, maintenance, operation, it is that we who so vocally strive would receive credit. 1 or improvement of property in which for equality should now exclude To expand upon thethat general statements - the other has an interest, the court other sex who have plainly believed above, creditors shall continue to Imay by order: that the handling of money their conduct theirisbusiness affairs, a) direct the payment of an amount forte. holding to these principles. 'in compensation therefore; or Our case was1.made us by Holdfor women andRobert men to the same Ib) award an interest in the property Cooper, the ombudsman forinC.B.C. on standards determining creditworth- appropriate to the contribution. Feb. 6 when the question of woman's iness. JOINT TENANCY OF REAL PROPERTY, JOINT right to borrow2.onExtend her own merittoand credit a credit worthy BANK ACCOUNTS, SAVINGS, DEPOSITS, ETC ability to pay married was challenged a own name. woman inbyher Sidneyfrom Handleman manager of a bank. 3. Refrain refusing to extend Bill 140 8a) The fact that property the Provincial credit Minister, clearly to awho newly separated, divorced is placed or taken in the name of draws the government position non- because of or widowed womanofsolely _spouses as joint tenants shall be discrimination,her shifted changethe in responmarital status. prima facia proof that a joint ten sibility to those in positions ofstandards to the 4. Apply the same ancy of the beneficial interest in authority at the executive in including mortextending of level credit, the property is intended the money lending gageinstitutions. transactions, That regardless of which b) money on deposit in a bank, saving: these officialsspouse have not as yet per- supporter of is the primary 1 office, credit union or trust company sonally accepted as equally thewomen family. min the name of both spouses shall be Observe thesolvent same standards in reresponsible or 5. sufficiently deemed to be in the name of the spousl quiring credit to pay will remove women from data the on the spouse 1 ga joint tenants" and that beneficial regardless of thea sex touted government policy until new of the appli' interest in the property is intended. generation of men or women, as the cant. Next issue: Bill 140 - Support 6. Change in marital status shall not case may be, bring an enlightened Obligations the sole consideration in requiring iby Joan Packota, Thunder Bay Club, approach to thebe lending institutions. re-application for previously issued The new women's credit Union was Canadian Federation of University credit out cards conceived and formed of or ourthe ownre-negotiation .Wairiamm . I MEM 11 n n of the credit arrangements. impatience to wait forexisting that great We a have under-income, if 7. Consider spouse's rebirth of new values. when a couple taken to do fornecessary each other what clear- applies for ly is not beingcredit. done in the market News on the Metro Toronto Women's 8. Consider alimony place, and to make the exercise a and child support Credit Union: learning experience the process. as a in source of income. They have been in operation for Our officers have been chosen with 9. In appraising a woman's credit one year and have 430 members and worthiness, consider Among our shareholders is a her credit hiscare. assets over $100,000. They now are 1 former, now retired,manager of one of tory when single or married. =offering five-percent interest on the most successful credit unions in 10. An individual's credit-rating savings, to be paid quarterly on Her shall knowledge andaltered advice solely on the not be the area. the minimum quarterly balance. 1 sale of ensures our success. basis ofThe the credit-rating of the shares is brisk spouse. and encourages us to believe that most do not ques- agency shall 11.women A credit reporting .1m tion the reason upon for our existence but request Theirs of a spouse, a are assets keep to date over women. NORTHEN WOMEN'S CREDIT UNION NEWS f obtaining see goods, services, in us an avenue to broader equality. separate file on the husband $6300.00. They would like and to thank all They have been in existenctfor approx. ey in exchange for a promise To our aggrieved brethren would them to date and wife.women who who supported two months and have a membership of 70 for them at support some future us iftime. weCredit allowed it, we apolis a form ofwomen borrowing. It is= to invest. encourage more credit has both advantages .1 I NEI= 11 1 ogise for the necessity that shuts I advantages. you out, but we are convinced for the Although credit-granting policies and practices have changed moment that the credit union slogan - considerably in the past year or so, the whole credit-granting THEFOR NORTHERN UNION industry will not necessarily be aware of all the changes. If you "NOT PROFIT WOMEN'S BUT FOR CREDIT SERVICE" will PM ON and believe you have been discriminated S NOW FROM 1 PM TO 9when are denied credit find its OPEN highest expression WOMEN'S of your sex or marital status, ask to see the TUESDAYS ATdedicated THEagainst NORTHERN intelligent, andbecause compassion., AND FROM of the agency involved. Be prepared to CENTRE, 120 W. AMELIA ST senior credit ate women deal with other women officer in ATclaim THE and to back it with facts. If your request for your 1 PM TO 4 PM ON assert TUESDAYS the money marketplace. is still refused and you are not given a satisfactory exc NORTHERN WOMAN REGIONAL JOURNAL, contact the Women's Advisor of the Ontario Minisplanation, 316 BAY ST. Consumer try ofAND MEMBERSHIP IS $5.00 DEPOSITSand Commercial Relations, 555 Yonge Street, mm .... sm. . mir um. Toronto. CAN BE MADE. 1 Imi lam 1 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Plea to Ombudsman! Mr. Robert Cooper CBC, Box 500 Stn. A Toronto Sir: Enclosed is a copy of a letter written to Mr. T.V. McCallum of the Law Society of B.C. I am sure that in this vast country, there are many women who have been or are in the same position as I am. There are many questions which could be asked - why are women treated as they are? It is my opinion that too many women are in complete ignorance of 2711: talsnd=tpildi:hyt:n;hemn can use the law to his own advantage there are many cases of "battered wives" that have never come to light. Being a woman, I can understand why many never do - if a charge is laid against the husband, he may very likely lose his job, which would leave the family in dire financial straits. In this case any sense of security that a woman has had is then completely done away with. If a woman is ignorant of the law, she does not have any knowledge of what can be done and she is fearful of retaliation if she stays in the immediate area. I believe every woman should have the opportunity to be as well-educated as she can in Family Law and her rights as an individual, and not just as a woman. Naturally, every woman wants to keep her family and home together. For her, this has been a small source of security and safety, but why should she have to tolerate violence, abuse and mental anguish to do it? Would it not be far better if she were able to take steps to see that these things were not allowed to happen? My personal experience of trying to get help was met with indifference. The children of such a union are the ones who suffer the most - torn between their love for both parents and unable to understand why these things are happening. How many women in the country have suffered the anguish of a mental and physical breakdown, simply because they were forced to become too dependent on the husband to supply them with their only material and emotional needs--only to find that the husband cannot be relied upon for those needs when they are needed most? When a woman has been out of the labour force for a number of years, a job is not easy to find, as I am In many instances discovering myself. it requires re-training, or perhaps even returning to school to complete an inadequate education. She has spent all her time caring for her family and home, which is really no different than if she were out working except that she is receiving no salary for her services. Her days are aftenzmuch longer and she must be able to perform many tasks--nurse, housekeeper, laundress, chauffeur, carpente gardener--and on and on. It is an established fact that if every hus- band had to pay his wifetor all the services performed, he could not possibly afford to pay for them. For a woman, therefore, who has spent half of her life, or more, in this manner, it comes as a big shock to suddenly find herself, and has lost all or most of her possessions- a cruel and terrifying experience! At this point she is depressed and the very thought of court appearances and dealing with the law is one whe simply CANNOT endure. I believe that all household furnishings and other possessions should automatically become the property of both parties, and therefore an equal division be made of all these articles or a fair monetary settlement made for the person who has been deserted or forced to leave. Perhaps the husband did pay for all these possessions, but who but his spouse works hard at keeping them in good condition and caring for them. Why then are they not just as much hers, as his? It seems to me the rights of women have been very badly neglected. How is a woman to survive when she has all her dignity stripped from her, and must try to begin again when she has so little earning power? And what of a woman who has small children who is going to care for them and how great is the cost of any care she can secure for them, when she finally does' find employment? It seems to me that men have dominated women long enough - they sould no longer be allowed to do so. How many more women in this big country will suffer the same indignities and mental and physical abuse that I did, before something is done? Why must a woman be pushed to the very brink of mental and physical breakdown before anything can be done to help her? It hardly seems fair for a woman who has been faithful, frugal, and hard-working, to be treated in such a shoddy manner! If my own personal investigation into this matter helps just one woman, then I shall feel that I have accomplished at least a small triumph in winning equal rights for women everywhere Yours very truly, Lillian E. Turner The following is a copy of the letter to Mr. T.V. McCallum of the Law Society of B.C. Sir; Re: Divorce between Turner vs. Turner, Dec. 13, 1976 I am writing to you to inquire about legal procedures in a divorce case which was recently completed before Judge Wetmore of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. My lawyer, here, Mr. John Hornak had asked for a copy of the Decree Nisi before it was to be heard in court, but never received one. At that time, certain properties had not yet been settled and to this day have not been proI feel I was deceived perly settled. and denied any rights to object to or have any agreements changed, in that I received no copy of the Decree Nisi BEFORE the 3 month period was I also have not received a up. copy of specific charges laid against me, and the only ones I read were ones in the Petition for Divorce which I read at my lawyer's office all of which were quite incidental. Had not my oldest daughter Lori come to Thunder Bay for Christmas, I would still have no knowledge of the divorce or other agreements made. This, to me, is a highly unethical procedure and I wish to voice my strong objections to such procedures. I had to get in touch with my lawyer who then wrote for copies of both the Decree Nisi and the Decree Absolute. It was rather shocking and unnerving to find that legal action in which I was a participant had gone through legal channels without my knowledge or my counsel's knowledge. The Petitioner and his legal counsel, were all in communication during the entire 2 year period, and I can see no reason why I was not sent papers of any kind. The Petitioner has repeatedly reneged on agreements made, and now that the Decree final, I have no other way to handle it, except through legal counsel in British Columbia, which I can ill afford, especially with 2 yound children to care for. This was also the reason why I did not appear or have legal counsel in Vancouver to represent me. Simply because the Petitioner is a member of the Vancouver Police Force, does not entitle him to any special or favoured treatment. Of a houseful of expensive Victoriaville French Provincial furniture, I received only a few items, worth less than $2000. The separation was one known as "constructive desertion" in that I had been threatened repeatedly by the Petitioner. The Petitioner refused to support me, and has repeatedly been late in sending the minimum child support he is supposed to, to which I also strongly object. In the past he has been irrational, brutal and very abusive. I would strongly urge that every man applying for a law enforcement job should be very carefully analyzed psychologically. I feel this whole case was mishandled and my right6 as an individual have been denied me, and I would appreciate it very much if an investigation were made to determine why it was allowed to happen, and what recourse I have in settling this in a more satisfactory manner. Lillian Turner CON'T PG 13 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WORKING WON CO-SPONSORED BY NW INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DECADE ( Evelyn Gigantes Evelyn Gigantt.s set the mood. for the Working Women's Conference on Friday Night. Her plea to be relentlessly determined while maintaining the feminine qualities that set us apart from the Macho approach is one that finds response in most women. She noted that every oppressor is oppressed and stated equality for Women would be a step in the direction of freeing men from the bondage of stereotyp ing in their own Roles. She reminded us all that we are the best Educated,the most affluent in the world. We have birth control which guarantees freedom of choice and s tability in our lives and we have the vote. As such we have the responsibility use our strength and our energy in to promoting equality for women all over the world. The hostility of women to women must be seen as a challenge to better communication. Those who stay at home must not be made to feel as parasites,which lends itself to a natural feeling of hostility toward the aspirations of her sisters in the paid labour force. She reminded us again the feminine culture respects fertility,warmth, sensitivity and love. Grace Hartman The banquet of the Working Women's Conference was highlighted by an address by Grace Hartman, National President of Canadian Union of Public She spoke on "Role of Employees. Women in their Unions". The following is an excerpt of her address. "The inequalities suffered by women at the hands of insensitive employers a few years ago are now perpetuated by legislation. Unions are the only vehicle through which women can seek equality of opportunity at the work place. One would have hoped that the trend of women turning to the labour movement for this kind of support would have continued in an effort to end discriminatory practices. However, the Anti-Inflation Board mechanism has had a very substantial effect in slowing the But the obvious question process. is being asked about the advantages of joining a union, negotiating a decent increase in earnings only to have a large part of it taken away from them by AIB decision. The end result of this practice can be seen in the organizing statIn the first istics for Ontario. six months of 1975, the Ontario Labour Relations Board heard 609 applications seeking certification for new local unions -- this was the six months prior to the wage controls For the same six month legislation. period in 1976, after the legislation was in full operation, the Ontario Labour Relations Board heard only 509 applications -- a drop of 16%! I believe that any thinking person can accept some things as self-evident And it's self-evident that women who want to have a say, and to have some influence in their destiny at the work place, will only get that opportunity by joining unions that will speak out and act on their behalf. But the AIB has discouraged it. By their very existence they have That is the Trudeau discouraged it. gift to working women. And in so doing, they are further widening the gap between unionized and non-unionized Or perhaps being more wage rates. realistic -- they are permitting a a widening of the gap between male and female rates of pay. When the AIB legislation was first introduced, I was most critical of it, There did, however, seem to be one feature of it that held a ray of hope I'm referring to that for women. section of the regulations that permitted wage increases in excess of the guidelines for the elimination of discrimination by sex pay rates. I thought it might permit us to work toward the elimination of male-female pay discrepancies. As a matter of fact, this part of the legislation was hailed by both Beryl Plumptre and her eventual successor, June Menzies, as a recognition by government of discriminatory practices and was essentially a feminist regulation. My expectations in this regard proved that I was naive indeed. Instead of the AIB permitting increases to women in order to observe the principle of equal pay for work of equal value -- they had riders on the It would allow an upregulations. ward adjustment for women only in cases where women were performing the same work in the same establishment and the jobs were called by exactly In addition, to seek the same title. redress against the obvious wage discrepancies, the local union must first be convinced that the case is just -the local union then must approach the employer and obtain their agreement that the employer has been discriminating! The employer - and only the employer - must then appear before the AIB and ask consent to end the discrimination which they, themselves, imposed! The sinners must voluntarily go before the Board, admit they are sinners and then ask permission to stop sinning! How is that for a "just society"? This may help you understand why, out of 4000 applications filed with the AIB seeking redress against rollbacks, only 20 have been appeals against sex discrimination in wage rates. When I learned that so few applications had been filed with the AIB, I couldn't help wondering what the results of the 20 applications were. So, I had June Menzies office contacted for the in- They couldn't tell m formation. They didn't refuse to tell me. just didn't knowl" "It cannot be denied that the controls legislation has had a d astating effect on the labour ma The unemployment statistics in t country are just staggering. As reprehensible as that situation for everyone, women haVe suffers from it most. As an example, la fall, there was a decrease in th number of unemployed men by twen one thousand, coupled by an incr in unemployed women by taenty-fo. thousand. The September figures released by Statistics Canada shy that unemployment fell from 6.3 6.0 percent. The unemployment f: ures for women in that same peril rose from 8.7 to 9.4 percent." "The role of women in the unil has changed. They are no longer passive viewers at unon meetin& They have things to say and they They no longer sit with a them. raised hand to second a motion. make the motions. They have lonl since ceased to be token anything at conventions. They are at the microphones airing their opinion! So, the role of women in the ions has changed. The unions wil: never be the same again and that a step in the right direction. contribution of women in their ul ons has been enormous and it is ongoing process. 'their union is obvious vehicle to provide for ti the opportunity to be heard - th, hicle for self-expression. And very short period of time, I sug that they will be a voice, and fc that will give pause to governmel everywhere when the contemplate islation that interferes, in any with their right to play a prope] and meaningful role in the Y.fe this country. : N RV for "Oh, I don't think a woman on e is bad luck - especially when E your navigator." PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �N'S CONFERENCE TING COUNCIL t 'THUNDER BM t DISTRICT TRADES t LABOUR COUNCIL PRESENTATION TO THE HOUSEWIVES WORKSHOP OF THE WORKING WOMEN'S CONFERENCE. by Florence Richard Anything that can be had for free is usually regarded as of no value. The position of the housewife in today's society is directly related to attitudes developed throughout To use an analogy ages of history. from what has become known as the "third world countries", we have all seen the TV documentaries where, in subsistence level societies, the birth of a female child is regarded by the family as something of a On the other hand, the calamity. birth of a male child is celebrated This way of as high good fortune. thinking cannot be explained by economic considerations alone. True, the boy will work for the family, but so will the girl. Her burdens will not be less by reason of sex. True, that when the girl comes of age a dowry must be provided. But from where does this tradition originate? Why have dowries never been provided for sons? Why is the son considered to be a gift himself while the daughter must have a dowry in order to be acceptable? The only conclusion to be arrived at is that Vomen, in a male dominated society, are generally regarded as part of a man's goods and property. Whether that man rides a camel or a Cadillac, his wife occupies pretty much the same position. Her usual role is to take charge of all domestic This may entail anything from duties. running the home, to making the meals, to mothering, to chauffeuring, to taking care of household accounts. When and if the housewife works at a paid job, whatever she earns, as a rule, becomes part of her contribution to the home, which she may or may not a legal share in. With a more erl2Y: tened husband she will, of All too course, share all benefits. often, however, we are reminded that comparatively few men are so enlightened. In our society, because of pressure and lobbying by women, laws are grudgingly being changed. The process is slow and painful. The housewife and mother who is employed outside the home must accelerate her activities in order to cope with two jobs. If her traditional home duties are neglected, she will be confronted by husband and family. If she is imcompetent on her other job, she will hear from her employer. She is constantly under obligation to others. She has lived so long without rights or consideration, she no longer thinks herself worthy of either. We all know some housewives (in more enlightened situations) who enjoy working for their families and We also ask nothing more in life. know many whose lives are a nightmare. As the family unit has long been considered the backbone of the nation the wife and mother has certainly been There the mainstay of the family. is something inherently wrong with a society where this essential member must rely for her welfare on the vagaries of human enlightenment. Thirty-six percent of Ontario's work force is made up of women. Needless to say, they are generally employed at the hardest, most menial jobs for the lowest pay. Since woman's traditional role has been to marry, to have children, and to be unpaid slaves of the nation, her employer is not suddenly going to become generous as soon as she emerges out of the home. Wherever she goes, she is haunted by centuries of abuse. Only recently has organized labour taken a second look, and realized that women are in the work force to stay, that their reasons for working are largely the same as men's reasons for working. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em;" or have them join you. The dominant male is aware that this vast pool of cheap labour represents a threat to his own job sec'Why hire urity and rates of pay. a man, when a woman can be hired for Women are now being included less?' in the mainstream of organized labour. This is indeed helpful for the But no "gainfully employed" woman. one has as yet reached out to the original base of that cheap labour source, the exploited housewife. It is unlikely, however, that anyone will see the housewife as an meploitad person until she herself makes this discovery and moves to cast out time-worn, self-effacing images. If anyone objects to being seen as an exploited person, do not be concerned. The housewife is not seen by society as a person of any kind. She is not seen period. Even when she reaches the age of retirement, only her spouse qualifies for Canada Pension. Even though she may have spent her entire life caring for him, putting sons and daughters through school, into the work force, and/or armed services, her contribution to the common good of the country is recognized as precisely ZILCH! When and if the husband (who has been the contributor) dies, his widow may apply for the survivor's benefits. She will still receive by virtue of his contributions. She is not even allowed to make any monetary contributions as the 'selfemployed' person is encouraged to do. It is fairly obvious that no matter how essential the housewife is in our society, she will just have to muddle through without her rights or recognition until she demands pay for her services. I think that the time has come to talk about salaries for housewives. And let us keep in mind that even universal education was at one time ridiculed as some crack-pot's utopian dream. Evelyn Armstrong Evelyn Armstrong addressed the Conference on Sunday morning on the future of women in Unionized Labour. A strong woman with a strong voice, she stimulated her audience to consider the past and the present as well as the future. She stated that the inequality in wages for the sexes is a bonanza for the corporations who derive over two billion dollars in extra profit just because of this injustice. I.W.Y. was the catalyst that for the first time raised the awareness of a broad spectrum of women from all walks of life and challenged the sham of the presence of equality being practiced and perpetrated. She berated the advertising media that portrays women's biggest concern as being the "whiteness of her laundry" and drew hoots from the audience at "the ring on a shirt collar that leaves HER apologising because HE has a dirty neck," the Education System that still is rank with sex`Ism and those unions still not pushing for day care (she made an exception in the case of CUPE). She encouraged the group to affiliate itself with the Toronto based Organized Working Women, who are committed to a massive educational process to inform working women of labour issues and suggested that women's committees be formed within the union structure to lobby the union itself to make women's issues appear in the bargaining process She left us with her favourite quotation, which also happens to be mine, "BEHOLD THE TURTLE, THE ONLY TIME SHE PROGRESSES IS WHEN SHE STICKS HER NECK OUT." The conference endorsed a resolution to organize a chapter of O.W.W. Gert Beadle. con't pg 16 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �New Ways of Keeping Women of Paid 'labour Out CONTINUED FROM VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 OF NORTHERN WOMAN JOURNAL WHY CAN WE NEVER REMEMBER THE FACTS: THE NEED FOR ANALYSIS The more statistics I read, the more reservations in my mind were disposed of, the clearer my consciousness became and the more furious I "Women must know this" I became. kept saying to myself, "If only women knew..." and then another thought struck me. How come I didn't know? I've been in Women's Liberation for about six years, and a worker for longer than that... how come I didn't know? Had I just become privy to some sacred information? I expanded my research. You know there are volumes written on this subject... magazine articles, newspaper stories, doctoral theses, best-seller books, pamphlets, manuscripts, all telling the same tale. Worse yet, as I looked over the material it dawned on me that I read most of this before. Something was terribly wrong. I read all this stuff now with my present awareness, my present consciousness, and I can envision female workers lining up for battle Monday morning; I read it then and can hardly remember having done so. Maybe I've just never been very interested in the issue before. But, what does that mean? I'm a worker, why shouldn't I be interested? I was interested enough to join W.L. so how come I didn't get the lowdown on this issue from my connections with the Movement? It is very clear that a radical feminist approach to the job in question is necessary now. We must have a way of understanding reality. As a political feminist movement we must have a political feminist way of understanding that reality. Trying to "make sense" of the facts, much less organize ourselves around them, is all but impossible without such a guiding principle. When you are serious about building a political movement designed to effect real change it is essential to be clear It is when presenting the issues. essential to be definite, to be precise, to be simple, to avoid confusion. Confusion halts progress and saps the energy unnecessarily. To analyse a situation means to defend the reasons for something, but the liberals seem to deny there are reasons for discrimination, for example, or for good reasons. Liberal economist Barbara Bergman, for instance, goes under the assumption that there are no good reasons, only psychological hang-ups. Bergman denies that there is a conflict of interest involved, even suggesting the employer is going against his "...Discrimination does interests. not by and large serve the economic ends of those ?who do the discriminating...the financial gains to those who do the discriminating are low or The major cause served is negative. 10 psychological (it feels so good to have women in their place)." Whenever I run across this ambiguous, erroneous nonsense, I see stars. Keeping women in their place may feel good but it pays in a lot more ways than that. For instance, if discrimination does not by and large serve the economic ends of those who do the discriminating, then how is it economists have computed the total underpayment of women workers as amounting to $109 billion each year? Bergman is making a plea for irrational causes by advancing this idea of oppression for the 'hell of it', or because 'it feels so good'. Though I don't doubt it, aside from being a bit naive, I'm afraid it's a bit more serious than that. This clouds the very real benefits... more than psychological...which men receive Discriminfrom keeping women down. ation benefits male employers in terms of money, status, recognition, power, prestige and fame - to name just a few factors. To make matters worse, some liberals, while they imply that men and employers have nothing to lose by ending the present system, imply that Juanita Kreps, a liberal women do. economist who has done a fair amount of investigation into this issue of job discrimination, suggests that a reason for discrimination is women's desire for protection. According to her, the real issue is the stereotyped roles of the male as the 'protector' and the female as 'protected'. ^C7MliTC "And if the protected gains equal status, would she not lose more than she gains?" But what are we protected from in the labour force? We cannot run elevators late at night when the pay is higher and we cannot serve in restaurants and cabarets at that hour. We can however clean office buildings till all hours of the morning because cleaning office buildings is a low-paying job and nobody wants to protect us out of It has nothing our low-paying jobs. to do with the issue of protection, it has to do with the issue of money. I can envision by no stretch of the imagination or flight into fantasy Re-edited from Red Stockings by Colleen Price how women could possibly lose anything by equal status, except for the monopoly they seem to have on the lowest paying jobs in the entire labour force. Caroline Bird doesn't have an analysis either, though she claims of Born Female that "this is a frankly feminist book. It counts the social, moral and personal costs of keeping women down on the job and finds them high..." But she doesn't question why, if the costs are so high, employers are doing it. For whom are the costs high? Are they high for men or for women? For private interests or the general public good? She says "We are destroying talent...we are wasting talent... we are hiding talent..." But who is the amorphous "we" she is exhorting? Women can't be discriminating against women on the job because they're not the ones doing the They're not the bosses, hiring. very few of them anyways. Born Female is an exact example of what's wrong with the liberal Bird does excellent approach. research and lays out the facts of discrimination for us precisely, and Since the book lacks there they lie. a political analysis...a frankly political analysis... a way even of understanding the full impact of those facts, they never become the stirring, moving force they could Instead they're just another be. pile of statistics. THE ECONOMIC ISSUE APPROACH The liberals avoid analysis by taking the problems they're dealing with out of their political context then proposing to resolve them. The liberals don't see causes, they don't see inter-relationships, they don't see connections, they just see problems'. When you discriminate against women because they're women, whether that results in not letting them have full control over their own bodies or not paying them an equal amount of money for an equal amount of work, it is a political problem. You might think that I am squabbling over words and ask what the big deal is about emphasizing that job discrimination is a political problem. It is essential to understanding the problem that the issue be viewed in this broader political context, because doing so reminds us that unequal power is the ultimate problem. Whatever strides are made in the paid labour force, whatever reforms are won, they will never be permanently secured unless 'we are simultaneously building a power base equal to the power of men. Women have at different times in history made tremendous advances in the paid labour force... witness World War 11, for example, but we didn't have the power to hold our ground. con't P914 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Decade Council Goes to Atik9kan with the need or a crisis house, and o) start documenting cases of women Fourteen members of the NWO Decade in crisis situation to present to Council travelled to Atikokan on Council as proof. Jan. 29/77 via chartered bus to meet Lisa informed women of the Young and visit with interested women in Canada Works Program grants available that community as part of the out(deadline August 29th) and suggested reach program the council has es they choose this route to start their poused. Although the representation project on a crisis house. from Atikokan was less than we had A home which provides a real haven hoped for, the interest and enthusand emotional support for women and iasm made the effort an unqualified children in crisis situations was success. the home and food to be envisioned; Members of the council introduced provided, with the care of children themselves, giving their occupations and housekeeping duties done by the and committee on the Council; the Lisa advised the women themselves. Atikokan women introduced themselves Atikokan women present to lead an and stated why they had come. interest group in seminars and workLisa Bengtsson gave a short desshops in crisis housing and daycare cription of her job as a Social A copy feasibility for Atikokan. Development Officer for Secretary of of Mary Tomlinson's Model of a Crisis State; she is a resource person with House was presented to Joyce Meyers. contacts in NWO communities. Lisa Other Concerns: can be contacted at the Secretary Concern was expressed regarding of State Office, 240 S. Syndicate the problems of Atikokan's teenagers Ave., Thunder Bay at 623-5241. (male and female) Colleen Hughes is a Community Need for a social centre for teens. Educational Consultant for the SecNeed for more preventative care retary of State and she gave a short r rather than crisis situation care of description of her job, dealing with teens. the organization of groups throughout - Failure of High Schools to educate Northwestern Ontario. ( She can also teens for their future regarding be reached at 623-5241.) interpersonal relationships. REPORTS: - Realization that girls of 14 - 15 Reporting for Herstory - Gert years old are more mature in their Beadle congratulated the town of thoughts than a generation ago. Atikokan for its response to this important chronicle and stressed the Goals: Get more Atikokan women project must take the time to make involved in Atikokan teens' problems a quality presentation. Get a teenage social group set up Leona Lang, Secretary of the let teens plan the direction they Decade Council and Chairperson for will follow. (Sue will see Lisa the Working Women's Conference Comre: possibility of applying for grant mittee reported on the coming confrom the Secretary of State to fund ference co-sponsored by the Thunder a feasibility study by teens of a Bay and District Labour Council to teens' social centre.) be held at Confederation College on Meeting was adjourned at close to Mar. 11, 12 &13. 5:00 pm. Trudy Perroud for the Northern Women's Credit Union reported on the granting of the charter to this group and the progress to date. Joan Packota of Lakehead University Women's Club gave an extensive review of Bill 75, comparing it to the new Family Law Reform - Bill 140. A stimulating discussion followed. The role of the Northern Woman Regional Journal in the ongoing reporting of progress made in the interests of women was presented by Gert Beadle who said she hoped a clearer vision of the term'sisterhood' would emerge from its pages and called for the support and goodwill of all women - complimentary copies were distributed. FAMILY PROPERTY LAW Gert, who is a member of the CitIn October 1976, the Attorneyizens1 Committee for Crisis Homes Inc. General of Ontario presented the described the formation and motivation Family Law Reform Act - Bill 140 of this group - which stemmed from to the Ontario Legislature. Bill a blueprint of an 'ideal' haven for 140 has received first and second women as set out by Mary Tomlinson reading, but it was withdrawn from (who with her group first approached the order paper in December 1976 for city council to set up a crisis house) technical revisions by the Ontario The Atikokan women felt there was Justice Committee. It is quite a desperate need for crisis housing possible that it will be re-introduced Children's Aid has in Atikokan. for third reading during the spring been approached many times by women session of the Ontario legislature. in crisis situations but this is out If it passes third reading it will of their jurisdiction. become law very quickly, possibly Gert advised the women to a) form by the summer of 1977. a Committee to approach Town Council DECADE COUNCIL GOES TO ATIKOKAN FAMILY PROPERTY LAW DIVISION OF MATRIMONIAL PROPERTY - BILL 140 Family Assets System. In Bill 140 the Family Assets System has been adopted as the basic system of governing property relations between husband and wife in Ontario. The division of matrimonial property under Bill 140 applies only at marriage breakdown where: - judgment nisi of divorce if pronounced. - a marriage is declared a nullity - spouses are separated and there is no reasonable prospect of the resumption of co-habitation. - judgment absolute of divorce is pronounced. 4. i) "Each spouse Bill 140 Part 1 is entitled to have the family assets divided in equal shares notwithstanding the ownership of the assets by the spouses: Bill 140 Part 1 3a. "Family assets' means property owned by one spouse or both spouses and ordinarily enjoyed by both spouses or one or more of their children for shelter or transportation or for household, educational, recreational, social or aesthetic putposes, and includes: i) money in an account with a chartered bank, savings office, credit union or trust company where the account is ordinarily used for shelter or transportation or for house hold, educational, recreational, social or aesthetic purposes. ii) where property owned by a corporation or trustee would, if it were owned by a spouse, be a family asset, shares in the corporation or an interest in the trust owned by the spouse having a market value equal to the value of the property. JUDICIAL DISCRETION Provision is made for Judicial Discretion to be used in certain situations where a spouse appeals to the court because he or she feels division of the family assets in equal shares would be unfair. Bill 140 4(2) "where, upon the application of a spouse, the court is of the opinion that a division of the family assets in equal shares would be inequitable, having regard to: a) any agreement between the spouses b) the duration of the marriage c) the date when the property was acquired. d) the extent to which property was acquired by one spouse by inheritance or by gift; or e) any other circumstance relating to the acquisition, preservation maintenance, improvement or use of property rendering it inequitable for the division of family assets to be in equal shares, the court may: f) make a division of the family assets resulting in shares that are not equal or g) order other property of a spouse to be transferred to or vested in the other spouse as the court considers appropriate." BUSINESS PROPERTY The family assets system does not subject business property to automatic sharing and would thus leave con't Pg 6 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Greater Need For Crisis Homes! BUT WHY DOESN'T SHE LEAVE H IM? tive values of our society, his earning money outweighs her possible injury". The growing movement which demands an end to wife-battering also recognizes that the violent expression by the man upon the woman is an expression of a violent society. He's taking out his anger upon her ANALYSIS which is produced within him by Until the women's movement raised having to compete for his job, by the issue, wife-beating went unrecbeing pressured by his boss, by layognized and unreported. Beaten offs, speed-ups, etc. Instead of women were forced into pretending fighting back against this exploitthat theirs was a non-problem. In ation, he finds it easier to release this way, wife-battering has much his frustration by kicking his wife in common with rape. Both were around. It's one step up from kickseen as personal rather than socing the cat. The battered wife is ial problems until the women's movethus a casulty at the end of a long ment raised consciousness about them. line of abuse and alienation which Both stem from the system of male is integral to our capitalist system. supremacy within which women are pieces of property to be used/abused Transition Houses are a necessary by men. But there are two important step in combatting this brutality: differences between rape and wifewomen must have a safe place away beating. One is that the "wife-batfrom their attackers. But finally terer is supposed to be the very it's a temporary Band-Aid solution person to whom the woman can turn as are more sensitive responses for shelter from the storm. The from the legal system. What we are other, and this is vital, is that really opposing is the violence of a in the case of wife-battering (part- whole society. ner-battering might be a more accurate term), the woman is economically dependent upon the man. ACTION Woman's position in the family as an unwaged worker is one which socThroughout the last decade, femiety has trained her for and encour- inists have been working upon public aged her to enter. Her skills, education to dispel myths surrounding those of home maintenance and child wife-battering. When TIME, in Sept. rearing, are not skills she can of '74 professed to enlighten us on easily sell, as society can conventhe subject of "Wife Beaters and iently pretend that these are nontheir Wives" by telling us that the skills. Stemming from this economic men were 'mother's boys' and that the dependence is a whole network of beaten women were "aggressive, efficemotional and psychological relation- ient, masculine and sexually frigid', ships between the woman who is being we didn't let them get away with it. beaten and the man who is doing the The women's movement has consisbeating. Then there's the kids. tently opposed the ideology of the Even if the woman is working, she's church and of psychiatry which ratearning less than the man 90% of the ionalizes the oppression of women. time. Her income is keeping the ("Women are like the masses in wantfamily above the poverty line. To ing to be mastered and ruled." Freud) Myths surrounding female ask a woman to walk out of this overnight (as in "If a man ever masochism have been widely brought into doubt. struck me, that would be it....I'd be out that door so fast...") is to Along with public education, the ask her to abandon not only her women's movement has demanded social, physical shelter and her arrangements economic and legal changes which will for having something to eat, but make it easier for the battered woman to escape her husband. For an excelalso the whole social fabric she Betsy has been trained to accept. lent account of these demands, and of Warrior writes: the current parlous state of Canadian "Women's economic dependence justice with respect to battered women, of males must be abolished and the read Violence Begins at Home, which family structure itself must be appeared in "The Canadian" (The ProvSexism, like racism..is a ince's weekend supplement) on Nov. 2, changed. 1976. political philosophy of which wifeVancouver Status of Women membeating is but one expression. Only ber Arlene Gropper and Joyce Marvin when this political crime is not investigate the alternatives for the simply a matter of male-female sex- battered woman. Where can she go? ual politics but reflects the domin- The police consider 'family disturbance' calls trivial matters. In a ation of our society by those who exploit the many for the profit of recent six-month period in Vancouver a few. As long as our social dethey bothered to make written reports cisions are being made on the basis on only 17% of such calls. And locally, of what is humane, the wife-beater only a few cases ever do reach the has a whole arsenal behind him. As courts. Gropper and Marvin quote a a feminist lawyer puts it, "A judge JP's remark: " Most charges by battered isn't going to put a guy who makes women are withdrawn at a later date a living in jail and his wife on and besides, these are private matters welfare. In terms of the respecbetween a man and a woman.." 12 Where can a woman go? An extensive study of wife-battering in the Vancouver area in the fall of '76 indicated that well over half of the women contacted Emergency Shelters, Transition Houses, Crisis Centres and the Vancouver Status of Women. Almost a quarter of the cases in this Vancouver study contacted Vancouver Transition House. Of the 330 women contacting the Transition House, 180 had to be turned away because of lack of facilities. Credit Kinesis (Vancouver Status of Women) ip 111 11111111t(111100 Alm "Why get drunk and beat up your wife? Your co-ordination is so much better when you're sober." 111104) 41111!041 Locally 1 1 1 1 I I The following was contributed by Lucy Rissanen_of a L.I.P. project (social support for Native People) ending in July who asks for public assistance in finding homes for 16 native women and their 38 children. Case 1 -Native women, 8 children. -came to Thunder Bay, Oct. 75 first person in city Crisis Homes. S.S.F.N.P. found them a home - a slum. Rats in basement, frozen water lines, drains clogged, unsafe steps, windows broken, etc. Application to O.H.C. not successful, has money for rent; feels children a cause for discrimination. -sister Hilda arrives, 6 children husband abusive, burn marks on body, held over a stove. City Welfare says 'Go home - not out Children responsibility'. temporarily at C.A.S. Upset, emotional problems, one child disturbed. Woman ready No money, forced to give up. to return to brutality if no place found. Daughter arrives with baby. If you can help, phone 623-0391 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �A Memory Forever:Rape seemed like there was a crowd all taking turns. I cried out but to I will never forget the time I no avail. Quickly, one locked his was raped. It was a nightmare. It thighs around my head. I started was after work, around six o'clock to vomit and cry and kick out but and I was walking home with an asthey pinned my whole body down and sociate of mine, Kevin. We'd been the assault continued on. working together for seven months It seemed like an eternity before and he seemed nice enough, wellthey finished and then they left. mannered, polite and attractive. As I lay there looking through a All the-way home, we told jokes, veil of dirt and tears, I recognized talked about our jobs, ourseltes one of them. It was Kevin. I screamand some trivia. We separated at his ed and pounded the earth, wishing I bus stop and then I was alone to were dead. After I was all cried out walk home. I wasn't scared, since I got up and saw that there was no thought of rape entered my mind, blood across my stomach and running and besides, it wasn't dark. To get down my thighs. Deep, dark bruises to my house, I had to cross a field, swelled about my arms and my back used as a short-cut, cross the drive hurt violently. I traced my fingers way and I would be home. over my face and felt it was wet, A group of boys were walking puffy and sticky with blood. through as I entered the field. They Struggling to get up, I vomited came closer and I was thinking about again and headed home just a short what kind of a snack I'd make myself way ahead. I was so close to safety, before supper, when all of a sudden so close. I walked into the living I heard a high crack and fell to the room and everybody stared. My mother ground. screamed, my two young brothers cried, I fell on my face and as I tried and my sister ran to the phone. to get up, I was hit again. SomeThe result of the trial was that where, as if echoing in my mind, I Kevin was acquitted; I and my family heard laughter and shouting and were humiliated right out of town. felt blows to my arms and face. It Kevin's story was that he'Walked me A MEMORY FOREVER. home and I enticed him - there were no other people. By Julie Stojko This article was submitted as fiction from a young author from Terrace Bay. Her insight will, we hope, find more exposure in the Northern Woman Journal in the future. RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE III NEM I con't I EMIR 11 MEM II MIMI II MEM MOM from pg 7 ny neighbour - no charges laid Physical abuse while on holiday 1974, thrown from car with thre killing me - damage dome to rig leg and hip - inflamed hip join required several weeks of treat from chiropractor. Has damaged broken furniture, punched hoLe bedroom wall, deliberately dri erratically when angry, making suffer emotionally. Has used f and abusive language against me times for which there was no re IREGARDING TURNER VS TURNER MENTAL CRUELTY Spent several weeks at Hollywood Hospital for nerves - unable to remember date, but hospital would have records. Complete mental and physical breakdown at age 28 - largely caused by harassment and cruelty by husband plus physical abuse of boy we were to adopt. I called the Welfare and had the child removed 1 from our home before the situation could worsen. I . THUNDER BAY RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE The Centre is not permanently located at McKellar Hospital. Our new address and phone number: THUNDER BAY RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT CENTRE McKellar Hospital, Box 47 Thunder Bay, Ont. P7E 1G6 623-3220 (answering service) The phone is handled by an answering service. A Centre member will return the call within 24 hours. We are getting ready to print our educational package and to distribute brochures throughout the city. A general meeting was held Feb.8 at Confederation College to acquaint more people with the Centre and to recruit new volunteers. The turnout was far less than expected but we hope that those who attended will pass information along to others. We plan to hold a workshop later this month to prepare volunteers for the activities that the Centre will be undertaking, especially for victim support and speaking engagements. Further notices of the workshop will be sent out soon. The Centre still needs many volunteers. Even if you have only limited time available but are willing to support us in the activities of the Centre, please call. We especially need volunteers who have time available during daytime hours. The Centre is preparing a resource library on rape and we will gladly make this information available to anyone wanting it. Spent 6 weeks in Riverview Hospital under care of Dr. Adler - received 6 shock treatments while there. At at later date, I received 6 more shock treatments at Royal Columbian Hospital as an out patient under Dr. R. Harrington, Psychiatrist, at whose office I attended for some time I also spent another week at Riverview Hospital at a later date for nervousness, at my own request be!cause of the pressures and home situation. At present I am under ' care of two doctors re: nervous'ness, due to stress of the situation at hand. On two occasions I was deserted by him - no charges laid. IHe also tried to stop the adoption of the child Shawn on his last desertion, but it had already been completed. im Was forced sexually - even to point where I was fearful of h I had major surgery and still stitches - admitted he had mar to make sex legal - used force times to the point where I COU respond and would fight him off self defense. Fired service revolver in house first year on police force - I also had to struggle with him s times since for his gun. Many incidents too numerous to menti but all equally cruel. During the entire period of mar to him I cared for the children him in the best way I knew, and made sure his home was in the b possible order, with no thought ever committing any wrong again him deliberatellair otherwise. im Elm= I Nom O MOM ;PHYSICAL CRUELTY Has made a number of threats on Emy life - has threatened suicide on numerous occasions. We spent approx. 31/2 years in marriage 1 1 o counselling. I found that when I 'began to become more independent as a person, he began to become more i owards me. Physical attack 1964 - police called II MIMI I MINIM 5 William (Bill) Cook previousl quitted of a rape charge has charged with attempted rape. wishing to attend his court c do so on June 13th at the cou house. 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CONT I NUED FROM PAGE 10 Does this mean we should not fight We No, not at all. for equal pay'? should always fight for what is rightbut we should also keep fully ours; our analysis clear. Women aren't oppressed because they are paid less money for equal work (which is the implication of the "economic issue" approach), they are paid less money for equal work because they're oppressIn the first case, the focus is ed. on economic advancement as a way of overcoming oppression (that's 7why liberals refer to a woman with a successful career as 'liberated') and this tends to be individually advanceIn the second case the ment oriented. focus is on political power building as a way of both fighting for and securing economic advancement and this tends to be collectively oriented. The point is that economic equality for all women can never be achieved without political power. ever. It almost seemed like a logical divsion of labour, at least for the time being. And so, radical feminists temporarily left the fight for jobs now to the liberals, and the fight for socialism to the male left and their non-feminist women. Jobs and socialism didn't follow. standards It doesn't seem to make a damn bit of difference where we are in the labour force, what sphere we move in or what position we occupy, compared to men it's a less advanIf we're in an alltageous one. female occupation we make less money than comparable male occupations; if we're in an all-male occupation we make less money than the men in If we work in the that occupation. factories or the universities we occupy the bottom rung. Actually it comes as no surprise to anyone that the labour force is segregated, one only wonders at the 0 consistency with which segregation If one has a has been maintained. feminist ideal that men and women should work side by side in all fields then one is shocked at how pervasive the sexual division on jobs still But it is not immediately apparis. THE WORK ISSUE IN THE EARLY WOMEN'S ent that these things are the result LIBERATION MOVEMENT of oppression, discrimination, polIf the liberals are at least paritics and power. We saw how separtially responsible for the lack of ated men and women were in the labprogress of women in the labour force our force and now jobs remain divmarket it is interesting to recall ided by sex into "men's" and "women's" that from the start of the movement with women's being synonomous with the job issue was their special prolow pay, low status, low importance, vince. At various times there have etc. My initial attraction to the movebeen laws and written company rules ment had little to do with the questClearly enforcing this pattern. ion of job discrimination. My initia] However, when the pattern persists was toward the radicals who were during times without such laws, concentrating on general feminist three possible explanations are left. political theory, "raising consciousEither the continuing segregation This just seemed more importness". patterns, the relentlessly continant and a matter of top priority uing segregation patterns, are atHOW SEGREGATION WORKS AGAINST WOMEN the first step toward further changes. tributed to nature, a natural diviThere Ages a general wariness in the The first thing we see is a dual sion of labour based on abilities beginning of the Movement toward labour force. Men and women might and inclinations, as the conservative getting too caught up in single issue work in the same labour force but anti-feminists would say; or to tradiquestions before the basic groundthey are separated for all practical tion and education as the liberals work had been laid, and I think that purposes1by the work they do. For say; the tradition in society wherestrategy proved to be correct. instance, women make up the majority by both men and women each learn and There were differences in interest of clerical workers while men make play their different, respective regarding the job arena. The left up the majority of craftsmen and fore- "sex roles", or to the fact that said socialism first and all else men. Women make up the majority of women are being kept out of men's will folloW. The liberals said jobs household workers while men make up jobs by discrimination and exploit,The first, and all else will follow. the majority of managers and admination, by force without laws, for questions of housework, child care, istrators. And the division becomes the benefit of some against the would all be altered once sex, etc. even more sharply delineated when we interests of others. But radical good jobs came through. look within job categories. That division of labour is based feminists looked at countries where In the professional field: Women are on natural abilities, is disproved women were making more progress in nurses and teachers, men are doctors, by history as well as a review of jobs than the U.S. and countries lawyers, scientists,draftsmen. The division of other cultures. which had socialism, and all else In the service occupations: Women labour has changed. When babies They looked at wasn't following. are cooks, nurses' aides and waitresses were born at home, without instruthemselves, some of whom had good men are bartenders, guards, firemens. ments and all the formalities now jobs, and all else wasn't following. policemen and detectives.... attendant on it, delivering babies Among managers and proprietors: Women was natural for a woman; she was Radical feminists knew there were other basic and important things to operate small retail establishments, called a midwife. Then the Chamberbe done to win women's liberation in men manage manufacturing plants and lain family invented forceps, sold addition to fighting for socialism wholesale outlets. the idea to the Medical College of The first and immediaEE and jobs now. Even in the same occupation men Amsterdam to which only men were need 'was to raise feminist conscious- and women are in different positions. admitted, and it suddenly became nesssorganize a power base,and deal In teaching, women are concentrated natural for men to deliver babies. with women's oppression within the in the elementary levels while men Canning and preserving food used to family (Housework, sex, child care) monopolize the college and university be very much a woman's job before and the so-called body issues (abort- faculties. the invention of canning machinery ion, false beauty standards and cloth.Well, so what? Men and women work which made food preparation a paying ing requirements). at different types of jobs. The sigMen took it over then, business. Neither the liberal feminists nor nificant factor is not that the jobs although they still employed women the left were working on these very are- different, out what that differin their factories. basic feminist issues and many actamounts to. In each and every jab They seemed to ually opposed them. category listed above the compare be taking care of other issues howable "woman's job" commands-less pay than the male version, is generally less prestigious, opens up fewer opportunities for advancement and is generally not the kind of work thought highly of by society's O CAN'T IN NEXT ISSUE 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �-fitintse These were long days, the days I learned to live with silence. I was not used to this ticking of the clock Outside the winin such a vacuum. only the dow it was still dark; stars remained cold and unwinking before the dawn. My young husband had left for the bush; he will be the sleigh there till nightfall; tracks he left behind him are like The pencil-shadings in the snow. The pot-bellied stove house is warm. sends out comforting waves of heat. The kerosene lamp sits among the There was remains of breakfast. a hearty good breakfast for my provider this morning, I gathered four eggs from the six hens yesterday. I Do they know how grateful I am? may get none today, though I will probably visit the nests a halfdozen times before the day is over. This is my first winter away from Funny, I never thought about home. It just came - such a food there. It was such quantity of everything. a chore gathering eggs and cleaning How I them to sell at the market. hated washing the cream separator, with its fifty-two discs - Ugh! But the cream, thick and yellow - how we lavished it on everything! Will I ever again make a proper tea biscuit? I shake the nostalgia out of my mind and set about the chores of the She The cow has to be milked. day. is almost dry, heavy with calf, but still she shares - patiently chewing her cud while I burrow my head in her There is a small piglet in flank. the straw, squealing for his breakI never use soap in my dish fast. water and I keep up a running conversation, reminding him it's coming with chop in it too. Now some grain for the chickens and I'm back in the house and it's daylight. day I bring the water up to a decent level to sustain the laundry and bathing needs. One never knows when a blizzard will make every movement outside the door a hazard. To have wood in the shed and water in the barrel is of prime importance. I sing a great deal these days, sing and whistle through my teeth and learn to carry on long and animated In short conversations with myself. I became good friends with myself and have enormous confidence in my ability to hold up half of the sky, as they But each time my husband say now. leaves, I know that moment of being abandoned, isolated, set adrift in silence with only my own resources to I must sternly remind sustain me. myself that money pays the taxes and we need another cow. As the day passes I want everything done that would deThis is my first house; I came prive me of his company, hay in the here in July. The first night I It spent here was my wedding night. barn for the horses, the cow milked, We moved the bed the animals fed and his supper ready rained all night. four times and finally slept under for the table. I glow and sparkle as the staircase. How fortunate we were if every moment of the day has been I want to be praised to have been part of the make"do gen- high adventure. and appreciated and marvelled at, but eration, a board here and there a bit of roofing off an old shed, a lot I soon learn I've done nothing specof laughing, a lot of loving and very tacular. I just pulled my weight as little of anything else! As evidence indeed he has done. The business of of our maturity, we had planted some survival is a serious one. Any spirit garden in the spring and now if the of adventure is my own fantasy and not potatoes don't freeze and the hens The period of foolishness shared. keep laying, we have high hopes for is behind us and I am expected to The white pine floor the future. share a common anxiety, a general I scrub it is unfinished but white. pessimism for the future. What a when I am bored, when I am mad and thorn in the side, in the midst of It is also an era that seemes to hold so little when I have excess energy. as bare as the house itself. An old promise - to be saddled with one who cast iron cookstove that leaks ashes persists in thinking that in spite of The all obstacles we are even now living in the oven, shines with pplish. homemade table has bright oilcloth. in paradise! The chairs are benches and the cupboards are orange crates, but the A story from the Herstory committee curtains on the windows have hours of cross-stitching on their sugar bag hems. With the dishes washed and the bed neat, I begin the daily chore of melting snow in the barrel behind the kitchen stove. Heating water and piling the snow in the barrel, each I herstory is not the ascent of women up the I i token poles of this society ; the crucial women ! are the millions who never become famous INN/ Alm, Mom' I/ gcrt is' a 01 ...mit 4, ...NV I 4,411, ( Sstift-tLtituct,t±y its' 65rers; l i I 31.)110 Soos geor .0a geom. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CONFERENCE is difficult to believe that CONTINUEDthisIt Working Women's Conference was The excitement and enthusiasm which we all felt as we joined in the Conference on Working Women was a heartening indication that large numbers of women in Thunder Bay are ready to take on new responsibilities. I joined in a workshop about women and unions and heard nurses, factory workers, seamstresses and postal workers discuss their common problems and decide on how they could pool efforts to overcome them. I am leaving this conference with a renewed faith in the capabilities It has been a delight to of women. be invited to participate in the work that the women (and men) of this community are doin to change the circumstances of their lives. The sucess of the conference is a tribute to the organizers, a sign that the time is ripe for change and a source of hope for women throughout Ontario. With thanks, Evelyn Gigantes RESOLUTIONS d) enough guaranteed annual income for homemakers to allow them security and dig- and carried at f the Working nity. Labour Relations g arbitration negotiations nion security first contract. ployment Standards ers to show ssal and to emnstate employees 5. Recommended that women work towards elimination of wage controls; and that this conference endorse the C.L.C. 10 point program which together comprise a positive programme to fight i nflation and relieve the related soci al problems: - A major program of subsidized lowrental housing for low-income fam- tract workers be on to make it ized to take benefits now employees. - Effective rent controls covering not only existing house structures but also new rental accommodations to curb gouging of tenants. - An active program to curb land speculation and to establish land ilies. Pension Plan now discrimin- P. available to uting homemakers amount of spouses ilable to the wed women eligible pecurity at 60 e under the same as married women . banks. - Subsidized mortgage rates for lo4er income families to enable them to purchase homes. - Regulation of oil and gas prices which has seriously fuelled inflation. - a negative income tax, or some form of tax credits, to protect those who have little or no bargaining power and who fall into lower income brackets. - An increase in old age pensions the first one that most of the committee members had organized. They did a superb job of coordinating The speakers, the the arrangements. workshops, the accomodation and food were exactly what was needed to inThe sure a really good conference. delegates knew this from the first moment of Evelyn Gigantes' key-note The same enthusiasm and address. active participation marked the workshops and the rest of the weekend's Many women met others with program. similar interests, made contacts for further action and learned new skills I expect there will be continued action to help women in the Thunder Bay area. I made some wonderful new friends and met some of my favourite old ones Thank you for inviting me and giving me such a wonderful welcome. I think there will be some very effective lobbyists from this area - and some good role players and actors too! Kay Macpherson Vice-President, National Action Committee on Status of Women - A definite guarantee that any tax concession made to corporations will be used for investment purposes to create jobs and not end up in higher payments of dividends. - Full employment policies to abolish the high rate of jobless in this country. - A stable monetary policy in line with potential economic growth and the total eradication of wasteful government expenditures which benefit only a privileged group at the expense of the ordinary taxpayers. 6. A chapter of Organized Working Women be established locally - committed to educate women more effectively to move their unions to address themselves to women's issues (day care, equal pay) and to recognize their responsibilty to organize the unorganized women. 7. The practise of excluding Native people from English as a Second Language courses now taught is discriminatory and should be changed. 8. The teaching of Labour History in Canadian Studies should be promoted in the high schools - with assistance from Thunder Bay Labour Council by way of books and speakers. 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Canada pr...a. Poet I 1°` Bulk En nombre third troisieme claw dense 220 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 BAY ST. THUNDER BAY P, ONT. Return Postage Guaranteed Editorial Letters Poetry Equal Credit Opportunity Plea to Ombudsman Working Women's Conference New Ways of Keeping Women out of Paid Labour - Part 11 Decade Council Report Crisis Homes A Glimpse of the Past 2 I 3 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 15 People who did this issue: Thyra, Gert, Eve, Pat, Noreen, Lynn, Marg, Florence Want to get involved? PLEASE LET US KNOW. Call 345-5841 weekdays HAVE YOU MOVED? (We must pay return postage to keep Free to single-parent families up our mailing list) Free to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 3 No 4 Description An account of the resource Vol. 3, No. 4 (1977) Title: The Northern Woman Journal Topics include: Working Women’s Conference Equal credit opportunities Women’s Credit Union Letters to the editor Woman of the Year Maria (Kenora Business & Professional Women) Lorraine Smith (Ear Falls) elected for Ontario Status of Women Council Class-action lawsuit against NYPD by abused wives to whom they refused assistance Poetry Metro Toronto Women’s Credit Union Women & the law/Sexism in law Family property law Returning to work after raising children Housewive’s Workshop @ Working Women’s Conference Women as “cheap labour” in the formal market Housewives not receiving pension Keeping women out of paid labour Systemic underpayment of women Lack of protection for low-paying jobs Job discrimination as a political problem Women’s Decade Council Atikokan Division of Matrimonial Property (Bill 140 - Family Assets System) Greater need for crisis homes Women’s welfare Women’s economic dependence on men Housing for Indigenous women & their children Rape testimonal Rape & sexual assault centre Mental & physical cruelty/abuse Authors/Contributors: Elizabeth Janeway Nora Rodd (Toronto, letter to the editor) Ruby Roulston (Abbotsford, BC., letter to the editor) Chris Torre (Webequie, ON, letter to the editor) Judi Gough (Sault Ste. Marie, ON, letter to the editor) Rosemary Shuhlawry (Thunder Bay, ON, letter to the editor) Jane S. (letter to the editor) Kate (Thunder Bay, ON, letter to the editor) Eve Merriam J. Pierre Colleen Aube Gert Beadle Marge Piercy Deirdre Hamill Sheila DesChenes Janet Craig-James Lillian E. Turner Florence Richard Colleen Price Lucy Rissanen Julie Stojko Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2746/1977_Vol_3_No_3.pdf bec7b2d4e1b72d0eeb004dbbe3136dbb PDF Text Text NORTHERN WOMEN JOURNAL VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 500 WORKING ./774; WOMAN ISSUE PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �editorial OPEN HOUSE Open house at The Northern Women's Centre is a ritual and this year Starting at two is no exception. pm. we begin arriving together and singly, loaded with good food and the Old faces and stuff of the spirit. new faces blend into a tapestry of One has occasion loving solidarity. to ponder the significance of this house of women, where having stepped 0 in College Canada became on January a reality 12th in when Con. ()Moo ials from the Credit Union Central S The Second Women's Credit Union r, all pessimism vannsions dissipate and are ntagious hilarity. It will be known as : League presented a charter to an 0 enthusiastic group of 35 committed Ontario Women's Credit PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Daar People; We like your work and would like We would to trade subscriptions. also like to trade the right to reprint articles, with the provision that proper credit be given. We are hoping that this will meet with your approval and that you will favour us with an early reply. Yours very truly, Dear Friends, Your periodical is to be mentioned in our resource guide in preparation, "Non-sexist Teaching Materials and Approaches", as a recommended resource for Teachers/ Learners against sexism. With relation to this: We are also in the process of putting together a mobile exhibition of a selection of the materials and publications which appear in "Nonsexist Teaching Materials and Approaches", to tour Teacher's Centres, Colleges, Conferences, etc. If you should wish "Northern Woman" to be included in this exhibition could you send two or three assorted issues for display, plus a number of subscription forms so that potential subscribers need have no difficulty in ordering? Many thank's for your kind look forward to your attention. Jeanne Georgeso:1 Apple Cider Press Dear L.E.D. Please contact the Northern Women's Centre, 622 3989, on Tuesday or Friday. Someone there may be able to help you concerning your enquiries. In sisterhood, Northern Woman Journal L Dear People; attended It's two weeks since the rap session at the Northern am at anchor Woman centre. Here for an indefinite period--evidently no one wantsNo.1 feed barley. Seeing all of you,such divergent personalities working to-gether for a common cause has sustained my drooping spirits. Perhaps Sisterhood still lives in the outlying areas. It certainly doesn't in our urban centres. Meeting all of you was such a shot in the arm- it gave me the courage and inspiration to hang in I . 'NEWS RELEASE 'NEWS o o The 1976 edition of the "Direc- ! o o storyof Community Services" is now i reply. The Directory: joint :o :available. Very Sincerely, o endeavour of the City of Thunder :endeavour o Bob White :Bay and the Lakehead Social Planning. New Childhood Press :Council, provides information con- -: London, England :cerning the many community services : :available in Thunder Bay - health, : o :social services, and recreation o : :agencies, citizen groups and com0 The 1976 :munity organizations. o Directory contains over 440 listings: 0 there. A new inclusion in the 1976 o The ship remains an uphill Directory is the "media resources" : shall be glad to get off battle-section, which outlines the services: in about five weeks,go home for two This : offered by Thunder Bay media. and then get down to the theory of : Dear Sisters; listing is provided as a guide so navigation. When woman embraces . that community organizations may o It's always a nice rush to receive feminism her sensibilities sharpen make the most effective use of the It reminds me the Northern Woman. considerably. Being submerged in a media resources available to them. of Thunder Bay women and the year : business andisindividual: male chauvenist enviroment is hell. guess this spent withAgencies, them have to found thewith Directory to: The further dimension of racism a belatedcitizens love letter those had isolated doesn't help either. $ be a most valuable information recan't And was involved. whom myself from the "real" world for so Directory, which sells think of source. a better The person to convey find the adjustment very long that $3.00 the love at than you.per copy, may be obtained hard. There was nothing in my "haute from astonishes the Lakehead It always me Planning to see a Council Bourgeoise" colonial up-bringing to George St. Crisis or from the City page-long409A report on the think we prepare me for this. For further Hall Information Desk. Houses - that they actually exist. feminists have not done enough prosinformation please And yet they were such a bigcall partthe Lakehead have been elytizing. For myself, Planning Council at 623-7071. of my life. content to sit around with people of Please continue sending the like minds and forget that the Northern Woman to big, bad Toronto "movement" has not touched 65% in any rg Phillips it feels good. way. In Toronto, we labour under not ecutive Director ...we*. Love, only a gay-straight split but a Mary Tomlinson main-stream-counterculture split, a I I I I I I I I I I I ..q, radical-political split etc.etc. realize now that the section calling for reform of the system has to join hands with those calling for restructuring of roles;rhose advocating revolution have to dialogue with those calling for an autonomous" movement" for women. It's Got to be"rumps in .. horns out". will be able to cope hope with the isolation better next June. Next time we come into Thunder Bay I are six new subscriptions l. As these woman only to glance at my copy, y would appreciate it scription started with for distribution least some of you to I I again.(I am going to save my pennies for a trip toThunder Bay in March PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Had Myself a Merry AU I want OA Chtiztmaz iz myset4 Just wrap me up and give me back to me Flom ancient myth and custom zet me 6tee I'm not a tinset angel on your Chtiistmaz ttee /'m just a hungry zeatchet Sot my own teatity Who zees the 4habby pnomize in thiz 6a -be equatity Can't you zee the giSt I'm &teaming oS lz giving me to me with Love. Gent Little Christmas THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS T' waz the night beiote Chitiztmaz when out oS -the notth, A 4tesh wind was btowing Sot att it waz worth. Fot Etma Ctauz had Santa Ctauz down upon the Stoot, She'd taken Uiendo Sot a yeah and wasn't passive anymore. She took hiz ttouzeAz and h-L cap and zttoked away hiz beard, Not heeding att hiz wild ptotezt that beatdtezz men. wee Seated. She btew a zingte pietcing note that onty sistets heat, And hold "Come thtow this tascat out to pasture with hiz deep" They ttazhed the peas tic toots wan and all the Batbie DottZ The sound oS cheeting zptit the ait and echoed thtongh the hat's. Only cuddly things were saved and beauty Sot the spit it Such things ad open up the mind or gave some meaning to it. They carted on Doe and Fawn, come Nettie and come Jean, Come Hitdegatd and ALUzon, Noreen and Getatdine They broke the ctockz o' 90 ptooS and tan them in the snow Untie. they made azkating link at Sotty-Sive below, Because they knew that Santa Ceauz and alt hiz metty men Would tie one on to cetebtate the Sight they didn't win. Down on the planet oS wanly and din The mothers .lay steeping tight as a stAing Fat that heathy Ho Ho! that tang through the snow Always nailed up the box she was in. When out oS the darkness she heard a zoSt voice tee choice" "Deco. Mothet, I bring you the git oi "Your chadten ate greedy, your mattiage hum-dtum, Stoned with regret and Valium, So I give you the ikeedom to {gorge gout own key To open the door to equatity. Yout edges ate tattered,' you're .Less than a whole Sweet mother, the giSt I give L6 gout soul. The 6athet was zobet, the chitdten dizmayed, Something went wrong with the peans they had made. They looked £n the iiteptace and up on the ArIq And pund -the' -the trace oS a deticate hooS And night there beside it, as plain as could be Was a print Stom the heel oi a 61/2 B. Wet they ztatted to cuddle the cuddly toys, Fot cuddeing's a pleasure Son both gittz and boyz. Now Sather who saw thete were Sew Chtiztmaz biJXs Turned glad in a (.lash, .looked in his wallet And Sound there some cash. "Come, sweetheatt" he cried "Leave thiz toiling behind" I'm slanting to pay what the {y amity owes ya, By soinging Sot steaks at the Ponderosa!" "Oh! Thank you, thank you Etma Ceauz The chadten heard het say "Fot giving back the thing I .Los -t, Th.to .lovely Cht-iztmaz Day." Gent Beadle :. o r o oWho did this issue: o Gert, Eve, Thyra, Marg, Noreen,: o o o Lynn, Peggy, Faye. o o o o a career? How come nobody ever asks a man how he manages to combine marriage and .0 Pg 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ALONE I cty out in sell pity But they say, in that, I bind no answet. I cty out qtaid I say nothing that I'LL be passed by I won't be able to Oa ative Just passing by unta I die. P. W. I woad Love to go and see alt the wondens there coact be in this would 16 I were attowed to be the person I woad Zike to be. THE RAPE POEM To do the things 1 Like to do. and go where I woad tike to tee Land of ouits but in this It is not attowed. We must con6oAm We must do as tad to be accepted we Ballow out own minds but we ate outcast by the system becauae we ate to be seen not hewed, It £4 ea -Let to, be oppressed it takes nej enetgy but to stand and speak out Loud takes stamina and couitage and ptobabty an eternity. Until the whole woted changes and men zee and accept us as we ate witt we escape being squeezed into a mold o6 someone ea-5y to Live with. Thyta WHAT HAPPENS WHEN What happens when youWant to try and undetztand yout Zi4e, when aft. around you they ask why you stUt ate not a wiie. POETRY ARE WE HERE TO: west pink dress es play with dotes, don't maize messes wash the watts. play with gitts not with boys, have cute cuffs don't make noise. go to schools be nice and sweet, Leann gift's tines stay very neat. don't be tough thAow no kisses, don't be tough change to Mts. Do ate these things and never vary, God help you please you'll ptobabty maw. Eve What happens when you try to tee them and stite they wonder why, It makes you want to stomp and yett and maybe even cry. From what I heat and what I tead husbands aren't that great, I don't want to sound too cruel but I think I'd tathet wait. Eve. There is no difference between being raped and being pushed down a fligh t of cement steps except that the wounds also bleed inside There is no difference between being raped and being run over by a truck except that afterwards men ask if you enjoy ed it. There is no difference between being raped and losing a hand in a mowing machine except that doctors don't want to get involved, wear a knowing smirk, the and in small towns you become a veteran whore. There is no difference between being raped and being bitten on the ankle by a rattlesnake except that people ask if your skirt was short and why you were alone anyhow. There is no difference between being raped and going head first through a windshield except that afterwards you are afraid not of cars but half the human race. The rapist is your boyfriend's brother. He sits beside you in the movies eating popcorn. Rape fattens on the fantasies of the normal male like a maggot in the garbage. THE RIVER artily The tivet we had known as blue Has funned to mud much too soov Eat it was beauti6we and btight But now it is an aw6wf sight And boats that have gone by Have said their -fast good-bye. To the tivet which was blue Has died much, much too soon What a shame it Ka'S to you Daddy since it's no Long et deep blue FOA the teams on his ace Feet sontow Got the mistakes of the things people do To the smatt tivet once blue. Pg 5 Colleen, Aube Age 14 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Bears make the difference In most of the personal stories have come across, the author appears to dwell on the pure joy of the experience or takes the martyristic attitudes describing the persecutions in detail. found that could not stick to either route, as my emotions have always seemed to bounce around, like a child on a trampoline, hitting all the highs and lows, with an occasional pause for coffee break. Once had decided to relate the experience of moving to the country, debated on who would appreciate the effort. Certainly not most of the people who live jn the country, as they have come to grips with it and live quite comfortably in their chosen locations. As for the confirmed city dweller, my story would probably not in the least encourage her to 'come over to the rural side of life'. suppose the only reason have for writing this, is a feeling have, that somewhere there is someone who feels the same way as I, and it might be beneficial to her to know that there are at least two of us stumbling around on this earth I'm not a country girl, nor did ever expect to become one. We had talked of moving to the country but felt safe after making the stipulation that would consider only moving to either of two relatively unobtainable locations. As per usual a wife should never underestimate the determination of a man bent on following a dream and found out that one of my locations was not quite so unattainable. So under BY PATRICIA SHAW reminiscent of highschool days, cheering on the football team and think that draw them out of the ground a little higher each day, just wishing. Crooked little rows, maybe, but there's going to be a whole lot of boasting going on if they ever make it to the pot. The prophets of doom over the past six months have been placing bets on the length of my stay; the general consensus is that the first sign of a bear would most likely be the last sign of me. I, of course, reassured them, along with myself, that we would most likely never see a bear. Naturally, as with most of my predictions, out came the bear (not too big, but not too small) right up to the garbage cans. Now, if bears weren't called bears, they'd be called litterbugs and don't know if what felt at the sight of him was actual fright or indignation at the nerve of him as he spread garbage all over the area that had been working on. presume the bear assumed that this had been bear country long before it had been people country and that he had as much right to be there as anyone. called the Lands and Forests in my attempt to determine who would be the boss of my back yard. It had yet to be decided who would leave and who would stay. A trap was set and two days later, the bear was caught. As went towards the cage, the bear raged from fits of growling and banging to calmer spells when he just sat and shook. The only previous time had seen a bear, he had been in a zoo and that sight had sparked little interest in me and certainly no emotion, but as watched this pathetic animal trapped in his own environment, had to keep speaking softly to the bear to calm him. It is unsettling to find yourself over and over experiencing new emotions, compassion for the bear, kinship to strangers and awareness of nature. After years of feeling that had it all together, there is quite an adjustment to be made. I've come to know that nothing can shatter your sophistication like moving to the country. Without realizing it, began to enjoy all those corny old sensations like the songs of birds singing in the trees, the orchestration of choruses of frogs in the evening, the smell of the woods following a rain and the feel of warm sand under my bare feet. The semi-isolation offers you studies in everything, from the nature around you to mind-boggling self-examination. Our city friends' reaction to our move differ considerably from those who come again and again to bask in what they call our wonderland to those who periodically stop by to check on my sanity. I'm finding a change in attitude creeping in, replacing my 'never admit you've made a mistake' with I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 6 d° I I I I I I 414 \Oa Alh I I i toit a feeling of smug satisfaction when someone raves over the beauty and tranquillity of it all. One day as was riding through an old and busy section of the city, was surprised to find myself visualizing the people rushing up and down the street as scurrying ants methodically carrying on the repetitions of life without pausing to ask: "What is it all about?" Just lately drove down a street where a young woman had paused a few moments to sit on her steps in the sun and felt as if were intruding on someone sunbathing at the side of the road. felt an odd sympathy for her because she didn't have my privacy, or beautiful view, and had only the noise of the traffic to accompany her thoughts - a strange reaction from someone who, less than a year ago, was satisfied to sit on her steps for a few minutes' rest from a busy schedule. want you to know that would have never passed an agricultural course (the longest could keep a plant alive was three weeks) so when gardening season hit the area felt as out of place as a skunk at a garden party. My husband's overenthusiasm on the subject only served to dampen my spirits. As the little pots of seedlings began to clutter the house, up came the old defences and spent most of the time figuring out how not to have anything to do with it at all. Our first attempt at gardening last year, through inexperience and neglect, had turned My the yard into a disaster area. response to the commotion around me was that this year's endeavour would only result in a more spectacular failure, though at the climax we may be able to declare ourselves bankrupt farmers and seek some tax relief. Like a person who enjoys what he is doing, my husband planted with precision and was aghast when the corn had scattered around popped from the ground in rows showing no sign of uniformity at all. originally felt resentment for the little green beasts that are causing me so much trouble, but like most things out here, am watching in awe as they grow. Sometimes get a feeling I ,/ I the old whither thou goest' rule of thumb, become a rural resident. After a combination of triumphs, tears, hard work and plain good luck, our home was built and we moved in. Adjusting from six months of feverish activity to daily routine can, at the best of times be difficult, but when it occurs just as the long winter white settles in and most of the neighbours are going into hibernation, the results can be almost disastrous. And crashed into this period with a loud thud. January and February have always been my blue months, but this year cartwheeled through them alternating between deep depression and near hysteria. When, at last, drops of water began seeping from the ice on the roof, had to give realized that up the good fight and at least reconcile myself to the fact that here was, and here would likely stay. Probably the most confusing emotions came as watched the rest of the family really enjoying their new life while was being squeezed and prodded into the niche that had been designed for me by another. Fortunately, have learned in the last little while, that when you ' I I I I I I I I I I relax your defences, it is possible p g6 to stumble over a little pleasure. I I I I C1:34If o 444P40.. I 4 CPO I I I I Someone else could probably have written a better story of living in the country. There are a lot of women born to country life or women who have made the transition more gracefully. The conflict between being manoeuvred by another person's vision and the determination to fit into his plans is still going on inside of me. know that have to find a way to be my kind of person yet follow his kind of dreams and make it our kind of life. There's a long way to go before the conversion is complete. can't sniff the air for a hint of frost; don't have hayseed in my hair and you wouldn't catch me alone outside in the dark if the trees sprouted $10 bills at midnight. But, like the bear, think that belong here. I I I I I I I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �family law reform ONTARIO Two years after the Ontario Law Reform Commission recommended changes in family law, the Ontario goverment has introduced new legislation, which; they claim, will "abolish the last remnants of the married woman's inferior status". The extremely complex new legislation aims at redefining property rights, support obligations, marriage contracts, common-law spouses, and the function of family courts. If the nemilbill is passed, homemakers will automatically be entitled to a part of the marriage estate upon divorce, even if they have not contributed capital directly. This will finally recognise the value of their work and their real contribution to the marriage. Support laws have been revised so that children, even those born outside the marriage, have to be supported until they are sixteen. The concept of support has been extended to cover common-law spouses. After two years of co-habitation, such spouses will be treated as legal marrieds in as much as they will be under the same obligation to support each other and their children as married people will be. This, it is claimed, will remove the stigma from common..law marriages. Sounds great? For years, women have been fighting for an equal distribution of assets upon marriage breakdown. But does this legislation really represent a victory for feminist rights? It does not. It does, however, grant women the 'right' to be equally responsible for the support of their families. This despite the fact that women earn less than men, and are harder hit by the desperate need for daycare. The real thrust of this legislation is not to work towards the true equality of women and men, but to prop up the tottering institution of marriage. Attorney General of Ontario, Roy McMurtry)admitted as much. The new legislation on commonlaw marriages should, he says, "act as an encouragement for common -law couples to regularize their situation by entering a formal marriage". Only then will they be able to enter into contracts outlining rights to property, to support and to the custody and care of children. It is in the interests of our provincial goverments to emphasize the obligations of couples to support each other and their children. It relieves them of the responsibility of providing adequate,social services. "Saving the tax-payers dollar", they call it. Again, Attorney General Roy McMurtry explains: "certainly it is more desir able to place a support obligation on common-law spouses than have a large number of persons who are living common -law looking to public welfare for support instead." More desirable_for whom? Many details of the legislation have yet to be publicized and discussed, but feminists across the country will be checking it out carefully. We have fought too long and hard to be fooled by false promises of equality. The Ontario Tory government cannot hide behind the claim that they are abolishing women's inferior status if all they are really doing is evading their responsibility for providing adequate social services by thrusting the burden of support back upon individual families. Kinesis CANADA THE FAMILY COURT The Law Reform Commission of Canada believes that many family problems could be better handled if a unified family court were to be established. At present, families facing divorce or separation, are channelled through complex court structures and procedures which often prove slow, expensive and even contribute to the already existing emotional tensions arising from marital breakdown. Quite often husbands and wives have to go to a number of different courts at different times to resolve matters concerning property, the maintenance rights and obligations of each spouse, and child arrangements. One family court could and would be capable of dealing with all legal problems that arise from family breakdown. The parties could appear before one judge, a specialist in family matters, and have most of the problems settled at one time. A 'unified family court' would provide public accessibility to information officers, family counsellors and maintenance enforcement officers available. Advice and assistance for spouses attempting to settle their differences, could eliminate much of the now complicated slow and expensive practices of resolving problems. Many family problems might find a better solution if a 'unified family court' were to exist. What do you think? If you have an opinion, write to: Secretary, Law Reform Commission, 130 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 016 ;PP FOR HOUSEWIVES On Oct. 13, 1976, MP Ursula Appolloni of Ontario asked if the Federal government would finally recognize housewives under the CPP during this session of the House. The Honourable Marc Lalonde, Minister of Health and Welfar'e/Minister Responsible for the Status of Women did not confirm when this would happen. On Oct. 29, 1976 MP Lincoln Alexander of Ontario asked if Mr. Lalonde would abandon the new amendments to the CPP plan since the Ontario Status of Women Council had objected to the amendments which would effectively subsidize working women while homemakers would receive less benefits. Mr. Lalonde replied Mr. Alexander was mistaken and he hoped the OSWC would change its mind. On Oct. 14, 1976 MP Iona Campagnolo of BC noted that the new amendments to the CPP, if passed, would ensure that children of the homemaker would be protected in case of her death and the homemaker would also be protected under the CPP against disability, aside from pension benefits. She advises that under the new amendments, the woman who drops out of the labour force to raise children will not be penalized for that period of low or zero earnings in calculating her benefits under the CPP. Kinesis FEDERAL HUMAN RIGHTS On Oct. 25, 1976 The Honourable on Basford, Minister of Justice/ MP Vancouver, in debating the throne speech said he regretted that the newly proposed federal human rights bill had not been passed yet. However it gave him more time to meet with women's groups to consult on amendments. As a result he said he will introduce a greatly improved human rights bill to prohibit discrimination on grounds of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age marital status as well as physically handicapped. He did not, however, say when he would do so. Mr. Basford noted he is now convinced that "equal pay for equal work" is not adequate as a legal clause to protect working women arguing that since most of us are in a job ghetto where no men work, we cannot claim equal pay. Thus he has decided to adopt the definition of "equal pay for work of equal value" as proposed by the International Labour Organization and he said this would be a 'milestone' in the commitment of the Canadian government to women's rights. Basford also said women's groups could congratulate themselves for this change and advised us to press the government now, to pass this bill speedily. However, VSW still has some criticism of the new bill. from Kinesis A woman's place is where she wants to be. A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. Pg 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WORKING WOME CO-SPONSORED BY NW° INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DECADE CO-ORDI FRIDAY- SUNDAY, MARCH 11-13,1977 CIARCl/ // FR/DAY, 11e/co n e. 2e' --z/ ce- ecii/v Ato.--rx /i7/c-,667.-4/5 i/.<ey.-7o71-r 7be n2e/?// 5c2cicil /WA RCP /Z. 5A7711? DAY, 0. .3o -.9 3a a r22 - s-/-47e . 3o /2: 3, -3:49( p- /22 3.. 00 - 30 5-- oo 2 aps WO /---74)25 V/ /ea /y2/00,5/Y-79, - /152/72 of Me /7 a .- Do /-7/ar---67-23c?w //Can //7 o74-' am;,/& ' SI/ A/ PAMARC k/ /-/ d90 a. ,k). Ce3n eve-/y 12 Ar/r2s-4-n,29, 9: 36 Q 7.5" a_ 192 - /77c;-frvce"-ds cr /67"-ar'e yord i/(72:r7f C-07e3)e,c,-. . 3o a. /22 . .5/f /A/ >/oe/47 ow/v p,27. G-77/9;5- REGISTRATION FORM (Merl AcA dress 'Bus- }4orys.e. Tel. Pleckse- 1c51.Rctue--(-- Plectsecial core. C-cree,), rte. oa cirt-arer,(.L.,,r)Ae.r n blVe-A-ivv3 Su,k7sck'cz:inca\ give-x-se.ns tv\-mres i(t=.1r1Gaczi) inn caiex\s:Un \141,\c) S Er NiL FEE= Kal No-re. A,;(:),S Mc,:t 1 -4 \r"i6 01v\ 4 10°-' 5, c'c' *2 cn 4.c) : . no-4- cc-V1/4erdirn ce,h1.Aefi-vv.,evccr.) e, Ci>6.co.te.4-oAic.r. Co F'1 OrvIc) r) r i-nc-15rrno-4:-Lon co .t\ \No rAe-AA -Sp..Aszk't CAS Co 1-Nc-tgaeArtx-6 on Co 1 577-557.5 t Pg 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I'S CONFERENCE COUNCIL t -THUNDER BAi DISTRICT TRADES # LABOUR COUNCIL AT CCVEDERATION COLLEGE LABOUR CENTRE NOP5 WO ge/7/ 4.5 c Ogi / z/ ?y - y pv 05Q/7 0/cyaz z_e-c/- Wha, Nexl- ? 0/917,;t7 - Pa)/ 7zA--7 7/-7/n4/ /off //49(sewiice /17 Pt/e- hic7-K /74 ? Arev-%-/ 4 ,t//- 7isie X706 5/76-A N GIG-ANTE S /t1P,49 /I/cc/47,0,2W .q --e6; e/ GRACE HARTMAIi EVE 49/' C4V2a.d/ a./2 Od-,0/4/ //7,/d/Q05- EVEL>1N ARMsTRoNE-, A(a7;-,20/,*,.;*/--z/,-zzed e doioo&,--d ojz--7o Coe-J/2 / of 46,/opa.//77/-; BERNICE CAIN 10/me/I fs NORM RICPARDS, ,77,--eside#2t /-ew /Kw, .Z,2ie,-/7a7liao/ 70e- gay / /t1 SALT OF EAKTR tv74r 21 /27), ///e-/ -//7 `-7)ave-- ODN'T; GALL- ME SABY be7,7 cry 77o,-):2a.7 ,./1/7/;9 5er-7easy 47 /he /PM c Ii/O/7/e/2 7.5 4r/a..q0,6` a.,7U1 7/./D7',//2.9' 7.5 1,05 teift"7-e'd /df/ /./ 97 PhD /.-en/ 7.%7/7 /776//e t.o /3/7/.5 ki./x; /2-2,Aie a/ccisir0.5 72)),!4/ ,:77-y7Ved h/,b.-i7e,,7 (.5 ..5?-/-eee 2i,=w7 of /2a, 0 on a-/cos7 c/b-ica/s- OPFRAT1ON FINGERP141<\/o/- a/7/z7e,2,9 e-1-p-/--2'ee- 3 .6-777-/-177-. //te-/- a/7ii a&;'e/(//7 '17C7P/ ey ThE AMAZING EQUAL d SHOWP4' .55e.."7 /77o /6 5/ a n7/)2erg ,ae_e_74//i7e- awd .7`-ew/Ca/ o,/_-9/>70/4/ YOU' RE URGED TO PRE-REGISTER! -.4rmw i ncl Vi pho-Lo bl Yeas/ Ala rvi Pg9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �111 horrors! Women)at that!women's While waitBy now, guess the local to get into the mainstream of strike ing is past history - filed away traffic one day,won't one of them astever in dusty archives. us allwas by involved suddenly in throwing forget onished it becabse his car into reverse, when in his this much -publicized dispute which rear view mirror he caught sight was to become known as the "battle a few of us scurrying to safety of the of women versus the doctors". The ecstatic look It was behind one of his the car. most frustrating, of pleasure on revelations his countenance, hilarious, inspiring of made us positive thatand he devhad an my life. My determination orgasm every surprised time he terrified otion to our cause me more us. goodmymany daysand thereafter than itA did family friends. looked would will like neverscenes regretfrom it, the and "French Connection" with tires squealing as do it again. The grandmothers, chased picketers all over the widows,they wives, mothers and daughters parking lot. who spent six months on that line, We heat harboured no grudge against through the of summer, refreshthe patients we accepted ing fall winds, and freezing galestheir need pitted of medical aid.oneMany a day of winter, against of the wasmost spent listenifig to elderly richest, powerful establishments tales all of woe, their lonein the patients' country, would agree. liness, andany their never once heard one concerns of them overillnesses. Perhapsofthey felt expresstheir regret over the wisdom that no one listened to them inside. their choice. HowOne didday this in conflict particular, takea that very nice littleold flame of feminism gentleman stopped think his car, was always flickering inside of me rolled down his window, and-in the and feed it with a fuel so great, middle of the entrance to the parkthat iting islot, roaring furiously launched into now, a sad tale In renever of to his be quashed again? past three operations. As trospect, was up a pattern of slow and cars it piled on the roadside plodding thegrowth main thoroughfare over the months, became bottleof struggles, necked, of we gaining started a topainful get obscene new consciousness, and thenby a furious gradual gestures accompanied joyousmutterings affirmation one which will all of and- shaking fists, never which be denied we couldn't again. understand through closedthe windows. Perhaps first incident Despite that repeated pleas myself and fellow picketshattered myfrom sense of self-worth occurred the course of mynot move, ersduring to proceed, he would daily for duties he had whenfinally heardfound one of a sympaththe 'healers of humanity' confide etic ear. He was finally persuaded in onetoofmove his on most when learned a verycolleagues angry young womanknow pulled her -"I don't why up, theyrolled want adown union, after window, all, we and hirepromptly monkeys here, went up one that'sside why of we us payand them down peanuts!" the other, for Our harrassing polite, apologizing and intimidating picket such a line started sweet old with man. everyone feeling Oh, well---you win somenervous and youand lose somewhat illsome! at ease, We from did have pet peeve, suffering that one chronic diseasehowever. mockery organized men and calledThe guilt - an that affliction parthad ofAstheir we tried tomembership union icularwomen to women. hide behind our crossed picket signs from line.. when they our picket a group of themselves annoying news many werereporters on strike at reflected with popping the time. flashbulbs, Perhaps they would have on howbeen difficult more appreciative it was to ignore of the benefits they enjoy by belonging to xism. After unions if they had all experienced eternal our struggle. y accept think perhaps the action felt MOSES most difficult to accept was how ade around women could betray other women by d with crossing their co-workers' lines. der the Many of the striking women were ks here! single, widowed or single parents. ote Robin Perhaps the women who crossed'the Passage" lines to work throughout the duration ew code of the strike would have joined their need to sisters on the picket line if they ty--".,so had experienced living on one source that soul. of income - clinic wages. Women tion when must learn to realize they will ion we continue to be segregated in deadend low.paying job ghettos until ctors bethey can express solidarity and day. It support for women who are enlightor them ened enough to fight for change. We fter all, can't waste our energies fighting arking each other. lowed As the months wore on, we didn't ion. Come cry as easily as at first. We got years at used to being called bitches, whores can't and phrases like "Go home to your when a kitchens, you sluts!" rolled off treat male our backs like water. We became s female adept at dodging pop cans, beer cans first firecrackers and even human spit. too much We learned what the obscene gesture cept the for every finger on the hand meant. ecided We were bumped by cars, knocked over m.-and by trucks and flipped onto carhoods. One day, a huge brute stopped his I I I I I I I I I I I truck, leaned on the horn and bellowed his desire to drive over the two feet of sidewalk we were standing on, because the fifteen feet of entrance just would not do. These day -today happenings just strengthened our convictions. We could not and would not give up - because we were right. If, in the event of a first contract dispute, no settlement is reached at the end of a six..month strike, the employers can legally hire new employees to fill in the strikersijobs. We wouldn't give them this satisfaction and returned with no protection whatsoever and needed all the toughness and tenacity we had acquired on the picket line. Laws prohibiting discrimination against employees for union activities were all but trampled by these dedicated humanitarians. A book could be written on the repulsive behaviour of some of the employers on our first two days on the job. Half of the thirty-six returning were driven out, and the remaining could easily be outvoted in a decertification vote. This did become a reality a few months later. don't feel any bitterness any more, only pity, and the realization that they aren't gods after all, as they would have us believe. One year later, the remaining dozen or so remember their struggles in silence, but their presence acts as a reminder to those who labour inside. Working conditions and salaries improve daily, although they still have not achieved parity with other women doing the same jobs elsewhere. It has been made a better place for those who follow. My deepest sorrow is for the women who gave their all for what they truly believed in, and had their careers smashed as a result. Revenge is sweet to those who had their absolute power challenged. Despite the scars accumulated by a long battle fought and lost, still believe that women will never achieve economic equality in the work force until they employ the clout of collective action. Earning a decent wage is perhaps one of the most fundamental issues in the women's movement. The shortest route to achieving that end is to organize. My energies will forever be devoted to preaching that litany. I I by a former employee m The L.S.P.C. Annual Meeting will be held Thursday, January 27th at 8 p.m. at the Da Vinci Centre. The meeting is open to the public and a cordial invitation to attend is extended to all citizens. The Ontario government is proposing new legislation concerning matrimonial property and supportobligations. The legislative proposals have engendered much discussion and controversy and are of significant concern. Persons interested in studying the proposals should obtain the booklet "Family Law Reform" available from the office of the Ministry of the Attorney General. I 1. 1 MOINE I II 'Milli I MINIM 1111... Readers of the Northern Woman may be interested to know that Family Law Reform will be the subject of an address given to the Annual Meeting of the Lakehead Social Planning Council. Guest speaker is Mr. Larry Grossman, MPP, Parliamentary Assistant to Attorney General Roy McMurtry. 111=1111 111111 n PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women in Neighbourhoods This is a program women to get together interests while their under the guidance of developed for and share common children play a Child Care Worker. This programme is planned for the winter months because when it's frosty outside contact with other women is less frequent ent and cabin fever runs high. We hope that getting together one morning a week for fitness and exchange of ideas may bring spring closer for some and en hance winter for others. If you are interested in joining a group in your neighbourhood, or starting one please call the Fort William "Y" and ask for Linda or Peg for more information. Call 623-8411. Despite the wide diversity of women who settled on the prairies, they all shared a common dilemma. They were self-reliant, independent individuals, while the traditions of their day constrained them tot to step out of the bounds that were considered 'ladylike'. A Harvest Yet To Reap, published by the Women's Press, is an unusual book about the unusual women who first settled on the Canadian prairies. THE CO-OP BOOKSHOP AND CRIAW UPSTREAM The aim of the Canadian Re- OPEN TILL 8 P.M. EACH DAY AND ALL DAY SUNDAY. 182 S. ALGOMA STREET PHONE 345-8912 The Canadian women's movement has another newspaper. UPSTREAM is published every two weeks by Ottawa feminists. The first two issues have been excellent, with an emphasis on labour news, and a superbly professional format. The lead stories in the second issue are: the Ontario Family Law Reform legislation and a comparison of Ottawa's high school CRIAW wants your MEMBERSHIP NEW AND RECOMMENDED women's studies programs with those elsewhere in Canada. Having UPSTREAM coming out of Ottawa will hopefully give us access to up-to-date news of government inaction/ action vis-avis women's RECORD CENTRE BOOKS: GIRLS WILL BE WOMEN is a collection written and illustrated by Canadian girls. It is available from All About Us/Nous Autres Inc.,Box 1985 C.P., Ottawa, Ontario, KIP 5R5 for $2.00 plus $.50 postage and handling (40% discount for 10 or more copies) search Institute for the Advancement of Women is to foster a underand, particithereby promote their full greater knowledge and women of standing pation in Canadian society. CRIAW needs your SUPPORT BECOME A MEMBER 3 ways to help issues. The year's most important book on women has received no reviews and is virtually impossible to find in the bookstores. A goal It is Opportunity for Choice: for women in Canada, a paperback bringing together six scholarly essays examining the position of women in employment, Evidence coleducation, and the family. lected in the book suggests that Canadian women are increasingly curtailing their lifelong maternal and homemaking role, although they continue to marry at the same rate and, perhaps, at a slightly younger age. by Mary Eberts, One of the articles law professor at the University of Toronto, and economist Gail Cook who edited the book, provides a particularly searching analysis of how public policy affects private choices for women. The 217-page book is a joint publication of the C. D. Howe Research Institute and Statistics Canada, and may be obtained by mail from Information Canada, Ottawa, KlA 0S9 or from the Institute at 2064 Sun The cost is Life Building, Montreal. MEMBER NOTICE The 11th Fort William Boy Scouts are having a tea Jan. 29th at First Church United 2 to 4.30 pm Individual ($10.00 per year) Institutional ($100.00 per year) DONOR Individual ($100.00 and up, tax deductible) Institutional ($500.00 and up, tax deductible) CONTRIBUTION Any amount less than $100.00 (tax deductible) Make cheques or money orders payable to the Canadian Research Instituteforthe Advancement of Women, Suite 415, "What do you meanfellshe down an open personhole?" $3.75. LNS 151 Slater Street, Ottawa, OntaAn official NN*Dt rio K1P5H3. will be issued. Pg PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Decade Council FAMILY PROPERTY LAW: Joan Packota informed council members of a few of the problems encountered with Bill 75, giving rise to the proposed Family Council members Law Reform. were urged to get the brochure from the Attorney General's office and send comments to Roy McMurtry. Much concern was expressed over provincial family property law reform conflicting with federal divorce laws. A new Family Property Law subcommittee of was formed with Colleen Hughes, Thyra Digby and Joan Packota. A motion was passed including a review of Bill 75 to lay groundwork for comparison to family law reform on the next The SOCIAL SERVICE CUTBACKS: Coalition for Social Justice has dissipated. Sharon McKay will now act as liaison for the Lakehead University's Faculty of Women's Status of Women Committee. Thirty people CREDIT UNION: have signed the founding charter for a women's credit union in Thunder Bay. The Herstory HERSTORY PROJECT: project is progeeding well. Forty-nine manuscripts have been typed and edited. Gert NORTHERN WOMAN NEWSPAPER: Beadle briefed the meeting on her intentions to initiate a series on pioneers of Herstory No in Northwestern Ontario. names will be used or material The from the herstory project. material used will be of personal experiences and experiences of acquaintances in an effort to arouse the readers' interest in the pioneer trend. It will be reminiscent in nature. RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: The collective has a room at McKellar and has received a $3,000 grant from the Sec. of They are busy planning State. their education campaign. KENORA REPORT: Maria Seymore was presented with the Woman of the Year award for KenoraKeewatin. Lorraine Smith of Ear Falls has been appointed to the Ontario Status of Women council It was noted that she is the first Metis woman to be appointed to the council. A motion was passed to send letters of congratulations to Maria and Lorraine on behalf of the council, and to invite Lorraine to sit on the decade council. A motion was passed to send a letter of thanks and appreciation to Nancy Forbes and the staff of Kenora Library for displaying council's "Directory of Women's Organizations", and for their help, interest and willingness to distribute it. agenda. Following discussion of the recent court case in which a judge decided to dismiss charges of indecent exposure because the woman pressing the charges was going through menopause, a motion was passed to send a letter with copies to the Attor ney General, Roy McMurtry, the Globe and Mail, and all local and district newspapers. WORKING WOMEN'S CONFERENCE: The program has been finalized. See this issue for further information. mom newS Two hundred women met at Alberta Status of Women Action Committee's first Annual convention and presented a brief, "Joint Initiative: a goal for Women in Government" demanding appointment of a minister directly responsible for Status of Women and the formation of a Cabinet Committee Deputy Premier on equaloppertunity. Hugh Horner assured them' they have to suggest eqqality in Alberta; that they hadn't was to place them in the category of the Native population Kinesis who had real problems. quotes Fetheringham as saying Alberta males think more of their horses than they do of their women - and agrees. Lorna Marsden, National Action Committee president, warned delegates at the convention that a backlash of public opinion against women's Despite issues may be developing. much publicity about the increasing There was NEW BUSINESS: discussion on proposed plans to meet with Atikokan women_ A TALE OF TWO UNION CONTRACTS In the previous issue of the newsletter, we asked for information on claUses in collective agreements which may=be exceptionally beneficial to women or for examples of progressive practices voluntarily introduced by employers. FUTURE COUNCIL MEETINGS: I January 29 - Atikokan February 19 - Thunder Bay The following is the letter sent by the NWOIWDCC to the Attorney General protesting an Ontario judge's decision. We welcome the response of Jane Adams, staff representative of the Federation of Community Agency Staffs. Ms Adams calls our attention to innovative The Honourable Roy McMurtry clauses in the collective agreement beAttorney General of Ontario tween F.O.C.A.S. and the Y.W.C.A. of The agreement affects 65 Metro Toronto. . Dear Sir: employees, most of them women, working for the 'Y' at seven locations in Toronto. The Northwestern Ontario InterBecause of the difficulty many women have national Women's Decade Co-orm in attending union meetings in the evedinating Council must protest ning, there are provisions for seven union the precedent-setting remarks meetings a year during working hours. made by Judge Victor K. McEwan The employer agrees to assist mothers of I recently as reported in the preschool children with a childcare Globe and Mail, Nov. 18. There is to be allowance of $15 a month. To indicate that instability m no discrimination in hiring, training or is the natural consequence of promotion on the basis of political menopause is an insult to inaffiliation, sexual preference or the . number of dependents an employee may have. telligence, as well as a colosWorking parents may use their sick leave In an sal put-down for women. credits to stay home with a sick child . age of enlightened approach, opportunities for women, she noted, and fathers may take a paternity leave of this type of nonsense emanating women are still kept apart, as a five days with pay plus a two-week leave from the bench does no credit segregated group in the labour force. requested, at thenor timeto of the departwithout pay, if to you, sir, Moreover, she said, the unemployment the birth or adoption of a child. ment that you represent. rate among women in Canada is much Instead of the statutory 17 weeks, We are unanimously outraged higher than "we suspected...and up to six months of maternity leave are ' at the possibility that this unconnected to the cyclic unemployallowed, one week of which is at full pay. could set a precedent and ment plaguing the male (labour) We have also force." heard from Local 4592 question the criteria that danger The women's of movement is in the United Steelworkers Union, whose allow this kind of unenlightenm Now, of losing momentum, shework said. members for International Harvester ment to aspire to the bench. is imperative more than ever, in it Hamilton. After for two years of service, We would hope that your office women to organize in a unified a woman in the bargaining unit has the will take the strongest steps manner, and notoption to permit solidarjty of taking a year-long unpaid mapossible to see that this type to be corroded by in-fighting. She must then be reinternity leave. , of incident does not recur. Kinesis stated by the company though not necessarily in the same job she left prior to Bernice Cain the birth of her child. Let's hear from more employers or I union representatives about this topic. I P g 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CREATIVE DIVORCE An analogy between Creative Divorce by Nel Krantzler, and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' book On Death and Dying. Divorce, like grief, requires periods of mourning and adjustment. To cope effectively with divorce, you must come to terms with your grief, recognize self-defeating behaviour Most and be willing to change it. important, you must recognize that The the relationship has died. feelings of anxiety, guilt and anger that erupt with separation are healthy and, interestingly enough, are the feelings which provide the impetus to new growth. With this growth comes the ability to be assertive; to express yourself directly, honestly and spontaneously. This is vital to coping effectively with the new situations that were never encountered before divorce. Children go through a similar process of adjustment, and parents must recognize their children's need for a period of growth. Divorce often brings peace to the home and children, if allowed a mourning process, seem to weather the storm ,yell, and continue to function effectively with their peers and in their schools. Mel Krantzler, in his book, Creative Divorce, stresses that divorce does not have to be completely life-shattering. For many families it saves the emotional and physical lives of adults and :hildren. Divorce can be a positive learning experience, less painful and more rewarding than all our religious and societal pressures would have us believe. Patricia Cooper and Ann Kos From Her-Self. would seem more progressive than we could hope for, but one could readily see the value of the kind of dialogue it could create in this There is a people orenage group. tation to it that is appealing in spite of the female directed message If Betty Fredans 'Feminine Mystique" is the bible of the feminist movement, "Girls Are Equal Too" could well be the primer that whets the appetite for a stronger fare. Dale Carlson has written seven novels for children, several picture books, five workbooks and edited an anthology of children's literature. Her approach to bringing the potential realization of equal personhood is so reasonable one cannot imagine anyone being so perverse as to challenge it. This is a clear and lucid statement of the evolution of female thinking written for a new generation of women who already have begun to question the mythology of woman's place in a modern society. To make it required reading for both sexes in the Educational System In the Islamic region of Yugoslavia, wives are still sold for an average of $4,000 and are expected to be complete slaves to their husbands. Zihriaja Hussein, the rebel leader of women in the area, is training young women to take as much as they can from their husbands in gifts and bridal fees and then to run away and 'remarket' themselves. "We old-timers were taught to be guerillas in World War II, and can train guerillas again," she said. (BMR) Gert NEWS NEWS BRIEFS One Battle That Got Results. On Jan. 1, 1977, the indexing of family allowance payments will be resumed to compensate for the rise in the cost of living during 1976. From the Speech from the throne, Oct. 12, 1976. In response to the need for good day care services everywhere in Canada, the government will help provide more and better day care services by encouraging the provincial governments to adopt a new system of fees related to incomes. A great many more Canadian mothers who seek employment outside the home will thereby be free to do so, because partially subsidized day care will be more widely available. Amendments to the Canada Pension Plan are being considered, which would further recognize the value of the contribution made to the family and society by both marriage partners, in the event that one remains at home to raise children while their partner works outside the home, or in the event of marriage breakdown. This year, the Law Reform Commission of Canada submitted a report on Family Law which merits the attenThe governtion of all Canadians. ment intends to carry on discussions GIRLS ARE EQUAL TOO - by the Womans Movement for Teenagers -Dale Carlson Dedicated to a free soul, her daughter Hannah Published by McClelland and Stewart in Canada. YUGOSLAVIA (ho hum) with the provinces to encourage the creation of unified Family Courts with comprehensive jurisdiction over family law permitting disputes to be dealt with %more constructively. In addition, the government will discuss with the provinces and with the public other aspects of family law bearing on the stability of marriage, the protection of children, and the fair sharing of the economic consequences of marital breakdown. PENSIONS FOR WIDOWS On November 3, 1976 M.P. Stanley Knowles of Winnipeg asked the house to urge the Federal government to amend the Old Age Security Act to provide pension benefits to widows, spinsters, (widowers and bachelors, too) between the ages of 60 and 65, who are not working..The motion was defeated. On October 23, M.P. Jack Marshall of Newfoundland asked the Minister of Veterans Affairs when he would introduce an amendment to the Pension Act to get 100% coverage for widows of veterans who were covered for 43% or less. On October 26,M.P. Stanley Knowles urged the House to review all federal employee pensions to provide that all widows or widowers will not receive less than 70% of the contributor's pension and that the eventual goal would be 100% for either survivor. The motion was seconded by M.P. Douglas of B.C. but was defeated by the house. WRITE TO YOUR MP URGING HIM/HER TO SUPPORT BOTH OF MR. KNOWLES MOTIONS NEXT TIME IT IS BROUGHT UP. (kinesis) WOMEN ALCOHOLICS The battle against alcoholism may be even tougher for women than for men. A Canadian study has shown, for example, that nine out of ten wives stick by their alcoholic husbands while the same percentage of husbands abandon their alcoholic wives. A HARVEST YET TO-REAP by Linda Rasmussen, Lorna Rasmussen, Candace Savage and Anne Wheeler, published by the Women's Press $8.95 paper 9 x 9 1/2 100 photographs $20.00 cloth Pg 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �From what could see in all the explanations offered by the Handbook what the 'type' of job meant was more accurately a 'woman's job' or a job which women do which is therefore lowpaying because it is women doing I MORE WAYS DISCRIMINATION: THE UNMENTIONABLE WORD was quite surprised by the picture that was emergingjespecially since had the general impression women were making progress in the labour force. wanted an explanation. looked to the Handbook on Women Workers, a government publication put out by the Women's Bureau, one of the standard sources of such facts. The Handbook had a lot of facts, but as read on realized was going in circles looking for an explanation. The Handbook had no explanation. The few times they tried to offer one, it was contradicted by their own statistics. Of course, the questions wanted answered were why women made less money than men and why the labour force remained so segregated. Some of the more common explanations currently in vogue started coming to me: that women are absent more from the job, that women don't need the money, that men are the supporters of the family, that women really only work for pin money. But the Handbook itself says our job absenteeism rate is the same as men's. As for needing the money, all women need the money I I I I I I I I See-R /6 for personal independence. In addit, ion most women have no economic choice but to work in order to maintain an adequate standard of living. Many work to support families either because they are the head of the household or because their husbands don't make enough. So lack of need is not the explanation. The argument that women don't stay attached to the job market and so lose continuity of work experience which lowers their wages was refuted by a New York Times article that said a recent census bureau study of 5,000 women showed that women aged 30 - 44 who worked every year since leaving school had much lower incomes than men who were the same age, had the same education, and held the same types of jobs. The only thing that came close to being an explanation for the sizable discrepancies in pay and the segregation of jobs was the recurring reference in the Handbook to what is vaguely characterized as the 'type' of jobs women held. Just exactly what they meant by the 'type' of jobs however, and what the defining characteristics were, was very unclear. If women made less money than men working in the same occupation and industries, whether they were highpaying or low-paying, then the specific occupation or industry could not be what they meant by 'type'. the job. thought the Handbook would clarify my understanding of discrimination but found that the word doesn't even appear in the first 250 pages, the bulk of the manual. It is finally mentioned in the appendix in talking about the laws governing women's employment. As the picture gradually became clearer, it made me angry. was naive, confused, politically unsophisticated. had been led to believe there were a lot of good reasons why we weren't able to compete equally I I I I with men in the job arena, things based on past discrimination, certainly not present; things based on discrimination against women by society in general, certainly not by the male employers themselves; and had bought it. Well, my consciousness is clearing now. see that all the theories, excuses, and explanations for our inferior job status are inadequate. see that education, skills, job occupations, continuity of work experience, seriousness about the job, are all factors which influence salary, rank and job status but only when the girls are playing against the girls and the boys are playing against the boys. When women conpete against men such factors are all but irrelI I I evant. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!! In Lunenburg,where Allied Sea Food run a tidy ship, The management has flipped it's lid and put relations on the skid,because The rules say twice a shift ON BEING FIVE the panties peel The zipper zips. There's magic in being five. all hands must bring their urge to heel At five, one is old enough to cross streets without holding a grownup's hand, but young enough to snuggle into a parental lap at bedtime for a story. So ask the question, Pee in five, wash your hands,and all that Jive. At five, one can be very big and brave and businesslike in carrying out an errand at the grocery store, but very little and loving and sleepy when it's a bit past bedtime. In Lunenburg, the Union struck at this indignity, both male and femme and country-side that Capitol A five year old can hob nob with the fairies and elves and make believe folk, and still boast gleefully over a recently acquired mastery of roller skates and zippers and knots that really stay will rule your mind until no thought can soil it,and having turned it At five, one can spank and scold dolls, and say grace at the table with equal dexterity. side by side,informed the press tied. into crap will barricade the toilet. P 14 "The surest way to get a job done is to give it to the busiest man you know - he'll have his secretary do it." In a five.year -old's world, there's scarcely ice cream cone won't cure. 0 0 0 0 0 0 an ill that an Five years is the age of decision. Dresses are discarded for blouses and skirts, one cuts her own meat and butters her own bread, one has stridently verbal and voluable preferences in breakfast foods and hair bows and cousins. At five, one is queen of hearts and mistress of all she surveys. 0 0 0 0 Hazel Murphy Sullivan. 0 0 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DRY CARE NEWS A tremendously enthusiastic and hard-working group of parents and community citizens in Atikokan have investigated the need for a Day Care Centre in their community. The group presented a brief to the Atikokan Town Council on November 23 requesting Council support to implement a day care program. At the request of the Atikokan group Julie Fels and Margaret Phillips of the L.S.P.C. Day Care Committee attended this meeting. The Atikokan Council responded most positively and established a civic committee composed of a Town Councillor, a town staff representative and members of the parents group to further investigate all aspects of the development of a - Support for programs to meet other identified unmet needs eg., homemakeA service, playground programs, baby-sitter training, should be encouraged. The study has been organized into four reports - i.e., Thunder Bay, Paipoonge, Oliver and Ontario Government (the Province has jurisdiction in the unorganized areas). Recommendations have been made to the respective municipal/provincial authorites concerning the development of new or expanded child care facilities and services. Copies of the reports may be obtained from the Lakehead Social Planning Council office at 409A George Street, Thunder Bay F. Centre. We understand that the Day Care Centre at Sabaskong has been completed and that the new Heron Bay Day Care Centre should be ready in January. RURAL DAY CARE STUDY In the past two years, interest has been expressed by a number of families living in the rural area surrounding Thunder Bay, concerning the need for child care services. Because of this interest, the Lakehead Social Planning Council Day Care Committee undertook a study in 1976 concerning child care needs in rural Thunder Bay. A summary of the study's findings shows: 117 respondents indicated a present or anticipated future need for child care services; 107 responses noted less than complete satisfaction with the child care services they used; preference for type of service indicated 73 respondents would prefer to use a day care centre - only 11 presently have children enrolled in a centre. 44 indicated a preference for private home day care - only 6 were presently served by private home day care. Concern was expressed for the need for flexible day carefor emergencies, for occasions when parents have appointments (eg., doctor) in town. Conclusions reached from the study included: - There is a demonstrated need for child care services in the municipalities of Paipoonge and Oliver and in the unorganized areas of Blake, Scoble, Nolalu, Gillies, Gorham & Ware and the Kaministiquia area. - There is a significant need for child care services for the rural neighbourhoods of the City of Thunder Bay. There is a demonstrated need for additional private home day care. - Latch-key services continue to be an unmet need. - There is a significant feeling amongst rural parents concerning the need to provide a socializing experience for pre-schoolers, whether or not both parents work outside the home. Support should be provided to parent groups wishing to organize play-room facili- 10************************** 4E On Oct. 14, 1976 MP lona Campag- 4E *nolo of BC noted that daycare is no * 4E *longer seen as a welfare service *for the poor and that the newly pro- 4E *posed federal daycare legislation 4E :would increase the number of families * *eligible for reimbursment of fees. * On Oct. 29, 1976 MP Aideen Nichol - * *son of Ontario said that the federal * * government had recognized daycare as if' 41 the single highest expense of working *parents by doubling income tax deduc4/ tions for daycare. 4t Then she noted * that the new measures proposed by the: * federal government would increase the* :availability of partial subsidies. * *Nicholson also advised that the fed*eral government would be encouraging if * the provinces to adop't a new system 4F *of income related daycare fees. Ms. iF * Nicholson quoted the following day* care related figures: from 1971 to if *1974 the number of daycare centres 4E * doubled while the number of spaces it * tripled. However, she noted that in * 4E *1974 fewer than 3% of children under * 4E *3 years of age, and less than 9% of 4E * children aged 3 to 5 with working 4E f;parents attended daycare. Alternate * * inadequate daycare by relatives and lt * neighbours accounted for 4/5 of all * *daycare, she said. Kinesis t************************44 WHAT UNIONS HAVE TO DO An excerpt of a speech given by Shirley Carr, Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress. "....Before International Women's Year caused women's issues to be taken from the social pages and put in the business section, the humaniaing of the work place was often a common theme of articles. While it was a popular theme among writers of a variety of opinions, in fact most such plans boiled down to means of increasing the efficiency in the work place. Thus, working units replaced assembly lines, or work tasks replaced work to the clock, because they produced either higher quality or greater quantity. However, the question of human values in the work place should not be lost. indeed,the question of women's rights is also concerned with this issue. "This human issue is most clearly seen around the question of child care. As a society, we have accepted two assumptions, but have not followed through on the necessary conclusions. The first assumption is that any willing adult should be able to work regardless of race, creed, colour, age or marital status. The second assumption is that children are necessary for the continuation of society. "The conclusion would draw from this is that we must make provision both for people to work and for children to be raised. However, until now we have sadly neglected this area of child care. Until relatively recently, society continued to solve the dilemma by excluding women with small children from the work force. Indeed, the very fact that a woman was married might have excluded her from the work force. The events leading up to International Women's Year have tended to correct this assumed solution. But what, then, of the children? Indeed, are not both spouses responsible for their upIt is true that in Canada bringing? we do have some form of maternity leave. Anci it is certainly better than it was a generation ago. However it is still a patchwork system. Our oldest assumptions still shine through. To take an obvious example all statistics refer to working mothers and their children. What happened to the fathers? I "In Sweden they have introduced parental insurance. 'Fathers are, under this measure, also entitled to stay at home during the immediate pre- and post-natal period to care for other children, receiving compensation on a level with ordinary sickness benefits. Finally, during the period following the birth of a child, its parents will be free to decide which one of them is to remain at home with the child after the 29th day of post-natal leave for the 180 days coverage period.' "One of the reasons Europeans are often ahead of us in this field is that they have recognized women not as accidental participants in the work force but as essential parts of any employment policy what suppose we would refer to as 'manpower' policy. I "Unions must push for more child care facilities. However, this is better done as a society rather than through collectiveS. ties. Pg 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �New Ways of Keeping Women Out of Paid began this paper to find out what the current situation of women in the paid labour force was. At the outset of the investigation knew that women were discriminated against in the paid labour force but figured there must be some_ good reasons why. don't exactly mean good reasons, because feel that probably all the reasons have their basis in unfairness, but it may be that at this moment in history it could be said that women in general are not on a competitive par with men. Byt then again what does women in general mean? I've always felt on a competitive par to the men I've worked with. tend to feel on the defensive when confronted with those stories of so-and-so's sister-in-law who makes so much more money than her husband, or the woman supervisor on the job who's in charge of all those men', or the promotion of a woman executive to yet a higher level...the exceptions which disprove the rule. understand that it's supposed to calm my basic feelings of any wrongdoings, and at the same time stop me from talking about it since the opposite can be demonstrated. But it's the intimidating aspect trip up on. All this in the way of showing why I'm the perfect candidate to research this topic since obviously haven't got an idea or feeling on this issue which is clear and not immediately contradicted by another idea or feeling. And so started looking for the reasons I I Labour I I I I ' I I I I why. FALSE IMPRESSIONS FROM THE MEDIA recognize confusion as a tactic and an effective way of paralyzing the opposition. The information had taken in from the usual media, newspaper sources, was a mass of unresolved contradictions. One of the most common ploys used by the media is to state the problem as if it has long ago been solved making it look like more is changing for working women than really is. If there is a legitimate story about a woman or women reaching executive levels at jobs they get paid for, the papers blow it all out of proportion and make it seem like we're taking over the industry. The papers are flooded with plea articles in search of talented women and with tales of women 'firsts'. This is just to show us how much progress we've made. Every era of agitation from women brings with it some temporary strides in the labour force. We suddenly start hearing about all the 'women firsts' who are allowed in previously male fields. How many of these firsts are a matter of regaining lost ground in the past. Some women are allowed in previously exclusively male occupations and some make contributions in their new fields. Then the pressure dies down and not many seconds precede the firsts, The women and more importantly their contributions, are forgotten. When the next era of agitation arrives we start off again as novices, without a history, without even a trace of our former contributions. This keeps people from knowing what women have actuallrdone...again and again and have already proved themselves Pg able to do. I I We got our 'first' woman airline pilot last year, even though 66 women were earning their living as aviators in 1930. But you see, they mean she is the 'first' woman airline pilot with a 'major passenger 'carrier'. But she got laid off six months later. How long will it be before we have out next 'first' woman airline pilot? And in 197 we got our 'first' two women miners. But The History of Woman Suffrage says 7,000 women were engaged in mining interests in the 19th; century. There are women alive today who worked in small 'family' mines during the lean years of the '50's and '60's. The argument is often advanced that technology makes it possible for women to work in the mines but this ignoresthe fact that for centuries women have known how to handle the pick, shovel and shot of the mines. Yet the onslaught of news coverage of women 'firsts' outside the traditionally female occupations continues. While I'm sure the initial intent of such a thorough coverage is to impress upon us the recent flurry of activities and advancements surrounding women workers, it is more acurately serving the purpose of enumerating for us all the jobs we've previously been restricted from. THINGS ARE GETTING WORSE, NOT BETTER From these reports it's easy to get the false impression that steady progress is being made by women in the labour market. thought things were changing, what with the Women's Liberation Movement and its imvolvment with these very issues in the past few years. Certainly women's consciousness about working has changed enormously. Women's participation in the work force continues to rise, and there has been an increase in the numbers of women attending professional schools. But when looked at the statistics of the actual job situation for women...their low pay with respect to men and the all-pervasive job segregation...things hadn't really changed, not for the better, anyway. Since 1955 women's pay as a percentage of men's has been on the decline. In 1955 women nade 63.9% of men's salary; in 1972 women made 57.9% of men's salary, a decrease of 6%. This neans we were actually closer to receiving equal pay 18 years ago than we are now, despite all the highly publicized ,equal pay and back pay cases. Nearly 2/3 of all adults over the age of 16 living in poverty are women. One out of every three families headed by a woman lives in poverty as compared to one out of every fourteen families headed by a man. Today half of all full time working women are earning less than $5,903 a year. Any woman trying to raise a family on that u salary would be in poverty. I I Reluctantly edited from Redstockings 1975... by Colette Price For the most part, the position of women workers in the segregated labour force has remained stationary; the claim/accusation that women are invading men's jobs is false and there may even be a danger that the flow is going in the opposite direction. It may be men who are riding the wave created by women's militant efforts at breaking through sex barriers on the job. It was reported that the biggest break-through for men are coming in the telephone and airline industries, two major employers of women. The telephone company said anyone picking up a telephone five years ago who dialed the operator had one chance out of 100 thousand of hearing a male voice. Today the chance is one in 20. Eastern Airlines said it received more than 9,000 applications from men since it began running unisex ads in March. (Such ads were fought for and won by women). Before then they had about 150 stewards, the male counterpart of stewardess; now they have 320 stewards. The situation of men moving into women's jobs without a mutual counterflow would be bad enough in a period of economic stability, but at a time when the economy is worsening, women's unemployment rates rising steadily, jobs for everyone getting tighter*--------such a trend is disastrous. Yet such a trend does seem evident. As well as the airline and telephone companies, men are moving into nursing, secretarial work, teaching and library work, while maintaining their monopoly on traditionally male occupations. There is a lot of talk and news coverage these days about large numbers of women moving into the police force and also the field of medicine. "Moving into" however is not quite accurate Since women have been in both these fields since the 1800's. It should be pointed out also that the reasons for themovement of men into all-female fields and women into the all-male fields differ tireativ. Men have not been restricted from allfemale fields; whatever social taboos stood in their way have been greatly reduced by the activities 6f women's liberation. 'Women,howevershave been restricted from all-male jobs; in the police force by quotas, height, and weight requirements and the assumption that women were not equipped for certain jobs; in medical schools by admission quotas which restricted the number of female applicants. Special efforts are being made to attract men to teaching and nursing. The only efforts being made in the other direction however are the removal of blatantly discrimin.= atory criteria, under legal threat, such as the police force's previous Dolicy of giving separate entrance xaminations which gave preferential treatment to male applicants. The current Depression has undermined what little progress was being made. As New York City police officers have been laid off, the old hiring practices resulted in women being the first to go.CoAr p Aq PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �TABLE OF CONTENTS Editorial Page Had Myself a Merry Little Christmas Poetry Family Law Reform Credit Union Report Decade Council Report Day Care News New Ways of Keeping Women Out of Paid Labour RAVE YUU MOVED? 2 14 5 7 10 12 15 THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay, "P" Ont. return postage guaranteed RETURN TO: 16 LET US KNOW PLEASE. THIS IS YOUR LAST ISSUE (We must pay postare on your returned paper in order IS DUE[---1 YOUR SUBSCRIPTION to keep our mailing list esuE5) YEAR PLEASE SUPPORT US up to date). I uSINESS AT I Tclr1ON I 1 1 1 get involved? 5-5841 any Tuesdays sdays - DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED Free to one parent families Free to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 3 No 3 Description An account of the resource Vol. 3, no. 3 (1977) Title: The Northern Woman: Working Woman Issue Topics include: Women’s Credit Union Quebec election Northern Women’s Centre open house Letters to the editor Christmas & capitalism Poetry Rape Rural living experience Family law reforms CPP for housewives Federal human rights Working women’s conference Healthcare striker testimonial Consciousness raising groups Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women Women’s Co-op Bookstore Women’s Decade Council Alberta Status of Women Action Committee Divorce Pensions for widows Women slavery in Yugoslavia Women & alcoholism Women’s movement for teenagers Workplace discrimination Rural day care study Atikokan day care Day care legislation Swedish day care Unions & day care Women’s experience in the formal economy/paid labour Authors/Contributors: Bob White Jeanne Georgeson Mary Tomlinson Marg Phillips Janet Gert Beadle Colleen Aube Eve Pykerman Thyra Kinesis Patricia Shaw Bernice Cain Hazel Murphy Sullivan Colette Price Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1977 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2745/1976_Vol_3_No_2.pdf a7c8cf49ba350ea0a8b70f83147b780d PDF Text Text r M...6 Volume 3 Issue 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: ABBY HOFFMAN VISITS THUNDER BAY 50 MMO 1111111111111111 MONO ION= I 11111111111 111111O11111 IIII111111 1111111 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �editorial The Northern Woman Journal began as a newsletter out of the Northern It's reason for being was to keep informed our own Women's Centre. members and interested local women of the issues that we were trying Embattled and beleagured, without public support, we to deal with. became an oasis for the woman who had reached the end of her endurance and needed the support that only women who genuinely care, can give. The newsletter bound us 4egecher and in it's pages we poured out all the rage and frustration that comes when we are surrounded by an indifferent, uncaring and sometimes malicious public. It has been a year since the Northern Woman Journal changed its publishing format and dreamed of a wider distribution, a broader range of gut issues that effect all of us as we explore the ever growing move The word feminist still has the power to equal status for the sexes. to threaten the unenlightened as to its sincere intent. The idea of women caring for, and about other women with all the committment of a sister has an unreal quality. To a thousand years of military mentality The the banding together of any group is a direct intent to do battle. adversary system calls for retaliation and we end up embattled and defensive. To choose ones sisters is the ultimate weapon of the divide How can we, in the exalted state of our own and conquer strategists. in our opinion, less than what we frail humanity choose what is, Hence, we fragment into like-thinking perceive ourselves to be. groups using the yardstick of conventional society to wall ourselves in and maintain in our own eyes and that of the public, a difference of quality that is in the final analysis a figment of our own imagin- .1 '111P o WHAT H ation. The readership of the journal now ranges far afield from Newfoundland to the Northwest Territories, from libraries and universities in every province, to American university archives requesting the journal as a historical contribution in the ongoing record of the Women's Our exchange list grows as dozens of newsletters and Movement. Status of Women publications request that we share. The weakest spot in our subscription list is at the local level reminding us again of the old adage "a prophet is without honour in his own country". Even here we are encouraged as the faithful stand fast and a new name appears from time to time. As we move with the times and sense the changes in our own perception of ourselves, we are overwhelmed again at the responsibility of a To keep the core intact, the values defined, to feminist press. question the legal structures that betray our right to be full and participating partners in this society and this country and keep to the energy, the sacrifices, and the uncommitted women informed as If, in the triumph that a struggling minority make on their behalf. final analysis, through our pages a clearer vision of the term 'sisterhood' emerges and calls for your support and goodwill, you will join a growing number of women who have taken a second look and found us worth the price of a subscription. Our intent is to consolidate not divide, to inform not to persuade, and to charge us all with the growing times. excitement of what it means to be a woman in these changing m Eleanor Pg 2 person who can put t before the board for tells us in an inter Northern Woman's Jou PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �H ello to you all! Where does one look to find the familiar faces again? Thank gawd can see for the Northern Woman so you're all out there still fighting for changes for woman. Please renew my subscription and also put my youngest sister, Paula, on your subscription list. She's a pretty special woman, trying to find herself in her unique lifestyle on a piece of land in the I'm sure she'll Slocan Valley. enjoy many of the things the Northern Woman has to say. enjoy the paper immensely, particularly the local content. hope the energy and money to keep up the good work is endless. Dear Sisters, am a Toronto-born woman, a feminist and a subscriber to your Most of my friends are not paper. many are in fact, from Toronto; This summer, from Thunder Bay. went home with my lover for the summer, her home being in Thunder We spent the time with her Bay. Since both parents were parents. on holiday, we were chauffered around the countryside and spoiled Both her by home-baked goods. parents are ardent nature lovers and berry pickers. They knew the bistory of much of the surrounding area and the people in the area, the rivers and woods. was most I I I I I Keep healthy and happy, Laurie I impressed with how naturally my lover's mother fitted into the whole experience. have enclosed The poem is not only about her, but about all the women know or have had the pleasure of meeting while was up there. have never experienced a more natural environment in which learned so much about my ignorance of the north. admire and respect as well as envy their beautiful countryside and delightful nature. was made very welcome by many prople in Thunder Bay, but none could compare with that very personal experience of discovering strength in women in an entirely different environment from any have ever known. The northern woman is a beautiful example of what we all could be if we gave ourselves the chance to be free and one with I I I I I I I I nature. Thank you, ladies of the north. will always have a good feeling about this summer and will indeed I return. Charlene D. Robertson Enclosed is $3.00 for six issues of the Northern Woman. enjoyed reading you June issue that borrowe4 from a woman in town. Would it be possible for you to send me your mailing list for Kenora? have just moved here from Toronto where was a member of a consiousness-raising group, and would be interested in meeting with people who may have similiar ideas to mine. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to know the women in Kenora who subscribe to your paper. hope you Thank you. can help me with this. I I A businessman is aggressive; a businesswoman is pushy. A businessman is good on detail; she is picky. He loses his temper because he's so involved with his job; She's I I I Long time no see - keep meaning to drop in - and think of you all often. am renewing my subscription to the Northern Woman plus adding a small donation. The last few issues were outstanding - looks like lots of hard work. Sharon Mertens I Best to you all and the paper Love Lewy Dear Sisters, Are there any of you or your families who are taking vitamins in magadoses for headaches, forgetfulness confusion, senility, dysperception, depression, alcoholism, or related If so, are there any who illnesses? would be interested in forming a group in order to remind each other Its easy to get careto take them? less when you feel you are alone in your treatment via vitamin approach, even though you know it helps. Perhaps depression causes this, ante a group has been known to lift depression, as in the case of AA's S incerely, Thelma rill 110111111 ITHUNDER CLAP Thunderclap to Rita Ubriaco of Thunder Bay recently appointed on Federal the Status of Women. to the Advisory Council bitchy. When he's depressed '(or hungover), 41111.0111111111 everyone tiptoes past his office; she's moody, so it must-be her time of month. He follows through; she doesn't know when to quit. He's confident; she's conceited. He stands firm; she's impossible to deal with. He is firm; she is hard. His judgements are her prejudices. He's a man of the world; she's been around. He drinks because of the excessive job pressure; she's a lush. He isn't afraid to say what he thinks; she's mouthy. she's power mad. im exercises e il mmilm. authority diligently; He He's close-mouthed; she's secre 4 He climbed the ladder of succes . she slept her way to the top. I He's a stern taskmaster; she's to work for. . He's witty; she's sarcastic. M.O.B. reprinted from Toro U I I I Phone 683 6703 I I immocmomemos..4141..mammoommopcmoimmiN People who did this issue: I IGert Thyra, Eve, Lynn, Noreen and Marg. I To the Crown and Prosecuting Attorneys who bargained a vicious sexual attact into a lesser charge of attempted Rape for reasons we find hard to understand a UM II 0 II 1 Location..224 Drop in centr Monday throug Time..±1-4 P. Clothing depo Wednesday and Everybody Wel 1 Meetings 2nd . of the month and 4th tuesd 1 Donations nee 1new members w Main Motto 1 imPEOPLE HELPI 10.mmommmm... 5 MI= II PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �The Brave Hearted Women "Anna Mae Aquash was atkested at Rosebud Indian Reservation, South Dakota, on Septembet 5, 1975. 100 to 150 agents invaded Cnow Dog's Paradise and At Running's.tesidence ,i_muttaneourty. The FBI agents identiiied het immediately as Anna Mae Aquash and though thete was no warrant bon het ayes t, they handcuikd het and ptaced het undet aittest. She was titans otted to Pienke (S.D.) immediatety where 'she uncle/ went inten- CONTINUED FROM LAST ISSUE Throughout the Seige of Wounded Knee 1973, women organized, planned, provided support and material, and in effect, gave continuity to the endeavour. They travelled back and forth through the battlelines backpacking in the food to sustain the Oglala and AIM defenders. In Dakota tradition, they were called "Brave-Hearted Women". In the media, these women were ignored. The cameras hummed and clicked upon the faces of male AIM members. And after the Battle, these AIM men were arrested, neutralized, or eliminated by one means or another. The white male enforcement officers, blinded by their own sexism, failed to recognize the power of the women and that the heart and soul od the women would carry the movement forward. With so many males no longer functional the American Indian Movement more than ever became a woman -run organization. One older woman observed that "it is sad how few men are involved in the movement. It's hard for just us little old ladies with out pop bottles (to sustain it).' The AIM offices were run by women as they had at the start. One said, "We are here because there is work to do". The Wounded Knee aftermath continues to the present time like devastating seismic shocks bringing repercussions In a seige in of violence and death. July, 1975, at Oglala on the Pine Ridge Reservation, one native man and two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were killed. A full-fledged military operation was launched which left Pine Ridge a living hell while some 150 FBI agents ransacked homes and ran search parties through fields and woods. As of April, 1976, 35 deaths have occurred in this bleak poverty-stricken corner of South Dakota since Wounded Knee. The Government-supported political faction - the original cause of the Second Wounded Knee - has acted out its burning hostility against AIM and the traditional Oglala people who support it with an unrelenting series of beatings, shootings, car "accidents" and other destruction. Dino Butler, now awaiting trial on the charge of first-degree murder of one of the FBI agents, tells another chapter in Anna Mae's life: Pg 4 sive intettogation bon 4ix on seven homs, being questioned about the June 26, 1975, Ogtata shootout between Native Amoticans and Oteign AmeAicans. She coutd not tett them anything because she was -in Council Btu, lewa, that day. The FBI agents made he the zame oi6et they made me that day in Piet/Le a4ten I too was attested and ttansponted pcom At Running's home - 'cooperate and tive; don't cooperate - die.'" Anna Mae described her encounter with the FBI agents. "While I was standing there with a group of women, waiting, I was being verbally harassed by some of the agents. They were implying that they had been looking for me for a long time, and that they were very pleased that they finally found me." Now that essentially all the mediaprominent male AIM members and supporters were effectively neutralized - in hiding, in jail, in courtrooms or dead - the mid-70's was seeing a new pattern in battlefield sexism, the targetif,g of women by enforcement officers and vigilantes. A foreshadowing of this occurred in the Northwest where Native People have struggled to preserve their "In traditional fishing rights. Washington State," one of the embattled survivors explained, "women have had to stand in (the men's) place because we are supporting them and supporting our unborn. There have been issues like fishing rights where our men were put in jail and all that was left was women to go out and fish. Yet the women were still treated the same, with the same harassment from the police, being beat up and going to jail, even women with children." Nor was death a stranger to the women along the banks of those rivers, sudden violent death. In Wagner, Sioux Falls, Custer, Gordon, Rapid City and of course, Pine Ridge, greater and greater pressure came down upon women as a new point of attack. Gladys Bissonette observed that "every time women gathered to protest or demonstrate (peaceably) they always aim machine guns at us women and children". But with the work of the women, AIM did not die. Nor did the greater movement for natural rights of which' AIM has always been but a part. As the Cheyenne people say: A nation Zs not conquered Untie the hearts 6.6 its women Are on the ground. Then it is done, no mattet _How brave its wattiou Not how stAong its weapons. The women patriots who bore a heavy share of the task of physical and spiritual survival of their people through all the years would not now surrender. The list of native women who have been harassed, jailed, beaten, stabbed and shot grows long in this new -campaign. On February 24, 1976, the body of a young woman was found where it had lain for many days and nights along the highway north of Wanblee on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The coroner contracted by the BIA declared that death was caused by exposure, that is, natural causes. FBI agents severed the hands from the body. They said they had to send them to the Washington office for identification. A week later, the body was buried in an unmarked grave at the Holy Rosary Mission. By that time, however, the identity of the yound woman was known and communicated to family and then to friends. They insisted on an exhumation and a second autopsy. This time, the independent autopsy read differently, the horror of its statement blotting through its precise language: "On the posterior neck, 4 cm. above the base ob the occiput and 5 cm. to the tight (14 the midtine .is a 4 mm. peqmation o6 the skin with a 2 mm. 'um o4 abrasion 4untounded by a 1.5 x 2.2 cm. area oi btackish discototation. Suttounding thi4 an area o6 t-eddi6h discotokation measuning 5x5 cm. This area cis gto6ty compatibte with a gunshot entrance wound .. Removed (6/tom the bra -in) .ins a metallic pellet dank grey in meon gtoty comiztent with tead." March 14, 1976, dawned windy, flinging snow upon those who had come to bury Anna Mae Pictou Aquash. "Creation was unhappy," one woman said. Some women had driven from Pine Ridge the night before - a very dangerous act - "to do what needed to be done." Young women dug the grave. A ceremonial tipi was set up. Anna Mae's naked body was removed from the morgue's body bag. Her severed hands - from which the fingertips had also been severed - were returned to her. The women clothed her in a ribbon shirt and jeans with a jean jacket emblazoned with the AIM crest and an inverted American flag on the sleeve. Beaded moccasins were placed on her feet. A woman seven months pregnant gathered sage and cedar to be burned in the tipi. Young AIM men were the pallbearers: they laid her on pine boughs while the religious leader spoke the sacred words and performed the ancient duties. People brought presents for Anna Mae to take with her to the Spirit World. They also brought presents for her two sisters to carry back to Nova Scotia with them to give to her orphaned daughters. The executioners of Anna Mae did not snuff out a meddlesome woman. They exalted a Brave Hearted Woman for all time. The traditional leaders of Oglala released the following statement about her death before the second autopsy was performed: cont'd on pg 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Familis ProPertY Lair RECOMMENDED CHANGES and 2 of the Family In parts Property Law series, we have had a look at existing Ontario laws that govern ownership of the family home and ownership of property other than the family home. The Ontario Law Reform Commission appointed by the Ontario government in 1964, has made a positive recommendation in its 1974 Family Property Law Report regarding ownership of the matrimonial home and the household goods contained in the matrimonial home. It recommends that the matrimonial home which is the principle residence of the marriage, should be co-owned in joint tenancy by the They also state that cospouses. ownership should be retroactive to The include existing marriages. principle of co-ownership of the matrimonial home and household goods would entitle the husband and wife to equal sharesin the home and its contents, secured by their joint control and rights of occupation and use, retained for their joint enjoynent and capable of being dispos ed of or otherwise dealt with only by the consent of both spouses or by court order. The Ontario Status of Women Council supports this recommendation and states that co-ownership of the matrimonial home should be given immediate, widespread and retrospective effect as a general legal principle, irrespective of registered title and irrespective of the financial contribution of the spouses It is also recommended by the Ontario Status of Women Council that "matrimonial home" be defined as the principle family residence or where co-habitation has primarily taken There can be only one place. matrimonial home at any given time. In rural areas, it may be defined as the principle family residence area of land as may be and such of severance capable 1 Whether we support or reject these recommendations for change in Ontario's Property Laws, consideration must be given to the following: 1. Perhaps we should be apprehensive about introducing a novel system (such as deferred community of property) alien to the established principles of our common law. It is always safer to adapt an existing system to any new needs than to implement revolutionary change. 2. Serious thought should be given to enacting the immediate legislation to protect the spouses in the matrimonial home, and to give each spouse a fixed share on death or divorce.... which share could be varied upwards or downwards by the court following specific guidelines set out in the legislation. Once such a system is in operation, it should be carefully monitored and assessed. If it is found seriously wanting them further consideration can be given to a more radical solution. Remember that no legal system can alone and unaided solve interspousal difficulties or social Note that the system injustices. proposed by the Ontario Law Reform Commission (deferred community of property) will not apply to existing marriages unless spouses jointly agree to have their family property affairs governed by the deterred community of property system. One must ask how realistic It is to assume that the majority of married couples will opt in. 4. The Ontario Law Reform Commission has recommended (in view of the rigid formula propcsed by them) that persons who are about to be married be given a choice as to which matrimonial system to have govern their they wish property relations. One must ask: a - Will the majority of people understand sufficiently the consequences of choice to make an intelligent one? b - How can a young couple possibly forsee their economic future? c - Will prospective brides not be influenced by their prospective mates to go along with the latter's wishes? 5. Experience in countries where a similar- system to the proposed deferred community of property system has shown that persons with any substantial amount of property, including the professional classes, opt out of deferred community of property. Think for a moment of the consequences on a man (or woman) who owns a small business if he has to contemplate selling it or mortgaging it to meet his wife's equalizing claim. Deferred community of property will be of little value to those people who are in a lower income bracket, for example, the family whose total income is a weekly wage of $200. Half of nothing is nothing. 6. Deferred community of property will cause serious accounting and valuation problems if spouses wish to claim deductions. 7. If the women's liberation movement is to have any success whatsoever, it must surely result in a better informed, more economically independant woman. If this is going to be afforded the middleaged woman of to-day by the Ontario Law Reform Commission's proposals, is the price of a comprehensive scheme such as deferred community of property for the future too high? Hopefully, fewer numbers of women will require its alleged protection! EXAMPLE CALCULATION OF AN EQUALIZING CLAIM For property acquired during the course of a marriage, other than the matrimonial home and its contents, the Ontario Law Reform Commission recommends that it be governed by the Matrimonial Property Regime. In this Regime the spouses would continue to own acquire and dispose of their separate property during the marriage. On termination of marriage, either by death or divorce, the spouses would share equally the financial product of the marriage. This is known as Deferred Community of Property. Division of the assets aquired during the course of the marriage would be accomplished by means of the equalizing claim rather than by claim to specific assets. Sharing would take the form of a cash payment from the spouse with the greater assets to the spouse having the lesser assets. 1. Calculation of the husband's residuary estate. Net Estate.(total value of the husband's property less his debts and liabilities) $58,000 (property) - $3,000 (debts) = $55,000 (net estate) From the net estate are subtracted the value of property acquired before the marriage and the value of property acquired as a personal gift. $55,000 (net estate) - $10,000 (property owned before his marriage) = $45,000 (residuary estate) 2. Calculation of the wife's residuary estate Net Estate (total value of wife's property less her debts and liabilities) $12,000 (property) - 0 (debts) = $12,000 (net estate) From the net estate are subtracted the value of property acquired before the marriage and the value of property acquired as personal gifts $12,000 (net estate) - ($4,000 bonds acquired before marriage +$3,000 personal gift) = $5,000 residuary estate $. Calculation of net financial product of the marriage Husband's residuary estate + wife's residuary estate net financial product of the marriage $45,000 + $5,000 0. $50,000 (net financial product of the marriage) con't pg. 6 Pg 5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ABBY 1101411i N about some of the influences which keep women out of fitness and sports activities, and talked particularly about the influence of school programs. She stressed at one point that women were only partly responsible for not being involved -- that there were other factors like stereotypihg and lack of encouragement which also worked to keep women out. From the studio, we went to the College, where Abby opened the Conference. Here she expanded on the kinds of social pressures she had mentioned earlier. Specifically she dealt with the myths and stereotypes our culture perpetuates when it comes to women and sports or fitness. A lot of these are reviewed in the booklet Abby wrote in co-operation with the Ontario Status of Women Council, "About Face ... towards a positive image of women in Abby Hoffman came to Thunder Bay to address participants of the Women's Fitness Conference held October 16, 1976 at Confederation College. She arrived Friday, the night before the Conference, and I was lucky enough to be one of the three women from our Planning Committee who met her at the airport. Sport". They included the myths that women are basically physically in inferior; that sports activities damage our child bearing potential and that to be successful as an athlete She made you had to look like a man. particular reference to the slams given by the media (and losing competitors) to the female gold medal swimmers in the '76 Olympics. We took Abby to her hotel where we discussed the Conference -- our plans and our hopes. We also talked about a lot of other things too. Like how Abby had left a teaching position at Guelph University (Political Studies) to take her preAnd how her job as sent job. Co-ordinator of Athlete Assistance Programs for the Canadian Olmpic Association ends soon, leaving her unemployed. We told Abby we'd like her to work in Thunder Bay, so we could have her Who knows? full time. I drove Abby to CBQ first thing Saturday morning for an interview. She had done freelance work with CBC Radio on "This Country in the Morning", and is virtually an "old hand" She talked around radio studios. The evening before, Abby had talked about sport as an area which should be of primary concern to the women's movement, as it was here that the concept of biological destiny/inferiority is a fundamental issue. Abby talked about our right "to fitShe mentioned that some ness". countries like West Germany, this right We is guaranteed in the constitution. have the right as citizens and tax payers to equal access to public There would be as many facilities. opportunities, time allotted and funds Day care would allocated to each sex. be available so that mothers (and fathers) were as eligible as nonparents. Abby drew some rather obvious comparisons between our system and alternatestyles in other countries, particularly She spoke of culsocialist countries. tural and recreational centres in socialist countries which were beyond our comprehension given our experience with such centres. Entire families could go to a single facility where many activities, for all ages, were happening. There was no need, as in Thunder Bay, to drive one child to a Boy Scout meeting in the church basement, another child to swim class at the university, while Mum goes to a fitness class at the Y and Dad goes to play in a chess tournament at a local Lodge. All of these activities can be centralized in the community centre. Abby talked about how Olympic athletes are more effectively encouraged and financed in socialist countries. She also mentioned the evening before how the stereotypes regarding women are not the same as ours because generally women's contributions as workers and athletes seem to be valued more highly. She talked about male-dominated commercial sport as a hurdle to equal opportunity. It works to perpetuate the idea that women are not athletes and that, for all of us (men and women) our role is as spectator rather than participators. Abby referred to her own high school experience in a school which gave 1,160 students time off to watch only forty student/football players compete. In her talk and in her workshop, Abby looked at strategies for effecting change which included the integration of male and female sports programs, compulsory physical education classes every day in school, an emphasis on participation and personal fitness, equal allocation of funds and programming and media coverage of events other than strictly maledominated, commercial sport. Having Abby with us, even for a single weekend was like a shot in the arm. The things she talked about were valuable on an intellectual level, but there was something else there too. There is a physical sureness and grace in Abby which comes, I believe, from training her body to I would perform at its potential. like very much to be more in touch with my body -- its limits and its potential. I think, for all of us, it is the best thing we can do for ourselves and our self-image. Source material: 4. Calculation of the Equalizing Claim Net financial product of the marriage smaller residuary estate 2 = equalizing claim $50,000 1. Family Property Law Report, Ontario Law Reform Commission 2. A Brief Over-view (report of the O.R.L.C, on Family Property Law)bprepared by the Ontario Status of Women Council. Joan Packota Thunder Bay Club - Canadian Federation of University (net financial product ) - $5,000 (smaller residuary estate) 2 = $20,000 (equalizing claim) t********************ic******** * This year,the Law reform commission 5. Calculation of the financial situation of each spouse at termination of the marriage. a. Larger residuary estate - equalizing claim = financial situation of the husband at termination of marriage $45,000 (husband's residuary estate) - $20,000 (equalizing claim) = $25,000 (husband's financial situation) b. Smaller residuary estate + equalizing claim = financiii skuation of wife at termination of marriage $5,000 (wife's residuary estate) + $20,000 (equalizing claim) = $25,000 (wife's financial situation) Pg6 4E Itof Canada submitted a report on 41 41 family law which merits the attention The Government 4E of all Canadians. intends to carry on discussioni,(Ho-Hum): 41. 4E 41 4E with the provinces to encourage the 41 41 creation of unified Family Courts 41 with comprehensive jurisdiction 41 41 4E over Family Law permitting disputes 41 11 4E to be dealt with more constructivly. 4E In addition,the government will 41 nce an and with 4 discuss scuss w thee pr 41 1 41 the public other aspects of family 4E law bearing on the stability of 11 marriage,the protection of children, 41 41, 4c. and the fair sharing of the economic 41 consequences of marital breakdown. .11E PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Physical Assertiveness An article, written by Thomas Boslooper, appeared in the Journal of Physical Education and Recreation, May 1976. In it, he spoke of the need for more opportunities for women to engage in sports activities of all sorts--particularly, competitive, co-educational and contact sports. H e felt that it was not cultural attitudes alone which could account for the lack of opportunities for women--money, or lack of it, is an important factor. "Men don't want to share the money with the women." He points out the contradiction we tolerate when we acknowledge the high incidence of physical aggression directed toward women, and our refusal to allow warren the means to cope with this aggression. "Girls and women are struck and beaten, hurt and humiliated physically by brothers and sisters, a few mothers and many fathers, male friends and bosses, lovers and husbands. This is true on all economic and social levels." "Women, however, are told not to fight because it is not ladylike, and are kept from developing an kind of experience that will be beneficial to them in trying to cope with physical aggressiveness that has been directed against them." Based on 20 years of counselling and research, Boslooper is certain there is a correlation between physical competence/confidence and mental health. RECIPE FOR HEALTH He has found that women who feel they cannot cope with life "lacked satisfying physical activities, were unrealistic about their physical strength, had had unfulfilling experiences in physically competitive activities, or had been hurt physically or sexually abused by someone at some time, and so had cane to characterize various forms of physicality as a denial of femininity. Although not all emotionally distressed women were negative in all of these areas, most were negative in at least three out of four, and all were negative in the fourth." "On the other hand, I saw that women who felt they could cope adequately with the problems of life, and generally thought themselves to be vigorous emotionally and physically were likely to be what I call positive in all of these factors. They had developed and maintained a satisfying form of physical activity or sport; they had a realistic image of their physical strength and liked the feeling of being strong; the competitive element in physicality was stimulating to their awn achievement; and they never been hurt physically by anyone and/or they had the capacity to conceptualize physically assertive activity as a nonsexual or nonhostile act." THE HOOPLACHEERLEADER GLADIATOR SYNDROME He makes quite the case for coeducation, competitive, contact sports for women. "Certainly, men and women of insight and goodwill should be able to devise, develop, and regulate various forms of individual and team contact sports between females and females and between females and males for the establishment of energetic and wholesome activity that will promote the physical and social development of both sexes." "How much better human beings we all would be if males and females could learn to have the kinds of physical contacts that terminate in mutual feelings of respect and liking and the recognition that each participant is strong--where skill, rather than hostility, becomes the prerogative for winning, and the sharing of self-esteem becomes the mutual reward for both participants!" Can it be that, as boys and girls develop individual physical skills and learn in games and sports how to compete with one another playfully, they will be well on the way toward learning to relate constructively in marriage, in business, in the professions, and i n politics? Can wholesome contact sports promote healthier social contacts between male and female?" To these questions, Boslooper answers affirmatively. He joins the chorus of female voices asking for increased opportunities in sports. MID Robert Hue, in an article entitled, Athletics and the Community College, or...the Hoopla-Cheerleader- Gladiator Syndrome, looks at how school and college sports stress winning rather than participation and education. He addresses the star-making process which can only accommodate a limited number of people "at the top". Starmaking, and the need to win, are both products of a system which seeks public recognition/financial gain above educational value. In such a system, there is little opportunity for students to meet one another with the intention to develop skills and strengthen their sense of community through encouragement and understanding, and female students are taught to take on a supportive role; not to develop their own skills but to rejoice over the achievements of male athletes. Rue discusses these and other issues which require changes in attitudes and changes in behaviour. He makes yet another plea for the use of sports as a vehicle for learning, fitness and respect for the skills and efforts of others. Pg 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Marlene It takez a wide net POETRY to capture the zpitit that knows Lt's cwn The 6inezt mezh (.-(1.et net cortin LETTER TO ALL NV att phantasy temo ved, thetez power in the stone 14 I am quiet now; Lt -ins becaus e, the, here The sent; L 1\4 E that cant be moved. / am thinking 6aeze concetn iz dross, o6 you,each ob you. W ith yowl dietent ti6eztyLez all zympathy zuzpect, and habitz;and ways o6 bon those who scorn thinking and 4eeting; to pray the game on I admite you pt yours courage; battet zeti -tezpect. Gert It takez coonage to be dietent,and each o6 uz are di64etent. At some point in out Zivez; W e may meet and sit down and tatk, We may not agree on a tot o6 things; I We may be at dietent ztagez o6 growth, REASONS but we mItt tezpect and accept I out di66etencez. Thete ate two /Lea/sons thi/s quest teaLized, I believe aa women ate strong arm in atom- - I want to zee I and getting zttonget. we have a gent& inzight into things; Each o6 uz,we want to teach out in at kinds oi ditectionz,that many oi uz have only dreamed about. N ow Lt's happening in 40 many ways; We zee it and beet Lt every day It iz exciting. The 4a4-t, 40 obviourty, it ha4 been 40 tong coming, And Let's 6ace Lt, quite overdue... The second, same maticious dezite to show even so zubtey those who nevet betieved in women that the incapacitiez they saw in ws wete metety the 't own tegectionz theit own inadequaciez zhining thtough-and theystt know. . their childrei She's at home in the fields and in the woods, s he can identify sound or smell, S he knows what to in earth that only weeds,and, she'll still have of that growth on h er table next The Northern Woman can drive a tracto a truck, a school bus or a bicycle; she can clean,cook . Pautah Edwards It -o a good andiviondet6oLe thing to be a woman, we ate not only ptoving every day,thatide have b/Lainz;but W e have physicat and mentae strength and have fresli blu pie the same day; Her teeth are stai and patience to do amazing things in each o6 out Li6e time. We ate Leatning that we, as women Can have mote conttot overt w hat we want to do, And what we don't want to do So Li I am quiet tight now, It .cis becauze 1 beet att these things, and I had to Let you know. CaxoL Anne Waugh "Het-zete The Northern woman a brown eyed susan that she calls an ox-eyed daisy; S he's a jackpine w ith wild bluebert at her feet, a log camp out in the bush thi she helped build; She's the northern lights in full dre! The northern woman the one who s knows the names of all her neighbor their history their gossip i To zee at Last my ziztutz and I I THE NORTHERN WOMAN art day Long out argument have ch azed the cat outside thL from pure spring w and you couldn't h notice them b ecause The northern Woman smiles at stranger house L growing incteazingLy neutotic Charlene D R t 6it your ting in my noze then turn Lt on my 6inget a noose on a tiny neck az you ignite your wands with matchez my skin cut-P Like ceaophane unwtapping ate Lts de6encez against you i can only tetteat inzide my shredded 4!Mn zttetching tarn edges to covet th,i4 strange evidence oi Love. P g 8 Myna McFattafte itom B.C. ixom "The Fat Executionet" PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NIIII..4"1.14)004).flabom4 ramom mmoscmooimmot sGaim.0 00404011m4 mi04 ANI4 r4soo4004mmt I OlYmPia I I wanted to say the dteamet was mad, His ego and ptide was a sin. I wanted to tett him, the castle he buitt was a btot on the season we've in. I wanted to say the ptanetz at bay, and some whet e a child is dying. I wanted to choke him, and scream in his eat. What manna o6 man is unabte to heat when hati od the wottd is ctying? RAPE The final outrage,the ultimate insult to the human spirit.... forget the flesh, all bruises fade. I , By physical, assault man's point is made. but in that dark,and secret place,a violated spirit drinks the distillation of revenge. Who rapes has made an enemy to all his kind, exposed that real potential for a rapist, .... and more andmore her sisters empathize and strip him of pretension through her eyes. I Stitt as the vision KM stowty ttans6used in the cynicat ()toad od a nation. I somehow dotgot, that the otiginat thought and vatued the dream as divetzion. Fot nobody cried and nobody died, and nobody screamed disastet. The potitics tumbted behind the dacade, making theit points with invisibte Gods, teaving no Wad on the gteen sat tut Gert od Otympia. The youth od the ptanet was on pa/Lade, -att muscle and brawn and grace. A or under my arms either, visibte skating od energy with a tired and spitittess twice. but don't hate men! So to the dreamer, who dreamed the pume That didn't quite contain us I'm not supported by a bra, dot paying the pipet is the ptice, or pluck my eyebrows blue. and the dteamet's dream may &Lain us. I es don't shave my legs I One thing I know sure for my Brother my sister always' love you. Donna Shaw TO GERT What a beautidat spot 04 a massacre I thought, when the Indians entered the ting, i6 under each bonnet and deatheted cape a hatchet shatp was hidden! What a tovety time dot vanity to meet its dinat doe, to h ang the dreamer upside down where once the citctez gew. Gent Beadle It was cages, and cages, on and on 'ery hex timbs row ees ne uly; stretched.... They ran through the dietds to mote cages and cages. They ctimbed oven and over the w'tought .iron bans and on and on they tan thtough cages sew :rry POEM Untitled by Marg Smith and cages anti weary they tested by an ad woman who spoke.... When / was young p but I ran thtough cages and cages b ut tined atso teatizing.... there witt always be cages and cages to tun itom, to tun to )ertson z o now / zit knowing my timitations, ittuminated by my possibitities. I Live! / tive! seeing no baAz £n my btindness" and so they sat,sat and thought o4 those cages, :er cages and ball.;... And they heeded, heeded the o!d woman, knowing one mat realize timUations,in olden to be itee. Kate Give me a hole to hide in, and I'll obediently disappear from view You need not ever more consider whether live or die, prosper or pine. My pain can be as nothing to you because it is not seen by you. don't fit into my body, knowI'm too awkward, lumpy, scratchy ever to be containable by skin. So go, don't look at the grotesque thing don't hear the cacophone of my clamouring desires don't taste the bitter taste of failure to come to terms with what is not smooth and neatly packaged. That's what we always said stay, or go if we can be together gently, that's cool if not why stay, why hang around and waste the sunshine? But days are made from clouds as will, I've found, So, when yoU go, that's fine but don't expect to leave with my I I I respect. credit 'She Ain't Heavy' Pg9 1111111.0111111111.0414 blimp( pinimpoemm 114.111111111141N10111114,11411411041111M1410041111111.11M11111.0. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CRISIS WOMEN' S CREDIT UNION AWA I TS CHARTER *************************k 4E Over thirty women assembled, on short notice, at the Northern Women's Centre on Oct. 14, to meet and be signators as founding members of the * credit union. Bert Richards from the Ontario Credit Union League, 4E 4e Toronto, and Jim Zebruk, the local 4e representative were present and answered many more questions asked 4E by the women. 4E One of the requirements, before 4E obtaining a charter from the Province * was that four women allow their ie names to stand for nomination for President, Treasurer, Credit Committee 4E and Supervisory Committee. Women were selected for these positions. The election of these women, and any 4e others nominated for these positions will be held after the credit union has obtained its charter. 4E Another requirement was that the credit union have a bond of association, i.e. ethnic, company, etc. 4E The credit union's bond is with the Northern Women's Centre. However, since the centre does not demand a 41 membership fee, the membership will 4E be drawn from sbuscribers of the 41 Northern Woman Regional Journal and/ 4E or volunteers of groups such as the Rape and Sexual Assault Centre, 4E Equal Pay Committee, IWY Decade Coun4E cil, Citizen's Group on Crisis Housing, Etc. Sounds complicated--don't worry. 41 The easiest way to become a member 4E is to subscribe to the Northern Woman. This will make you eligible 4E to receive loans and make deposits 4E 4E in the credit union. 4E The name Northern Women's Credit 4E Union Limited was voted as the most 4E popular with Women's Credit Union 4E (Thunder Bay) a close second. 4E The response to the fact sheet sent * to many women, indicated an overwhelming positive response that a women's 4E credit union will be a success in 4E Thunder Bay. The charter will take 4E six to eight weeks to prepare. We if will keep you informed. Save your money for the union! ic************************** HOUSING The annual meeting of the Citizen's Committee for Crisis Housing was held in the dining room of the Crisis House on Tarbutt St. on Oct. 7, 1976. Dorothy Akram, counsellor and manager of the homes, met with eight of us from the Committee. Mention should be made that there are four houses. One house is used as the communal dining room. This is where all the meals are made and served to the residents. Another,house is used for the young women who formerly were housed in the Coach House. The other houses are provided for the women that we are concerned about, woman in an emergency crisis situ- NCO -OP BOOKSHOP and RECORD CENTRE * Excellent selection of Canadian literature, classics, 4E 4E 4 film books, science fiction, crafts, poetry, many unusual titles. Best folk, ethnic and blues selection in town. .E Open till 8 eadi day it. and all day SundsV 4E182 S. Algoma Street. On campus eve ry Thursday beside the Main Cafeteria phone 3458912 ************************** Pg 1 0 Woman, there are still no cribs or highchairs, and according to Dorothy Akram, they are overspent on their budget. The city, without bothering to inform Dorothy, has closed off access to these houses. A mountain of dirt blocks Tarbutt St., just off Victoria Ave. A detour down Lillie St. to a narrow unmarked dirt road between Hogarth Hosp. and Grandview Lodge is now necessary to get over to Tarbutt St. A while back, Lakehead Living, our free paper on life in Thunder Bay, as approached by one of our committee, hoping they would do a feature article on the sad situation that prevails for abused women in Thunder 3ay. Tom Grand didn't feel the number of women in distress warrented any :overage by his paper. After our depressing talk with Dorothy, we reaffirmed our original agreement to supply what we could out of the interest on the money we received from Grenville Group Homes. Money is presently being used to transport one child to and from the Ogden Day Care Centre, as the city cannot afford the $6 taxi fare. The mother of this child is ill, requires surgery and cannot cope with her two children. Other children temporarily housed in crisis housing, are missing school till permanent housing is found for them. The bulk of the money will remain in a preferred savings account until a situation presents itself to invest in a crisis shelter for women only, that meets our expectations, or failing that, perhaps invest the money in the Women's Credit Union to a,id women in crisis with a small loan situation. We have undertaken to make a personal appeal to service clubs and church groups and have written a form letter asking them to intervene on behalf of women and children. Trudy Perroud will take the Sec. Treasurer office vacated by Janet Owen. Gert Beadle will continue as President for another year. Trudy and Gert are the signing officers. The fund is now in the new name of our charter "Crisis Homes Inc." ation. Dorothy told us of the difficulty of locating permanent housing for these people, mainly women with chil dren. The housing shortage in Thunder Bay coupled with the reluctance on the part of people to rent to women with children makes the task twice as difficult. Many women are being turned away from this emergency shelter, thus remaining in an intolerable home situation, where beatings may be frequent. (One woman related to one of us that she is well known at McKellar Hosp. Out of five pregnancies, she has only two live children because she was beaten.) Records of exactly how many women are turned away are not kept. However, most of us on the committee have been contacted or know of such women. For the past couple of months there has been a waiting list to get in. Women with children are a priority. While we are very aware of the problems encountered in finding permanent accommodation for these women, after being admitted, it is still our main concern that NO ONE in a crisis situation is turned away. The need for more emergency shelter is evident to us and we feel that every woman refused accommodation, due to lack of space, should be documented. Shelter for men in Thunder Bay seems adequate but for women, two houses w ith approx. 15 beds is appalling, especially when you consider some women nave many children. One woman housed there presently has eight children. In Toronto, emergency beds for men total 1,184 and 77 for women. The ratio in Thunder Bay is probably worse. Women have never been a concern of the government. The operational costs of running these homes are shared by the province and the city. Our mayor beats his-chest for the working man while many of these working men are beating their wageless, powerless wives. As for the rest of the city council, they are hardly aware these houses exist. In spite of invitations, none have 411"c"*"*"**********)1414cg"lbothered 4E the REPORT (he Crisis Housing Committee. 7 o visit. Intoaddition, the judge said, per o Themitting governments cutbacks toin social the name change this case 4E services women the hardest 0 mighthave havehit "serious repercussions o 4E --theperhaps poorestthroughout and weakest. The cuto the country". 4E o backs budget named for operating :'Heleft saidthe a person Jackson could 4' thesepetition houses less than adequate. 0 to change the name to o 4E One house had toanbeindividual opened before o Jackchild; namedit o 4E was furnished (furnished means beds 0 Manning would want his surname 4E 0 to Peopling; andprovided a woman 4c. and0 achanged T.V.) mattresses were 0 0 called Carmen would insist on being 0 4E then, and not much else since. Wino o AL 0 called Carperson. 4 dowsO are without curtains, beds (cots) o without spreads. 4 are Towels and insane," o endless and increasingly bedding ooare being depleted. "This One would tru'y wrote Scileppi. broom between four spite be in ttghouses! realm ofInnonume." of our last appeal in_the Northern , i BABYLON, N.Y. (AP) What's in a name? A legacy of sexism, says a Long Island feminist. But Justice John Scileppi of New York State Supreme Court disagreed and denied the woman legal permission to change her name to Ellen Cooperperson rfrom Ellen Cooperman. In denying the petition Scileppi said such a "ludicrous" change would expose the women's liberation move% ment to ridicule. "The possibilities are virtually 0 0 o : o o i o o 0 o o .0! PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �:************************************************************************************i Decade Council goes to Gera idlon ********************************************************************** ************* Oct. 16/76 Saturday morning, fifteen membprs of the Decade Council drove about 170 miles to Geraldton to share with the women there some of the progress reports of the various action collectives that function under the support and leadership of the Decade Council of Northwest Ontario. This has to be one of the most beautiful drives in the area. The first winter snow we have seen accompanies us and deepens until near Geraldton we see that the Our thanks snowploughs are out. to Reiko Maeba for arranging the visit and providing the lovely lunch and coffee for the group. We also appreciate the Separate School lending us the class room for the meeting. The meeting was called to order at 2 PM by chairperson Bernice Cain with 32 persons present, all having been identified and introduced to each other. The committee reports w ere each followed by a question period and appeared in this order; E ual Pay Report - Leona Lang Leona gave a 'retailed report on lobbying efforts to date and the Working Women's Conference to be held sometime in March at ConfedHopefully, it will eration College. be co-hosted by Trades and Labour She stated Council and the College. that Grace Hartman of CUPE has accepted an invitation to attend and more good speakers will attend It will be a two the workshops. day affair and will stress unionization as the shortest route to equal pay. The Felt Feea Manket vats a zuccus {yon The NottheAn Women'4 Centre. One Hundred and 4ixty-4ive dottaius wa4 made. Spec a,2 thank4 to ate those i that donated and ezpeciatty to Leistet I Conga son att. the good junk 4he We- description of the project, an outline of what we hope to preserve the progress to date and the appeal for participation from the women of Geraldton. , il-111LHousinv Gert Beadle, Pres. of Citizens committee for crisis housing support. Gert gave the background to the establishing of the city-run crisis houses in Thunder Bay, the original philosophy of a house for the women in transition as opposed to the shelter and food for displaced families, that the city provides. She spoke of the pressing problem of physical abuse in a marriage situation and the public indifference to a subject they prefer to pretend doesn't exist. The discussion on this report and the questions asked indicated a general interest on the part of our 1.414=IimmitIINIMII1410111111141i4114P+11111100114 NEW WOMAN DOCTOR IN TOWN Dr. Fulford is with the Spence Clinic and those of us who have had occasion to need her advice and medrical attention recommend her highly. Ra e and Sexual Assault Report - eri lee Berry and Marg Wallington Much progress was made this Marg outlined the previous summer. attempt which the Northern Women had instigatea, wnich failed from lack of public support and stated that the time seems right for progress All local hospitals in this area. Her group now carry a rape kit. has met with the police force and found a willingness to co-operate. They have a room in McKellar Hosp. and a counselling service. Paula Brooks is the first woman in Canada to be hired as a co-pilot 1!operating out of Timmins. She is iemployed by Nor-Ont Air to sevice a northern route from Timmins to North Bar, Chapleau, Sudbury, etc. In an interview with CBC Radio, 1 Paula stated there was some fear that she might not be capable of 1 loadi ng her own baggage, but she was able to calm the fears of her 1 counterparts. Paula was a imale flight instructor and had 1500 hrs. flying time before she was consia She ered for her present position. 1 hopes to one day sit in a co-pilot's seat in Air Canada. In the meantime, she savours the knowledge that she 1 has broken another barrier. Ruth Cunningham from Confederation College gave the Family Property Law Report for Joan Pakota of the University Women's Club who was unable to attend. She spoke also about the Status of Women of Ontario of which she is a member and her position as head of Women's Programs at the College. She gave tribute to the Northern Woman's Centre, which she said had contributed greatly to her growth as an aware, dedicated worker in the women's movement. Women's Credit Union rratrer777757,rn the absence of Laurie Hill, reported on the progress of the Women's Credit Union (see report on page 10 of this paper) I .Lo..i.tated. Herstory Report 77777-17Fay gave a loose WS 1 ' ' ! 111101c************************* it 4E 4E 4E 4E A poem to my friends, with thanks for helping me through the roughest time of my life. * 41 4E 41 4E .* 4E 4f 4f 4E 41 if 4E if if 4E Acknowledgement to My Friends. Journes Northern Woman. Apprehension mingles with fear the collike the clouds that form on a grey lective, spoke about the journal as menacing day. the collective and joint property wonder what the future holds And of the women in Northwestern Ontario.* for me 4E She stated her desire to broaden * Calm, peace, serenity, the vision, to have it make a clear 4E and the knowledge that and positive statement on the 11 always intended to do what was right iE She issues that concern women. if 41 said "We want to remove ourselves 4f Chaos, confusion, pain II from the portrayal of pathetic if 4E and the reality of my shortcomings 4E iE losers to a great sisterhood who in my everyday existance? 4E if knows where they have been, where 4E Or will the middle of the road il they want to go and will arrive 41. iE be my fate, my destiny if 4E there without losing either their in this time of my life? 4E 41 sense of humour or their capacity 4f 4E to love both th eir sisters and 4E ifWhatever the case iE if. their brothers. Whatever the feelings 4f 41 This visit to Geraldton was a am secure right now iE 4E pilot project and will no doubt 4f 4E Because as long as this new life 4E 41 be followed by the Decade Council within me surges forth 4E If we moving out to other areas. and pulls from eternity *find the same warmth, the same if A kick for my awareness, woman-to-woman rapport in the 41 am close to myself, know future meetings, our Decade Council 4E * and to you my friends, will grow in strength and stature. * who helped make this state of I sisters in Geraldton and told us they may have cause to consider the value of one in their own community. Hilda Holm is also keenly interested in the plight of elderly women in isolated communities who have lost their mates and are without financial advice are emotional support. The responsibility of women to help women is widely accepted; only the means has not been established. Home-makers Group - Eleanor Eryou m.ming-gillintrirtup have been monitoring television and the printed word for sexual stereotyping, stating with much good humour that we are still weak and passive but men, poor dears, are still dumb and bumbling. Hopefully they will do more monitoring. I I I - we must work collectively if we don't , our energies die 4E 4E if I being a reality. 411** Love Paulah ************************9 Pg 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �HERSTORY PROJECT .1 % %i /IS LP YOU R IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAVE A STORY TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE SEND IT ALONG. THE HERSTORY GUIDELINES BELOW MAY GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF SOME AREAS YOUR STORY COULD INCLUDE. HERE IS OUR ADDRESS: HERSTORY PROJECT 316 BAY STREET THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO FOR HERSTORY GUIDLINES 1. Now old were you when you came to N.W. Ontario? 2. Were you rural or urban? 3. Did you have a sense of adventure at the prospect? 4. Did yiu think of yourself as a pioneer? 5. Were you disappointed or elated at the reality? 6. Did you realize the importance of coping on an individual basis or was your husband the one who shielded and protected you and took the load? 7. Did you expect it 'to be hard or did you perhaps romanticize the life? 8. What was the thing you missed most? 9. How did you meet the needs for spiritual growth,for creative growth? 10. Did you cope with loneliness, was there music, books in your first home? II. Do you remember the first radios, the first phones, the silent movies? 12. Were you interested in the politics of the country? Did you vote your own vote? 13. Did you lose anyone in the First War or the Second? 14. Do you remdmber the bread lines,the hoboes in the depression, the great Welfare roles, and the labour camps that paid $5 a month for a man? 15. How was it with you then? 16. Was educating your children a passion with you? 17. How much value did you put on personal vanity? 18. What beauty preparations were available, for instance - who cut your hair, and did you curl it and how? 19. How old were you when you married. Were you prepared to be a wife and later a mother or did you find a surprise waiting for you? 20. Have you thought much about Women's rights or have you been content to have men take the lead and decide what is best for you and the family? 21. Have you ever done a really militant thing because you knew it was right even though your husband disagreed? 22. Did you feel the generation gap they speak of these days with your children. 23. Were you able. to trust their judgement, push them out of the nest or did you long to protect them? 24. Was there a difference in protective feelings between your daughters and sons? 25. Was there any time you had to fill the breach in supporting the family (husband sick)? 26. Were you active in the communtity, see (9) 27. What was the health facilities 28. As 29. ; the famity doctor; the flu epidemic, the fever epidemic? you look back, is there anything you would have changed or has your life pleased you? Does the Divorce Rate disturb you or do you feel there is some merit in woman asserting herself more today? Pg 12 30. What do you feel you have contributed as a friend, as a parent and a citizen? PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �as loose a statement as "we support the Native woman's cause" without realizing it is their own cause. She cannot be wounded unless the pain is general, the anger allencompassing. When we know this, and our native sister knows that we know it, she will forgive us for our patronizing pity, our sanctimonious rhetoric, our self-seeking indifference and lend to us the pride and power, the natural affection that sustained her through the nightmare our society has imposed on her. The poem Sylvia read to us is below and says it all and we in the Decade Council say Amen. 4E "Anna Mae worked hand setving het 4E Indian people and assisted in out 4E e6iont4 to shed the shacktes o4 4E She is with 4E Government patetnatism. 4E us. In het btook is Ogtala. We 4E So theteiote 4E considet het a Wend. 4E we ate concerned because we beet 4E that het invotvement as out ally 4E pxobabty brought hex death... We 4E 4E want to know the truth about Anna Mae's death and the possibitity o4 31 the Government's .involvement in it. * Anna Mae Pictou was tespected and 4E We loved by the people o4 Oglala. 11 mourn hex, and we urge all law4E abiding citizens to demand the teat 4E 4E truth about het death." The Brave-hearted Women who remain to face the dangers of the Indian world have sadly been given a martyr, Anna Mae of Shubenacadie, Boston, Washington, St. Paul, Wounded Knee, Los Angeles, Oregon and finally a frozen grave site on a ridge in Oglala. 4E 4E 4E lt 4E 4E 4E It * 4E 4E Among the Iroquois, it is the women It who decide when the people will go 4E to war * because when the war is done, it is the women who weep. 4E Will the Brave-Hearted Women decide 4E 4E that, with Anna Mae's death, the war is over? Or will they decide with Lorelei Means who declares, 4E "Hell, we're struggling for our life.* * ='e're struggling to survive as a , people". 4E 4E 4E Anna Mae Pictou Aquash faces the 11 sun's first light with the white, black, red and yellow streamers 4E flapping overhead on poles placed in 4E the Four Sacred Directions cornering her grave. 4F 4E The Brave-Hearted Women have decided * 4E there will be war. The Second Battle of Wounded Knee found Anna Mae among the many young and old women who shared a common denominator: the loss of patience. Regina Brave put it into words: WE'RE TIRED' We'te tined oi seeing out men dtiven by despait, tutn to alcohol, commit suicide, or end up in penal instituions. We've neared out chitAen only to 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E * 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E It 41 4E 4E 4E 4E see them brain -washed by an atien system with a genocidal poZicy which 4E 4E desttoys out tanguage, customs and 11 heritage. We'te tited oi seeing out btothens and on go oi.6 to wan only to come home and be stain by United States Govetnment iotces. 4E 4E It 41E. 4E 4E Wet 483 yeau, we're Cited - we're damn sick and tiled. So, we've standing up next to out We're standing up and taking men. up the battle here and now to ptotect out young so theit unborn can know the (xeedom out gAandpatents knew. 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E * 4E 4E * 11 The iutuu oi out young and unborn to butied in out past. We axe today 4E who wLU biting the tebitth 04 spiti- 4E 11 dignity, and 4oveteignty. 4E We ate Native AmexLcan Women! HEARTBREAK * 4E 4E AL 1IT ERALDTO ************************4 Sylvia Ullich is a beautiful native woman. Physically and mentally, it shows itself. Yet, in the town of Geraldton, she has reason to believe the townspeople have not seen the person she is. They have dismissed her and her people as only Indians. She came to the Women's Council meeting to tell us that we have nothing to give her, that we are part of the structure that has taken away her pride and her heritage, that our problems are as nothing to the problems of her race. She is almost right. The structure that declared her Non-Indian when she married a white man is ours. It is obscene and utterly without a redeeming feature, but it's ours and it must be changed. Who will change it, if not women, for she is one of ours, beyond the Indian beyond the white, is woman blood and bone, doubly oppressed in her case because of her race and our indifference. She struggles to teach 42 native children, away from their homes billeted in white homes whom she feels have no personal interest in them. There are tears in her eyes as she tells of a social she planned for the pupils and their house parents, inviting them by letter, but "not one turned up". Does this make them racist? Probably not. Unthinking, insensitive, preoccupied with their own small affairs, more likely. But she was wrong w hen she said she wanted nothing from us, for at the first sign that she was in the presence of women who truly cared and suffered with her, she broke and we wept together. Perhaps we wept for the things that divide usb.for the love we deny each other, for the support we need from each other and perhaps we wept because there's a revolution going on and we know love is not enough. It will take controlled anger and we don't know who to be mad at. No woman truly tuned in to her own female core could make am am of am am Indian and proud. Indian you could pick me out a crowd. Indian stand tall. Indian you'll never see me I crawl. am Indian am Indian am am of am am I live on a reservation. Indian and proud. Indian you could pick me out a crowd Indian stand tall. Indian you'll never see me I crawl. am Indian lived on a reservation am Indian need the white man's education. am Indian deep down inside. am Indian I've got my pride. I I am Indian ain't greedy. am Indian am not Treaty. am Indian without any land. am Indian is that hard to understand? I I , am am am am Indian Indian Indian Indian proud of my race. not a disgrace. set me free. let me be. am am am am Indian Indian Indian Indian day and night. I'm not white. doing time. is that a crime? Ronnie Syrette, Ojibway Nation 11**************************V 4 'By nice women...you probably mean * selfish women who have no more thought *for the underprivileged, overworked 4E * women than a pussycat in a sunny window 4E for the starving kitten in the street. *Now in that sense I am not a nice 4E * woman, for I do care." 4E - Nellie McClung, The Stream Runs * Fast, 1945. 4F 4E 4E 4E 41 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E * 4E 4E 41:**************************4 P g 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �The members of the Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre have composed this questionaire in order to gain data on the frequency and conditions of rape, sexual assault or attempts at such in Northwestern Ontario. This form is to be completed by any woman who has been a victim of sexual assault of an attempted sexual assault in this geographic area. Names, if provided, will be kept in the strictest confidence. The compiled results will be published at a future date. Hopefully, by identifying the times and places in which sexual assualts occur in this area, we can prevent some other women from having this traumatic experience. By filling out this form, you will help us identify the need for the Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre. Location: Time: Date: Were other people present? Describe how you arrived at this situation: When did you first become aware that your attacker's intention was to sexually assault you: Did you know your attacker previously? The day long conference sponsored joi ntly by our centre and Confederation College on June 19th was attended by over seventy persons. The conference dealt with a wide range of issues concerning rape. We began the day with a speaker from theeToronto Rape Crisis Centre w ho spoke about the way our society's rearing of male and female children and our traditional way of looking at male and female sexuality contribute to the myths about rape and to its high incidence. Workshops w ere offered on assertiveness and self-defence, the role of crisis centres, methods of supporting rape victims, legislation, In the and assaults on children. afternoon we viewed the film "How to say-No to a Rapist...." (Storaska) and offered a critique and discussion result we reAs a of the film. solved that we would object to the use of the film for any attempt at serious education of women of the We general public regarding rape. will attempt to find or develop more meaningful media presentations. We've gotten a number of new volunteers since June, but need many more if we are going to provide full crisis and counselling help. Volunteer training has begun, and will be an on-going activity at the Centre so volunteers can join us at any time. You can be involved in a number of ways depending on the time you can spare and the type of help you would like to give. We need volunteers for phone service, counselling, typing and preparing materials. We will be settled into a permanent location by the new year, at which time we will be able to publish our phone number. Until then, anyone wishing to contact us can call Women's Centre (622-3989) or the Journal office (345-5841). Your message will be passed on. Thunder Bay Rape Our address is: and Sexual Assault Collective, P.O. Box 314, TBF. We'd like to hear from you. We w ill need a great deal of support from women in the area to meet our goals of educating the public about what rape really is, and providing w oman-to-woman support for victims of rape. A panel discus sion with a police officer, lawyer, nurse, rape counsellor, and a rape victim concluded the We felt that many issues conference. w ere discussed quite frankly and Pg 14 If so, describe the relationship. What was the attitude of the attacker? What force was utilized by the attacker? If you resisted the Could you describe attack, how did you resist? (ie. physically or verbally) details of the actual assault? What did you do immediately afterwards? Did you report the incident to the police? What was the attitude of the police? Did an arrest or conviction result? Would it have been helpful for you to have had a woman from a rape crisis group to talk to? Who did you talk to about the incident? How has the incident affected your life? Who or what has helped you deal or cope with the sexual assault? Could you give us characteristics of the attacker if known or remembered? Age: Height: Weight: Occupation: Marital Status: Could you give characteristics about yourself? Name:(if you wish) Age: H eight: Weight: Occupation: Marital Status: Please cut out this form and mail it to: Thunder Bay Rape and Sexual Assault Centre Box 314 Thunder Bay 'F' Thank you for helping women! that the day had given us all valuable information and the opportunity to discuss our feelings and beliefs with a variety of people. A video tape is being made based on the conference. This wLll be used for educational purposes and will be available for community groups, new volunteers, and other groups interested in a discussion of rape and its effects. The centre has received a $3000 grant from Secretary of State to be used for the educational aspects of our work. The centre has a resource file on rape arid related topics. W e are now developing an educational package which will be distributed to libraries and schools. One section of this package Will contain a collection of verse and thoughts from local women. Please send us any items you'd like to share. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �1 411, THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay, "P" Ont. return postage guaranteed RETURN TO: Coned* Postai Post Ftr,cm0 Bulk Ennombre third troisikno clams demos 220 414************************ * page of Contents Table Eleanor Morin makes her move Letters The Bravehearted Women Family Property Law Abby Hoffman Decade Council Report Women's Credit Union Herstory Daycare 2 3 If 5 7 11 11 12 16 * * * * * * * * * * * Donna Shaw 627 S. High St. Thunder Bay P **********************400 HAVE YOU MOVED? THIS IS YOUR LAST ISSUE LET US KNOW PLEASE. (We must pay postage on your returned paper in order to keep our mailing list YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS DUE up to date). PLEASE SUPPORT US (six mssuEs) X32 YEAR Tact BuSINESS OR rNIST I TvnoN NAME GIFT t -want to get involved? call 345-5841 any Tuesday or Wednesday ADDRESS DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED Free to one parent families Free to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 3 No 2 Description An account of the resource Vol. 3, No. 2 (1976) Title: Northern Woman Topics include: Journal distribution and readership Letters to the editor Native motherhood Family property law Women athletes Abby Hoffman Women in sports Access to sports and fitness for women Poetry Women’s Credit Union Crisis housing Women’s Decade Council Homemakers Group Rape & sexual assault report Herstory project Racism Anti-rape conference Authors/Contributors: Gert Beadle Paulah Edwards Myra McFarlane Carole Anne Waugh Charlene D. Robertson Ronnie Syrette Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2744/1976_Vol_3_No_1.pdf 22ab1b7d8aa8323261eaa709c15b7d8f PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EDITORIAL Some point out that a long year has passed since the valiant The Port Arthur Clinic has once again hit the headlines. women workers,at the clinic went out en strike. Within the last few days, several news items have pointed out the fact that the struggle has continued throughout these many months, with the women who,--in good faith, terminated the strike and went back to work, bearing the brunt of the doctors' ill will and harassment in defense of their legal right to unionize. To them I tip my hat. It takes courage dedication, and understanding, to stand up for principle in the interest of a group, despite intimidation and harassment. In a situation such as exists at the Port Arthur Clinic where the doctors have a monoply, and where many patients, because of special needs, had to cross the picket lines, because they could not get the required care elsewhere, on the one hand; and on the other hand, where you have a situation among the trade unions, who were committed to support the strike on paper, but who failed; and still fail to carry out sufficient educational work among their membership regarding trade union solidarity. The combination of these circumstances, along with the weak response of the then acting Minister of Labour, Dr. Bette Stephenson (past president of the Canadian Medical Association and a self-avowed feminist) who merely said she had done all she could, make the outcome of the strike predictable. Just what did Bette Stephenson do?? The doctors at the Port Arthur Clinic have proven themselves to no longer being a breed apart, but have now moved over to being nothing more than ruthless businessmen. They have effectively destroyed the image of dedicated men and women giving their lives to the sick and maimed as first class humanitarians. They have indeed emerged as a tarnished breed. As if the destruction of our faith in doctors were not bad enough there appeared also on the scene a nitwit in the guise of a female employee, who has taken it upon herself to call for decertification of the union, I wonder why?? Has this woman heard of the struggle everywhere that women are waging for equal pay and equal treatment in their places Of employment? Does she have the mental capacity to read the local paper? Did she read the result of a very recent Has she ever official survey which showed that Ontario women are being paid $44. a week less than men doing the same work? bothered to look up the meaning of the words 'unity' or 'solidarity' in the dictionary? Does she understand that some of the gains she has achieved since the strike were won by those who struke the clinic and remained steadfast? I feel pity and contempt for this individual. At long last there is a glimmer of hope; Journal, Aug. 17) Did this ding-a-ling read that a contract has been achieved (Chronicle- and that decertification will nullify it? Did she see the Aug. 18th article in the same paper, pointing out that the difference.in wages paid the unionized St. Joseph's hospital employees and the clinic workers is substantial? Perhaps this will tell her soMething. AlimilMemmowon. It is gratifying to know that a secred ballot vote of all eligible employees on the questjon of decertification has been granted by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. I hope they will use it well, and to their own advantage. In unity there is strength. **********************************************************rtrroVers****orintAt with talented and courageous women of 1 should be evicted. Some courses provide new the past. A booklet entitled "Your rights perspectives of the present. All of the and obligations under the landlord and courses address the great potential tenant act-Partiv 4( residental for the future. es) is available from; Ruth Cunningham, Director of Wamen's rd and Tenant Booklet Programs, and Lynne Thornburg, Super! ox 520, Adelaide St ,Toronto, visor of Women's Programs, continue to 6 work within the framework set by these ur conclusion that the law is result has been a delines. e rich andThe injustice prevails ber of high calibre, exciting rses offered to women throughout thwestern Ontario, as well as inars, workshops and conferences. This fall and winter there will be a Letters cont'd from page 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �:************************* 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E IJETTERS E*******400********01010WK*** Although it is the policy of this collective not to print letters that are unsigned, from time to time we receive a letter that cries out to be heard, -not just by the ears of sympathy and understanding, but by the-general public who are all too eager to dismiss from their minds any subject that doesn't fit into the lifestyle of their choice. The subject matter of the Northern Woman Journal is "Women in Distress", and we feel this letter fits well within that frame. Dear Sisters: still have a long way to go, and the going will be rough at times. think if had had counselling in my early adolescence it would have done away with a lot of my problems. I I I hope you think about this because you can get through to the people and make them aware, by running some articles in your feminist press. I If Thank you for reading my letter. it does nothing else it has given me an outlet. I'm surprised at myself and a little proud to be able to even say for the first time that am gay. Even if it's only in print without my name, it still feels good. I Your paper is fantastic. am so impressed. It is such a good feeling I Dear Sisters; am writing this letter with sincerity, hoping you do not think it ridiculous. don't even know if my problem will be of any interest to you. truly hope it does for feel you are the individuals who will be able to do something positive about it. I I I I I am an 18-year-old female student who is finding it extremely difficult to deal with my bisexuality. have never had relations with another woman, - my lack of lovers is not the probje, the problem is, what my bisexuality has done to my relations with my friends and family. have an awful feeling of isolation because can't really get close to my family or be completely honest and confide in them. have friends but how can discuss bisexuality with them when they openly joke and ridicule gays. I I I I I have liberal friends who consider themselves open-minded but even so, know if confide in them, even if they don't prejudice themselves I I I would feel that every time against me, joked with them or put my arm around their shoulder in friendship they might feel uneasy, as to my guess I'm trying to motives. What know my situation say is that can hardly be unique. I I I I A lot of my problems could have been gotten rid of a long time ago if could only have spoken to someone who is bisexual and learned to deal There is counselling services with it. for just about any problem an adolescent can come across except this. Drugs, family problems, alcoholism, you name it, the high-school counsellor is prepared to deal with it, but how can you cure homosexuality. can't think of myself as being sick. Unfortunately, it is hard to maintain this belief when one is told homosexuals are sick and deprived and just plain queer. wish the Northern Woman could set up a place where kids could go freely without being slandered or Kids in an identity crisis ridiculed. are the most vulnerable of all and the ones most in need of help. I I I work. I I Thank You, Unsigned. I I Sure to have your group in Thunder Bay. say your, but feel am a part of it for feel for every issue you are involved in. While we were pleased that you reprinted the Fact Sheet on cutbacks compiled by the Wages for Housework Committee in your latest issue, it was a mistake that you did not explain what the Fact Sheet was all about. The Fact Sheet is an addendum to a petition that we wrote protesting the freeze in the Family Allowance, which says that the Family Allowance is the only money many women receive in recognition of the work of raising children, and that not only do we refuse to let that money be taken away from us, but we want it extended to a full wage for all women for all our housework. The Fact Sheet goes along with the petition to give figures on how the wage controls and government cutbacks generally hit women the hardest by giving us less money and more oilmmmmiwemmeeelmm Over 15000 petitions are in circulation across Canada, and the response has been tremendous, with many women taking the petition themselves to circulate among neighbours and coworkers. We have just published the first issue of the Wages for Housework Campaign Bulletin, which contains many articles on the Family Allowance Protest, and on the campaign for wages for housework internationally. For copies of the petition, Bulletin, and other information, write to P.O. Box 38, Station E. Toronto. Frances Gregory - Wages for Housework Committee Hello from an enthusiastic and dedicated reader in Kingston, Ont.! As a member of the Kingston Women's Centre, really enjoyed your little article 'What is a Feminist Press'? When you defined this as one "that creates a hunger for a deeper meaning, a closer walk with a movement that has become like the cry of our own hearts", you spoke for so 4)4111111111114141=1114)4110 many of us across Canada who are working on women's newspapers. And Dear Sisters: although our newsletter in Kingston is small, with a minimum number of A helpful plumber told me the following which women doing a maximuM amount of work, would like to share with your readers. the faith that you express in the mean(1) ing of our work gives us heart to keep purchase a plunger for unpluggon going. 41111111111.1.111MITIONIMIMIIIIIMMaking (2) if you have a plugged double Unlike other great steps forward compartment sink, you must stop up in intellectual thought, the Women's one drain for the plunger to be offMovement is not centred in an 'artsy' ective on the other side. capital; because of its membership, it (3) There is if the plunger doesn't work, is everywhere at all times. Draino or other light commercial prono one voice of this revolution, nor ducts probably won't either. should there be. Buy (at wholesalers) Hot Shot or Drain Bane. We are, all of us, working, thinkFollow directions carefully and note ing, and radicalizing in cities all whether it can be used on plastic Each little newsletter is over Canada. (black) pipes. an important part of the feminist press; (4) once a day, or oftener, run hot each women's group is a component of water, full force down your drains for the movement, a minute or so, and try not to let thought I'd drop you a line So hair, garbage, etc. go down. to let you know how much your paper is (5) if you drop something valuable must mention enjoyed in Kingston. Oh, in drain, don't run any water, it is the 'Roots' article about the accomop probably still in the trap (curved dating grandmother; that was fine. pipe underneath sink). Although our centre can't afford Put a basin u under trap and remove the nut with a to pay subscriptions, we hope we can wrench. continue to exchange with you. Keep ( (6) modern or defective toilets plug up the good work; you have a quality e easily. paper. Lots of love from Kingston. Don't put tampax down them or flush-a-bys. Julie Morris for Kingston Women's Centre also learned to check fuses on range if an element 200 Montreal St. Kingston, Ont. doesn't work and to check water intake tap to washer if clothes washer P.S. forgot to mention Wendy Petersons doesn't work, before calling a repair poem "Liberation", which said it all in person. a nutshell, yet managed to include her It's worth framing, emotions as well. In sisterhood - Donna Williams T.B. really. (I usually dislike 20th C poetry. I I ( I I I I 91011.41)11111111.0r 4104111114710)() RAPE STUDY Dear Sisters: Although there is much discussion and concern about the issue of abortion today, there is little information on how Canadian women have responded to having an abortion. We are now doing a study of the experiences of Canad- ian women who have sought and obtained a therapeutic abortion inside Canada or elsewhere. If you have had an abortion and would be willing to fill out our questionnaire, please send your name and Address to us and a questionnaire will be mailed to you. Great care will be taken to ensure your anonymity and confidentiality and no names will be associated with If you will help us with the study. this research, please write to: Kathy Logsdail and Lorraine Wood, c/o Department of Psychology,, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont. cont'd page Z3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �When Women Were Not "Persons" Taken from: Believe it or not, only 45 years ago women had no legal status as "persons" in Canada. Today it is difficult to recall that up to 1929 five successive Canadian governments and the Supreme Court of Canada had insisted that Canadian women were not "persons" at all with the definition of the British North America The SENCA, Vol. 2, Issue 3 Act. What was to become widely known as the "Persons Case" started in Alberta in 1916 when the provincial government appointed Emily Murphy as magistrate The of the family court in Edmonton. appointment, the first of its kind in the British Empire was a tribute to the outstanding role played by women But from the day of in World War I. her appointment Magistrate Murphy's rulings were challenged by male lawyers on the grounds that she was not a The Alberta "person" under the BNA. government acted speedily to enact legislation but the federal government refused to amend the BNA Act so that all of its terms of reference would include "female persons". The question of the legal status of women kept surfacing until mid-summer 1928 when Magistrate Murphy invited four other leading Canadian women to join her in seeking clarification of the BNA Act. She had found a section of the Supreme Court regulations that permitted five citizens to solicit such information. The four other women were Nellie McClug, author, lecturer and a leading figure in the fight for women's suffrage; Dr. Henrietta Edwards, author of two books on women's legal status; Irene Parlby, a member of the Alberta cabinet; Louise McKinney, a former Alberta The petition, signed by the MLA. five women, asked if the word "person" in the BNA Act included "female persons". The Mackenzie King Liberal government of the day put their best legal talent to work to defeat the women's petition. They went back to Roman law, ancient English custom, and even argued that the BNA Act had been framed by men at a time when won The had absolutely no rights. Supreme Court of Canada (five male judges) ruled unanimously that it was bound to interpret the BNA Act as it was written an that women were not "persons". The decision was appealed the British Privy Council and on October 28, 1929, the Council ov ruled the Supreme Court of Canad In its ruling the Council was sharply critical of the Canadian Government for relying on antiquated laws and customs to deny It said equal status to women. that all constitutions must be s ject to change and development through public opinion and custo *%*********** ************ ******* *** *** ************* ******** *44* * ************* A Searching LooA AN OPEN LETTER TO OUR READERS FROM THE CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION al Ahren "s; itrireArs What do you think of an organization that protests the government policy of forcing deserted wives on welfare to sue their husbands; seeks the elimination of sexual discrimination in the Citizenship Act; is training citizen advocates among native Indians in the north; goes to bat for women on welfare who get cut off simply because of a "man in the house"; constantly exposes and criticizes the periodic police practice of denying arrested persons access to telephones and consultations with counsel, and is fighting for East Indians and West Indians whose bona fide visitors are denied admission to Canada? The organization that is doing these things and much more is the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. This letter is your invitation to join the ranks of this vital organization. Committed people are our only source of support. We won't ask or take assistance from Our independence is too important. government. Membership dues are a minimum of $10 per year and can be paid by cheque in favour of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, 1554 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario. Thank you for considering us. Hon. E. M. Hall H onorary Pres. June Callwood Vice-Pres. 4E 4E 41 The following quotes are taken from advertisements for women's underwear: 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E if 41 if 4E 41 41 if 41 41 41 if if 41 41 41 41 if if 4E 41 41 4E 4E 4E Pierre Burton Director 4E 4E 4E Inrulmmommeww.rup...0* 4E My Selective Poems and Prose by Hazel Clink A delightful book of poems written by Hazel and published after she was seventy years young. Write The Northern Woman Journal for copies. $4 plus postage. 'Ma Ssiscliva. items : Aga ROMP * 4E fit Stretch sides for gentle comfort Has elastic mesh back insert to keep waist in place, tummy panel And the last one: Beautiful Bronze won't show under light colours. Hood closing crotch. If you are thoroughly turned off, disgusted or even amused, you have the right to any of those reactions. The advertisements were not seen in a Sex shop, but in -the pages of a shop-at-home catalogue. And in case you haven't guessed already, the quotations all came from the advertisements for ilN6ERit; The photographs0601# women With ftgures 44611041 perfection. 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 41 41 4E 4E "When you give up freedom for security you eventually end up with neither." Thomas Jefferson Double control with zipper convenience gentle stretch power net controls you firmly Add a little with lightly padded cups Exclusive Cordtex for uplifting support The natural look The French look Naughty but nice Take the plunge in this smoothie Moves with you, adapts for precise ank 41E 4E 4E 4E 41 4E 4E 4E 4E If, however, you look at the ads for men's shorts, the two men pictured must have been in sheer agony from being flattened out, (in the strategic places) for there is not the slightest bulge The descriptions themselves in sight. ;give details of testing and re-testing 'done to prevent shrinkage and ensure The material the shorts _long wear. 'are made of, and the colour and size are the only other selling features, there is no mention of sex appeal, or cont'd page 4 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 4E �Lembit A FABLE 268 In the city of the Sleeping Conscience, where Pride and Paranoia live in big houses, Sagit, daughter of December, dreamer,of dreams and viewer of the human scene, share my visions,for the hand of truth is upon me, and my tongue has been unharnessed by age. see a great long house where the power Prisoners of the Medicine Man is absolute. of the long house have turned into numbers on So great is little cards, in black files. the power and prestige of the Medicine Men that the numbers sit placidly for hours to hear, "My Lord will see No. 22 now", whereupon shivers of delight and gratitude send the Number into the inner sanctum to do homage. see the long house fall, and the numbers disappear as if written in invisible see the numbers cry with confusion ink. "We "It is the Women", they cry. and fear. must sacrifice the Women to appease the gods." So they gather to stone the maidens. Then did the Medicine Men beguile the maidens to divide and betray each other, and did put in the hand of each betrayer the first stone to cast as penance for having failed to do homage to the great god Class. see the gods are not appeased. "You must destroy the root before your number is visible in our sacred black box", they tell I I I I "It is the the frantic, invisible numbers. commies at the root of this great disobedience." Now the commies are a great threat to the Medicine Men, for they are little ideas that burrow beneath the skin, causing an itch that has no cure in the little bag of tricks the Medicine Men call private enterprise. see the invisible numbers searching them out, they look under the pillows, behind the doors, under the eyelids and even in a smelly They have regressed to the primitive, armpit. like picking the lice out of each' others' hair. see an angel in their midst, and she calls who drove the money to the numbers, "It is who destroyed It is changers from the temple. who erased the numbers It is the long house. But the numbers, crazed that held you captive." they nailed with fear, cry, "Crucify her", and her to the cross of rough justice and ignorance. Not until they had hidden her beneath a stone did the numbers become visible--not on the square card, not in the black file, but burned into the forehead. I, Sagit, saw and understood, for the signs heard the Angel of the times are on me, and say, "I will rise again on Mountain Moving Day." I I I I I I I ********************************************************************************** I WIFE ABUSE terms of criminal justice, for example, rape laws make it nearly impossible for a woman to convict her rapist. Police refuse to arrest and the courts refuse to restrain the wifeIn both areas, myths have beater. evolved to place the blame for these acts of men on the women they In rape, it's that women victimize. want to be raped, they lead men on, In wife-beating, it's they provoke it. that women are masochistic, they like to be beaten, they nag, they're frigid. Wife abuse, defined as physical violence against a woman by her husband or lover, is probably the most common and widespread form of male violence against women. Ten thousand cases of wife abuse are reported As with rape, the reported annually. cases represent only a small fraction of the actual cases. Until very recently, there was no public recognition of wife abuse. In the past year a dozen or so groups have organized around the issue, and the media has taken an interest. There is still very little feminist Wife abuse remains involvement. the domain of lawyers and social service professionals. The issues of rape and wife abuse are very related, and there is a growing need for feminist awareness. (In Thunder Bay, feminists clearly identified the need for services to abused women. However, City Social Services took over and assumed full control, leaving us with no place in either planning or function.) At the most basic,level, rape and wife abuse are related in that both involve acts of violence perpetrated In both cases, by men against women. In society condones these acts. In both cases, liberals characterize the perpetrators as sick. Stereotypes and myths concerning class and race shield white, particularly middle and upper class men from reponsibility for both rape and wife abuse. Black men, according to the common mythology, rape white women. This myth serves the dual purpose of directing white women's anger and fear away from white men while, at the same time, providing white men with a tool for oppressing black men. This myth persists despite the fact that the examination of crime statistics clearly reveals that most rapes occur within the same race. Similar myths also obscure the area of wife-beating. According to the stereotype, wife-beating is a phenonmenon of the lower classes. Thus, middle and upper class women are reluctant to reveal their abuse. StUdies have shown, however, that wife-beating is common to all classes, In Norwalk, races and at all ages. Connecticut, a community with a wife socio-economic range, the police received the same number of complaints of wife abuse as in a comThe County parable area in Harlem. Council in Montgomery County, Maryland, which claims to be the nation's wealthiest county, recently released a report which found that wife abuse was a serious problem in that county and recommended the establishment of a shelter home there. There won't be an attempt at this point to examine all the myths and stereotypes that abound concerning rape It is clear, however, and wife-beating. that there are parallels in the misinformation that has clouded both One effect has been to hide the areas. fact that violent behaviour is a typical and frequent response of men to women, and that all classes and races of men fully participate. Another effect has been to conceal the fact that women receive this abuse, not because their skirts are too short, or dinner's not ready on time, but merely because they are women. In terms of organizing tactics, there are many practical differences between rape and wife abuse. The hotline was the major activity of the early It provided a anti-rape movement. needed service, and, through victim contact, gave rape groups credibility and a base from which to organize. Its operation required a great deal of energy but little initial resource investment. Wife abuse does not lend itself to this tactic as well as rape does. The most pressing problem in wife abuse is often that the women do not have the resources to leave They need shelter their husbands. and food for themselves and their children in their transition period between leaving their husbands and establishing themselves independently. In this period she also needs assistance in finding a job and apartment as well as medical and Establishing a legal advice. project to meet these needs obviously requires substantial funding and organization. Most cities are extremely deficient in providing services Some public for abused wives. or private agencies that were contacted, stated that they would provide shelter but did so reluctantly and only for short, specified periods of time. The Salvation Army, for example, does not like to "break up homes" and cont'd page 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �that the majority of rapists ha O previously acquainted with thei the maximum stay is for three days. A paralegal who deals regularly with situations of wife abuse as part of her job at the Citizen's Complaint Center where police send women who want to take legal action, stated that she had no place to refer women for shelter. She knew of women who spent the night in the bus station to avoid returning home. Obviously, a hotline for abused wives could not function as a referral service. There is no place to refer. It could provide useful emotional support and information, but without concrete resources, would do little to help women escape their situation. There is the danger that it would serve just to further frustrate the abused women. Rape law reform also is a major organizing device in the anti-rape movement. Corroboration requirements and rules allowing evidence of a women's sexual history are obvious injustices and the solution of changing the laws seems equally obvious and attainable. There is no comparable area of law reform concerning wife abuse laws to rally around. On the books, it is as illegal to assault your spouse as it is to assault a stranger. Many jurisdictions provide wives with the additional remedy of a civil protection order (peace bond). Theoretically, if he violates it, he's held in contempt of court. On the books, a woman is - protected. In terms of wife abuse, it is the practice, not the law itself, that is unjust. Police won't arrest, prosecutors won't prosecute, and the courts won't punish. It is difficult to obtain evidence of this injustice since statistics on actual practice are rarely -"'kept. 'Therefore, unjust practices are harder to attack than unjust laws. Even if it could be attained, the reform of law enforcement and judicial practices is not necessarily a solution. Will criminal prosecution of a man, upon whom the woman is often financially dependent, really improve her situation? And even if she can survive without him financially, will he get bail or probation and emerge from the experience even more vicious? Aside from being more difficult than rape law reform, legal reform in the area of wife abuse has no well-defined area of overlap - rape in marriage. rwmainiii=vymmI . err ...m. This is a common, unacknowledged form of wife abuse. A woman is the property of her husband and this ownership gives-him certain rights. This summer, when According to the law, he has thethe Northern specific groups of working wren Women's Centre received a grant from as random households. In this w absolute right to have sex with her the Secretary State for a project even if it means sexual of violence. hope to be able to determine as of its choosing, was Because this right is not the onlychoice law as possible what the attitude of immediate and unanimous to find but has been wifely accepted, it is local women is to the idea of a out if and why how wife Thunder Bay could easy to understand abuse credit union. have a women's It If a credit husbandunion. has is also condoned. Fran here the next stage wi has became painfully apparent to all the right to be violent for one do the actual setting up of the of us how important is to have purpose (forced sex), it is a it small union. To do this, a group of 2 access to money. Many of the aims founding members and two signing leap to extend that right to include we in the movement are working witnesses will complete the appli other purposes. The great resistance towards, will never by realized for abond of assocation. Once th feminists have met in attacking until women have a firm footing in charter is received from the gov the marital exception in rape laws the financial world. A realistic of Ontario the union must elect gives an indication of the resistance and concrete step in this direction of governors; a credit committee to be expected when we challenge is through credit unions for women. will meet weekly to approve loan wife abuse. Toronto started one in November of applications; and a supervisory It is important for feminists to '75 and already it is moving forward committee which will conduct peri become involved. abuse affects at a very Wife encouraging pace. We are checks on the books of the credit vast numbers of women, many of whom fortunate in Thunder Bay for having A treasurer must also be elected; are trapped for economic reasons. the precedent established by the person should have a solid backgr Metro Toronto Warren's Credit Union. in accounting. Article by Lois Yankowski, Difficulties that they encountered By becoming a member of the Feminist Alliance Against Rape. in the formation of their credit union Credit Union League, the local wo Printed in the F.A.A.R. will not have to be repeated locally. credit union would be protected f Newsletters 1976. I was hired by the Northern possible failure and all those di Wren's Centre to determine the involved with monetary transactio 1..... feasibility of having a women's be bonded and insured through the credit union in Thunder Bay. The The credit union may be situ first thing I did was to go through the Northern Women's Centre in Thu a self-education programme so that Bay South where there is ready ac I could learn what credit unions are the local transit. To be a membe and have been. This involved reading cost only $5 which willpurchase a 1 . literature available in local libraries in the credit union. the history of credit unions and Having reached thispoint th their present status. I have also had Ion of the credit union will depend o to acquaint myself with the Credit commitment of the members and all Union Act and the Standing Committee financial support they can give. 1 Report on Credit Unions. I spoke to no reason why Thunder Bay cannot 1 people locally who are involved with successful women's credit union. Iexisting credit unions, and to the If you are interested in wor local Ontario Credit Union League this end please contact me, Laurie * Representative. I have also made a 524 N. McKellar St., 623-8577, or trip to Toronto where I saw the Northern Women's Centre, P.O. Box * operations there and spoke to the 622-3989. women who are actively involved in the ongoing functions of their credit union. While in Toronto I visited the headquarters of the Ontario Credit Report on the Credit ("Won 'ps purpose. 11111111 Both rape and wife abuse involve a woman's right to self-defence. One fourth of all murders occur within the family, and one half of these are spouse killings. The wife was the victim in 52% of these cases and the husband in 48%. In contrast, women are almost always the victim in cases of non-fatal abuse. It seems that often a woman's only recourse to her husband's attack is to kill him. Since most women can't fight well on a man's level, they just resort to the only level that is effective. In one celebrated Philadelphia case, a woman endured 20 years of repeated and severe abuse before she finally killed her husband during an attack. Judge Juanita Kidd Stout acquitted her of all charges and asked her why she had waited so long. Unfortunately, Union League where I gained valuable most judges are not that enlightened information. I am now in the process and women who do defend themselves of contacting the local media to let risk murder convictions. the women in the community know about Thus far in this article, rape and " the possibility of a women's credit wife abuse have been treated as union and what it would mean to the distinct but related issues. Howwomen of Thunder Bay and Northwestern BV ro there is one critical Ontario. A survey is currently in progress which will be distributed to 1 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �padding to enhance the male body. Somehow I can't quite see Stanfields, (for example) running expensive television commercials of a man wearing only provocative bikini shorts leaping around in public places, while a lascivious woman photographer captures this nymph on film from every possible angle as the commentator talks about being "uplifted, padded and pointed to make a more beautiful you". According to a group of women who made a study of the Eaton's catalogues from the late 1800's to 1974, they (the catalogues) reflect the values, wants and expectations of the current society. It would be really sad to believe that the 1975 edition depicts people as they either see themselves or would like to see themselves. `1""\ dye- AA N-2.- - Josephine Stadden Reprinted from UP, Lethbridge Women's Place publication. Hands Off The Family Allowance No Increase in Baby Bonus The $220,000,000. Baby Bonus increase we were all expecting has fallen victim to the government's "antiinflation program". Why have they seen fit to make one of their biggest cutbacks from the pittance they give mothers? As always, we women are the ones expected to do without, to put outselves last, and sacrifice "for the good of others". WHAT BETTER WAY FOR TRUDEAU TO LAUNCH HIS "LOWERED EXPECTATIONS, WAY OF LIFE" THAN BY TAKING MONEY AWAY FROM MOTHERS, THE SYMBOLS OF SELF-DENIAL: We refuse to be a Good Example We know it means EVEN MORE WORK, AND LESS FOR OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN. It also means we are more of a discipline on the men so many of us depend on. Nurses said "dedication won't pay the rent" and have fought for well-earned increases across the country. Teachers are refusing the blackmail of paying for cutbacks in education and are going on strike. All round us others are demanding their share of society's wealth which our UNPAID WORK IN THE HOME HELPS CREATE. We want our increase too And we need it more than most. Many of us are sole-support mothers and $36.00 a year per child - little as it is - does make a difference. Much more than anyone with a 10% surtax on their $30,000. salary can begin to imagine: And for those of us with husbands, the Family Allowance is often THE ONLY MONEY WE CAN CALL OUR OWN, the only recognition that we WORK in our homes. Trudeau's cutbacks in Family Allowance represent a widespread effort to make women pay for the present crisis. On top of all the unpaid work we do in our homes, we are faced with: - HIGHER PRICES which mean more work shopping for bargains and more time in the kitchen - A GROWING WAGE GAP between women and men in the paid labour force, and tougher policing of women on UIC - ELIMINATION OF GOVERNMENT-FUNDED PROJECTS (LIP, CYC, OFY) which provide wages for young people (many of whom are women) and sustain community services for children, old people, immigrants, etc. - CUTBACKS IN DAYCARE SUBSIDIES which mean more work finding adequate childcare or looking after our children ourselves - CUTBACKS IN SOCIAL SERVICES which jeopardize the wages of many women and throw the burden of the work back in the home - MORE HARDSHIPS FOR WOMEN ON FIXED INCOMES like the sick and the aged who are expected to live on next to nothing after a lifetime of hard work WE WOMEN ARE AN EASY TARGET BECAUSE WE ARE SO USED TO WORKING WITHOUT PAY IN OUR HOMES AND FOR LOW PAY OUTSIDE. But we don't intent to stay at the bottom. Let the government go after the banks and the corporations - they have more than us: WE DEMAND: THE FAMILY ALLOWANCE INCREASE AS SCHEDULED THE REMOVAL OF FAMILY ALLOWANCE FROM TAXABLE INCOME And we won't be satisfied with only a pittance for mothers - all women need more money, MORE POWER, to fight the lower standard of life Trudeau has in mind for us all. WE DEMAND WAGES FOR HOUSEWORK FOR ALL WOMEN FROM THE GOVERNMENT. Wages for Housework Committee Toronto PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor GER7r °AS GOSPEL �WELFARE WOMEN = ALL WOMEN REDS TOOK INGS MANIFESTO Editors' Note The Redstockings Manifesto and the Wages for Housework issue engendered a great deal of dis cussion during one of our meetings. We (the Northern Woman) are not in complete agreement with either the article or the campaign, however we offer them both to our readers hoping you will respond with your opinions on these articles. After centuries of individual and preliminary political struggle, women are uniting to achieve their final liberation from male supremacy. Redstockings is dedicated to building this unity and winning our freeI. dom. Women are an oppressed class. II. Our oppression is total, affecting We are every facet of our lives. exploited as sex objects, breeders, domestic servants, and cheap labor. We are considered inferior beings, whose only purpose is to enhance Our humanity is denied. men's lives. Our prescribed behavior is enforced by the threat of physical violence. Because we have lived so intimately with our oppressors, in isolation from each other, we have been kept from seeing our personal suffering as a political condition. This creates the illusion that a woman's relationship with her man is a matter of interplay between two unique personalities, and can be In ,reality worked out individually. every such reT.tionship is a class relationship, and the conflicts between individual men and women are political conflicts that can only be solved collectively. III. We identify the agents of our Male supremacy oppression as men. is the oldest, most basic form of domination. All other forms of exploitation and oppression (racism, capitalism, imperialism, etc.) are extensions of male supremacy: men dominate women, a few men dominate the rest. All power structures throughout history have been maledominated and male-oriented. Men have controlled all political, economic and cultural institutions and backed up this control with physical force. They have used their power to keep women in an inferior position. All men receive economic, sexual and psychological benefits from male supremacy. All men have oppressed women. IV. Attempts have been made to shift the burden of responsibility from men to institutions or to women themselves. We condemn these arguments as evasions. Institutions alone do not oppress; they are merely tools of the oppressor. To blame institutions implies that men and women are equally victimized, obscures the fact that men benefit from the subordination of women, and gives men the excuse that they are forced to be oppressors. On the contrary, any man is free to renounce his superior position provided that he is willing to be treated like a woman by other men. We also reject the idea that women consent to or are to blame for their own oppression. Women's submission is not the result of brain- washing, stupidity, or mental illness but of continual, daily pressure from We do not need to change ourmen. selves, but to change men. 4E 40401c* "There but for fortune go you and I" summarizes well the relationship bet4E ween welfare women and other women. if The most slanderous evasion of 4E All of us derive our livlihood from all is that women can oppress men. * men and white male-determined The basis for this illusion is the 4E * systems upon which we have been isolation of individual relationships if forced to rely. What differs from from their political context and the woman to woman is not the quality of tendency of men to see any legitimate this relationship, this dependence, challenge to their privileges as 4E but rather its degree and extent. For persecution. 4 * women not on welfare, it is the husWe regard our personal experience,: band/father who preserves her place V. and our feelings about that experience 4/. and her role in the society, through .. whom she lives, upon whom she is as the basis for an analysis of our 4E dependent for financial and emotional We cannot rely on common situation. security. (Robin Morgan writes that existing ideologies as they are all 4E if the word "family" comes from the Oscan products of male supremacist culture. 4E famel, a servant, slave or possession; We question every generalization and * the word "father ", pater, means owner, accept none that are not confirmed by 4E 4E possessor, master). For women on our experience. if welfare it is the bureaucracy of the It welfare system itself that tries to Our chief task at present is to fill these roles. Public Assistance develop female class consciousness through sharing experience and public- if can be seen as the not-so-benevolent 4E dictator trying to keep women locked ly exposing the sexist foundation of It into their roles as child-bearer, all our institutions. Consciousnessraising is not "therapy", which implies * socializer, and homemaker. the existence of individual solutions * * Through the women's movement, we are and falsely assumes that the male4E female relationship is purely personal, if seeing a new relationship between * women on welfare and women in society but the only method by which we can ensure that our program for liberation 4E as a whole. Women can be class enemies It but remain caste sisters. Being women is based on the concrete realities of if is our caste - this means that whatour lives. 4E ever our place in society, it comes to 41E The first requirement for raising AL us via the men to whom we relate. The * fact of this dependence on men never class consciousness is honesty, in 4E changes; caste is permanent. Our class private and in public, with ourselves * however, has mobility and according to and other women. 4E if the man with whom we live, we can * rise or fall in the society's hierarch; VI. We identify with all women. We 4E define our best interest as that of 4E This creates a problematic set of the poorest, most brutally exploited 4E if relationships for women. While we woman. 4E might want to relate to each other as 4E sters, as people oppressed commonly We repudiate all economic, racial, if sisters, if by our caste, we operate out of very educational or status privileges that 4E different economic or class background' divide us from other women. We are It which divide and disturb us. These determined to recognize and eliminate 4E differences are real and cannot be any prejudices we may hold against * ignored in the discussion of women other women. 4E * uniting. 4E We are committed to achieving 11 A ruling class woman has privileges internal democracy. We will do whatever is necessary to ensure that every 4E unavailable to other women in the woman in our movement has an equal # society. She can use other women to if lighten her load, to ease her physical chance to participate, assume respon4E tasks, to take care of her children. sibility, and develop her political * Ruling class women have these privipotential. leges to some extent at the whim of * their men -- the freedom to pursue VII. We call on all our sisters to 41. other activities is not a guaranteed unite with us in struggle. 4E freedom, but a dispensation granted 4E if which can be taken back at any moment. We call on all men to give up The fact that this privilege has a 4E their male privileges and support It temporary quality, shows us that the women's liberation in the interest of 4E problems facing women are greater our humanity and their own. * than simply those of redistributing * privilege more equally in the In fighting for our liberation society. Privilege does not guarantee we will always take the side of women against their oppressors. We will not 4E certain rights -- the right of free 4E choice, self-determination, economic ask what is "revolutionary" or * independence. To discuss the "reformist", only what is good for Icr. women. 4E 4E 4E The time for individual skirmishes* has passed. This time we are going all the way. July 7, 1969 REDSTOCKINGS P.O. Box 748 Stuyvesant Station New York, NY 10009 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E 4E cont'd J PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �relationship between women only in terms of privilege is to obscure the fact that without the rights mentioned above, we all will be, in the end, dependent and powerless. All women are denied these basic rights. But lower class women have things to contend with in their lives that middle and upper class women are spared. Racism and poverty are obvious distinctions on the "privilege" scale. Even when the welfare recipient receives her check (which in is only about half of what she needs for the basic essen,tials of life, according to the latest government cost of living figures), it has come after long waits in dirty and understaff6d offices, after harrassment, endless personal questions and forms to be filled out to prove she is truly "worthy" of the money. The ultimate insult is that along every step of her life society says that it is doing her a favor - the favor of keeping her alive, but just alive and nothing else. The welfare system and its accompanyong myths operate to keep women divided and thereby powerless. It is difficult for women to get off the welfare roles because of the current recession -- and its accompanying lack of jobs - and totally inadequate child-care facilities. Middle class women with families are similarly trapped. If their husbands were no longer able to or willing to support them, they would be hard pressed to find a good job and to assure good care for their children. Ask any separated, divorced, or widowed woman. 1 1 1 future. The Iroquois People of the Longhouse know their Original Instructions given ito them in the Beginning: . 1 Mtn Motheu and thein 6L tens 6etect the chie.46, and remove them 4nom 1 oice when they 4ai2 the peopte. The Ctan Mothers ate the cu6todian6 1 /o4 the Land, and away think o4 the Unborn GenetationA. They neptaent Li4e and the Earth. Clan Mothet6! You gave uz Li4e - continue now to 1 place out 4eet on the night path." 1 1 1 1 1 / 1 1 Taken from: AWAKE & MOVE March 1971 "We tutn OWL attention now to the 6eniot women, the Clan Mothers Each nation a64ign4 them centain dutim. Fon the Peopte o4 the Longhocoe, the 1 1 Once again women who have natural similar interests (self determination, decent and fulfilling lives and jobs, financial security, etc.) are going to be pitted against each other and made to feel they are on opposite siies of a barrier. This is said to us by Kaianerekowa, the Great Law of Peace given to the Iroquois. You are what your mother is. The ways in which you see the world and all things in it are through your mother's eyes. What you learn from the fathers comes later and is of a different sort. The chain of culture is the chain of women linking the past with the 1 Anna Mae Pictou Aquash was born and Iraised on the Micmac reserve called Shubenacadie in Nova Scotia. Her sister says that life in Shubenacadie is much better than that which the Western reserves in Canada and the U.S. experience: at Shubenacadie, everyone is on welfare. Since no one has a job excepting for pickup government jobs for a few months out of the year for a few people, having everyone signed up and receiving welfare is quite a social accomplishment for the bureaucracy. Anna Mae had a talent for infusing humor into even the most grim of circumstances, and was considered a magician in turning government food commodities into very palatable meals. "She was a bright woman," Isaid Nogeeshik, "spirit-minded and strong-willed. She wanted to make some sort of mark so that her children would not have to grow up the Iway she had been forced to live." In time, living with her husband and two daughters, life on the reserve became too oppressive, too devoid of options. At Shubenacadie, 4Nocri04.....0.10411.00.m..004....0.=... an essential ingredient of life was The Brave Hearted Wonten in short supply: hope. Nogeeshik explains how Anna Mae felt: "There isn't much hope in looking towards picking in the potato fields and blueberry fields for a proud people. The way the world is made her suffer, because she was sensitive and had strong feelings." She had dreams to be educated someday and to get a job working with children, maybe as a teacher. To be a teacher of children is at the same time both the most prosaic and the most awesome of aspirations: for someone from Shubenacadie to aspire to an Anglo-certified teacher's degree was like seeking the Nobel Prize. "The Pinat de6cent o4 the Peopte o4 the Five Nation 6hatt tun Ln the 4ema2.e tine. Women 6hat2 be conLidened pnogenitou o4 the Nation. They 6hatt own the Land and the Soil. Men and Women 6hait 4ottow-the 6tatu6 o4 thein Mothen." There are traditional migratory patterns that trace the paths of native peoples from their home communities to one city, and then perhaps another city and another - and of course, back again. Boston is a funnel from Canada and much of the northeast for those who do not go directly to New York City and Brooklyn. Anna Mae went south to Boston with her family when life at Shubenacadie failed to bring answers to their needs. She got a job as a teacher's aide in a prekindergarten child-care center for black children in the Roxbury area. Unlike so many native children in Canada and the United States, Anna Mae had not been removed from her family and shipped hundreds of miles away to a boarding school. She had escaped the aching loss of family and she had also avoided the indoctrination efforts of the boarding schools. Native children by the thousands in both countries serve time for as many as twelve years in federal schools geared to their gradual and eventual assimilation of the Anglo way of life, the untimate solution to the "Indian Problem". Anna Mae did not have to choose between being a secretary, a domestic servant, a hospital attendant or a cosmetologist - the traditional range options for boarding school girls. She did not view her future as a choice between being employed as a menial or living on a reservation where even those minimal skills are superfluous. Instead, Anna Mae Pictou dropped out of school in the 9th grade, perhaps it having had something to do with changing from an all-Micmac reserve school to a mixed high school with Anglos. She became involved with the Boston Indian Center and was sent by the center to Washington, D.C., at the time of the Trail of Broken Treaties when the Bureau of Indian Affairs headquarters was trashed. The white male-dominated media focussed their attention on who they determined were the leaders and organizers that is native males. Their cameras and tape recorders only grazed the faces of Martha Grass from Oklahoma or Ann Jock from Akwesasne, or the many strong women who like Anna Mae Pictou breathed life into an idea. The expressed themselves in this way: "We ate the Kwenonkwaonwe, the Indian women o4 thus continent. From the 4emate -.de o4 we extend out Zi4e 6uppott to out chitdten .04 thee tennitonieL in North Ametica. We have much work to do. Out pmition with out people and nothing can 6tand -Ln out way to 4ut4itt out job: to tell the peopte o4 earth c)4 out swtv.Lvat and to expo6e the genocide being done to Native Ametican nations by the U.S. Government. We mu6t do th,iis 4on we cane {yon out childten." Yet credit for the love of all people for their children is sometimes not accorded as a universal sentiment nor is the commitment to the survival of one's children recognized by some people. For native peoples of North America, since the Pilgrims arrived, this has far too often meant the wholesale abduction of their children, to be raised by Anglos in their own image. Native peoples see no dimunition of this fearsome practice. Bernice Appleton, an officer of the Native American Children's Protective Council chartered in Michigan, tells us that "There is a shortage of white babies for adoption, so since not too many whites want black babies, they are coming for the next - and that's India. These agencies are going into Indian homes and telling them their homes are unfit because they have two children, or three children, sleeping in one bed. It isn't necessary for cont tt 'd 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ves Indian children to have one bed apiece. in Canada, children needing I don't even think it's goodhomes for are removed from theirapart. communities andOur children children to sleep learn sharing right from the start." 0 $ PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �A MOTHER ASKS PRESIDENTIAL PARDON Mr. President: My name is Berdina Holder. I am frbm the Waco Band of Sovereign Wichita Nation. My age is 55 years old. I have been blessed with ten children and 16 grandchildren, all of whom I love and cherish as any mother or grandmother of any race. I am writing to you in behalf of my son, Stan Holder, and the other Wounded Knee defendants. As Stan's mother, I feel great pride and honor that my son has dedicated his life's work to effect beneficial change for Indian people. Am I wrong to believe this is the same pride and honor White Americans feel for the founding fathers of the United States Government in this the Bicentennial Year? I ask you, Mr. President, what do Indian People have to celebrate? We have been cheated and robbed out of all the most precious gifts the Creator blessed us with. Our Nations, our homelands, our religions, our languages, our traditions are now at the point of extinction. Lost to us now are our systems of self-government and true Indian self-determination. Do you realize that Indian people have given much and are giving more every day to the growth of this country you call yours? Do you realize that Indian people - men, women and child ren across Indian Country - are threatened by open hostilities from your courts and law-enforcement agencies every day? I am a praying woman; I prayed lives would be better for the Indian people. I said nothing, as I watched the promises and agreements that were made to us being broken. I read of the treaties that were never honored. We number 800,000 people - we have the highest suicide rate, we have the highest alcoholism rate, some of our people live in conditions that make your ghettoes look like a paradise. We are people that have no place to go and it makes my heart sad. My son, Stan, spent two years in Viet Nam on the front line; he was_in the Marine Corps for six years. He received an honorable discharge from the Corps for medical reasons. He was wounded near Da Nang while attempting to get ammunition for his company. He fought for the liberation of a people that wanted to be free and live in their own way. Yet when he came home, he realized his own people were being threatened, war was being waged upon them in the form of assimilation, discrimination, greed and outright theft and murder. He began to realize all the treaties that had been made with the Indian Nations had been broken; 371 treaties ratified by the United States Congress and each signed by a United States President - these all turned to words with no meaning because they were not honored. Our people stood up at Wounded Knee and were willing to give their lives to effect changes for Indian people. Does that make my son and others fugitives to be imprisoned for their actions? What more can you want from me and my people? My ways are poor. I am a pitiful and humble woman in every way. The only wealth I have are my people, my family, my children and grandchildren. One of your FBI agents came to see me last spring. He told me I had two children that were at odds with the United States Government but by July of 1976 the Government would have it all straightened out. Can you tell me what he meant? I was afraid to ask him. Did he mean that the Government would honor all 371 treaties and that things would be good for my people again? Or did he mean that my children would be killed or improsoned? This causes me great concern for the safety and well-being of my children. Some must have felt there wasn't enough pressure on my family, because the FBI harasses us, questioning us, even our small children, questioning our friends, searching their houses for my son. For Fugitive Son & Other Convicted Native Activists All my people are asking for is freedom and justice. What is there for Indian people? Our first treaty was signed in 1778, not quite 200 years of empty and broken promises. Mr. President, you granted exPresident Nixon a full pardon for all the things he did pertaining to Watergate. He never came to trial. Amnesty was granted to the Viet Nam draft dodgers and deserters. I am a proud Indian woman, but I am humbling myself before you and the leaders of your Government. I am asking that you, as President of the United States, grant, my son, Stan Holder, full amnesty, and all full pardons and amnesty to all the defendants of Custer '73, Scottsbluff '73 and Wounded Knee '73. I ask for full pardon for Carter Camp, Leonard Crow Dog, Russell Means, and full amnesty for Dennis Banks who is fighting extradition, because if he is sent I saw my son back to the Dakotas, he will be killed. in June 1975, and this is what he thought would happen to him if he went to prison - HE WOULD BE KILLED. These are some of our leaders who are doing the best they can tb better the lives of the Indian People. Mr. President, give us something to celebrate this your Bicentennial Year by granting in a good way the amnesI will continue to ties and pardons I have asked for. pray for my son and all Indian people who face these I also ask my terrible things I have written about. people when they go to the tipi meetings and other places to pray for the Indian Nations and the Creator to make way for us. Sincerely yours, Berdina Holder 1204 S. 25th St. Lawton, Oklahoma 73501 Taken from: Early Summer, 1976 AKWESASNE NOTES NOTICE NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE INCORPORATED First Annual Meeting Evaluation of the Centre and elections to fill any vacancies on the Board of Directors. PLACE: Sept. 16, 1976. CRISIS HOUSING COMMITTEE First Annual Meeting PLACE: -T(...V4As 41. tor" g41..houstos.,V\t. erVACJI. VemP\4 ..e1Mr44N^ \410 120 W. Amelia St., (back entrance) TIME: and Elections 120 W. Amelia St., (back) 9:00 p.m. SHARP! Sept. 16, 1976. ALL WOMEN WELCOME - YOUR SUPPORT AND DIRECTION IS NEEDED! PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �BRIEFS VITAL STATISTIC S RAPE CANBERRA -- The south Australian State Labor Government has decided to outlaw what it terms marital rape. Under the proposed legislation, a husband could be charged with assaulting his wife if he acted as if the marriage contract implied ownership of his spouse with the right to demand sexual intercourse at the husbands will. The south Australian Gov. says if a wife claimed rape against her husband, police would investigate and lay fcharges. The attorney-general concedes s that it may be difficult to prove any such claim of marital rape. NEW CITIZEN ACT Canada's new nationality law, Bill C-20, was passed in July. The new Act implement several recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, which include: - The alien husband of a Canadian wife now has to fulfill the same residency requirements, that is, three years, as the alien wife of a Canadian husband. - Either the father or the mother of a minor child may now make application to obtain their child's Canadian citizship. - For the next two years, a parent may apply for Canadian Citizenship on behalf of a child born abroad to a Canadian mother under the present Such persons are not Citizenship Act. now Canadian,citizens unless their father was Canadian at the time of their birth. - Women who lost citizenship through marriage prior to 1947 can now recover it automatically upon notice to the Minister, whereas previously they had to reside in Canada, make an application and take an oath. TOPS IN NUMBERS Clip and save this for the next time you hear someone say that women have no head for numbers: Of the 560 Chartered Accountants who received their diplomas last month in Ont., 39 were women. Top student was Patricia Ursell of Toronto. Linda Ablett shared second place honours Women's Bureau with Kevin Dancey. Newsletter, March 1976 NI IC) RC; ENTALER The government continues its brutal harassment of Dr. Henry MorgIt has postponed a retrial entaler. for performing an illegal abortion ordered by Justice Minister Basford Forward 1976 until next Sept. OLYMPICS The modern Olympics were eighty years old when the 21st Olympic Games opened in Montreal on 17th July this The first Olympics in modern year. times were held in Athens in 1896. A long period of discrimination ended in 1928 when women were allowed to take part for the first time. Women Of The Whole World No. 2, 1976 An amendment to the Vital Statistics Act on May 25, 1976 had made it legally possible for a couple to give their child a hyphenated last name combing the last names of the mother and father, provided that the father's name comes first. Under the old law, all children born within a marriage had to take the surname of their mother's husband, even in cases where the mother had chosen to retain her own name after marriage and wished to pass it on to her children. Children born out of wedlock would previously take their mother's name unless the father swore out a statutory declaration of paternity, in which case the infant had to take the father's surname. KISS YOUR FREEDOM Mon. July 13, 1976 a Toronto judge decided that a public kiss is an indecHe fined two men $50 each ent act. for kissing at the corner of Yonge and CPP The Canada Pension Plan will now be shared equitably between spouses upon dissolution of the marriage, and upon death of a woman her spouse and children are entitled to CPP earnings. However, there is stil no provisions for a homemaker to accumulate her own pension separate from her husband. A government spoke man stated that homemakers do not wor therefore are not entitled to a C.P.F As you can see, there is a great neec to raise the consciousness of certair government officials and representatives. UP, June 1976 WOMEN'S., PROGRAM The Secretary of State money for Women's Programmes has been increasec from $200,000 to $500,000. It was pointer out by one of the delegates at the NAC conf. that this was a measly sum when compared to a bill ion dollar increase in the defense budget. National Action Report l Bloor. No it wasn't because they were two men. The judge agreed that the case couldn't be decided on those grounds. The act itself was found to be indecent. Now every So now there's a precedent. public kiss is an indecent act, every embrace an offence. Now theres a crime where there was none before. Justice's face should be red over this one. Gay Alliance Toward Equality and The Body Politic -.GOODBYE CHANGES SOUGHT The Federation of Women Teachers' Associations of Ont. would like to enlist the support of N.A.C. member organizations to change the Unemployment Insurance Act so that an adopting parent may obtain benefit to the same extent as a natural mother. A pregnant working woman who has sufficient weeks of insurable employment during the year prior to her confinement receives a maximum of 15 consecutive weeks of benefit around the time of her confinement from the UIC. A working woman who adopts a child receives no benefit. FWTAO wants this discrepancy in treatment of working women removed by permitting the adopting parent to obtain benefit under the UlA for the same length of time as a natural mother. We would welcome the support of individuals and member organizations of the National Action nn Committee on the Status of Women to bring about such a change. NAC on the Status of Women, 40 St. Clair Ave. E. Suit 300, Toronto, Ont. RAPE---Flow the law has changed 1. A judge mus'p21_12201 instruct th jury that uncorroborated evidence is dangerous to accept and that corroberations of a rape victim's testimony is needed to obtain a convictic 2. The victim may no longer be quest ioned as to her past sexual experience unless a written request is file and it can be shown that this information is necessary to defend the acc used. However the resent law still does not cover the o lowing. (1) Rape is still considered a sexua offence rather than an assault of a violent nature and therefore implicates the victim. A male cannot be raped. (2) (3) A husband cannot rape his wife. This gives no protection to a wife who is separated from her husband and or seeking a divorce. In addition, husbands do assault their wives and such assaults often take the form of assaults on their sexual organs. Therefore the defense of marriage should be abolished. (4) The present section 146 assumes that a person between the ages of 16 and 14 years is unable to consent to the act of sexual intercourse. Although this may be seen as a protection for young people, the clause "of previously chaste character" tends to cancel out any actual protection whic is meant to be afforded by the sectio (5) It should be up to the victim to request a closed court if she feels the necessity. The open court system protects the civil rights of an accused. In addition, closed rape trial only perpetuate the attitude that rap is a shameful and embarrassing crime to happen to a victim. Eudene Luther UP, June 1976 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �pia UNIIMINI MIMI= MINIMIE INININNIII MIN= 11 MINNS I INN.. 111 MINIMNI I MINN II s of Sole Support recently did it o support eady had and a ecogdidn't 1 STRIKING SKYWAY LUGGAGE WOMEN By SALLIE NEED SUPPORT SHUN The members of the Upholsters International Union struck Skyway Luggage April 5th for better wages and improved working conditions. Most of the 100 workers are immigrant women who presently earn from $2.80 to $3.10 per hour. At the same time their production is 700 pieces of luggage per day and the company's declared profit Mothers my of his worthme.Then some money pay me ey gave d direct last year was $10.7 million. The workers need the support of other workers and particularly their sisters in the form of picketing, leafleting, fund-raising and organization. A Skyway Luggage workers' defense committee has been formed to organize support. ined nt to he is, ncec e. wowst %....) Tt. ®. t INN lnau,seNvkab\lass (It? j So when you talk about crisis, know always cringe,because what you're talking about is tak= ing something else away from me. We have to cut back social services, we have to cut back education and health care.What does that mean, Mr.Davis?It means you want us women to absorb the crisis! WellMemories are said before: tough. It's like a mind-blown We've got our own crisis,it's an economic crisis,it costs us a you lot.pick a Only this time we know where it's Remember .. coming from and we intend to do am runnin something about it I I rganr ages thing and tell us t good ut our kids the ? Well doing it ng,You are there's e sick Mr Davis, ome of thers having aving to m taken d cheating ks,and es heard'of who ener coat. e one ot of not an 8 hour rs without pay. as work, charity ect us to r tried living when you l with holes ants to join nt afford fford the day ord a holiday. ight with the ay and night r there by your that has to do ford a baby-sitter -care is out work. d no to the vies and you've begin to feel ed and you lie T ABOUT ME... ive in all this misery that people call start to get mad ause you know its e,Your not a bum, our life you Its You MR DAVIS f your friends big business ren.You dont who care a mothers,and ers. ert. I I from sorrow,an We want more money and a better with an old shame life...We want to regain our dignity. Pay us for the work we do in up a grass-grown frail the home. We demand it that knows my bare 1.Parity with foster parents. brown feet. 2.Higher earning capacity for She is old, benefit mothers. 3.Free 24 hour community controlled her hair self cut day care. and grizzled grey, said before,I've just come her cotton shift off welfare...I took on a second bereft of vanity. job.I work in a distress centre for women and children.The women He left her there who stay with us there,come from before my time,and situations of marital breakdown, thay have often been married for went away with 10 to 15 years and they have noelse thing to show for it.No home, someone no furniture,no dignity and no money. She went strange, When they leave,they move into cuts her own wood apartments with their children... the welfare gives them beds and a and gathers hay for the cow. welfare cheque that is no where It's not your fault nearly enough to live on. It happens all the time and it's time that love dont last we did something about it...whatsometimes it just gets tired ever we are doing,whatever situation we are in,we are all exploited in of holding fast. the same way as unpaid houseworkers. It's wrong to live with one Because am now a community worker isn't to say that am not who cant abide you, still a housewife.I work for 8 the heart just turns to stone hours in the distress centre,then pick up my children and go home and lays inside you and work another 4 to 8 hours... two jobs,one paid one unpaid. So eighty spoke to nine If lose my job 171 be on welfare across the years As I I I , I again. as womem still to woman drying tears. The leaf has fallen, ) 411111MIKIINIIIWI0 the vision fades, the wisdom remains I MEM II 15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �VOOK ItE'VIE 30 MUCH ANGER, TOO MANY TEARS: 04101i0.114)4iO4111110411INIIKIP04P1111=14)4111MMMI04111111111=114MMOWINNI THE PSYCHIATRY TRIP Many women who have emerged from careers as psychiatric patients have written about their experiences in therapy and hospitals. Typically these accounts end quasi-romantically with the woman being "cured" through the help of benevolent, usually male, psychiatrists, or with resigned helplessness to the conditions of despair and incarceration. Too Much Anger, Too Many Tears differs markedly from the tradition of this literature in that it strongly challenges the political nature of the psychiatric system and asserts the strength of one woman in the face of its corrosive practice. In the first section of the book, Janet relates in detail that is often painful, but never tedious, her entry into a ten-year-long career as a mental patient. Hoping to comprehend the pain and fear she experiences in growing to adulthood, she at first naively seeks help from psychiatrists. But she is taught to reify her experience, to regard her feelings as alien "symptoms" rather than as a part of the process of growing up. The anger this engenders, she is told, is part of her "illness" rather than a justifiable response to the self-deprecating view of herself she must take as part of her "treatment". With this convoluted load of mystification upon her, she steps into a cycle of hospitalizations, releases, readmissions, drugs, and electroshock. I could read this account only a few pages at a time, so-keenly did it evoke my anger resulting-From my own years spent in and out of psychiatric prisons. Janet experiences the full onslaught of the psychiatric jargon and paraphernalia used to convince those caught in its system that justifiable anger is "sick" and that despair is invalid and must be masked by dependency-fostering drugs, and that the answer lies in the cure of the individual by medical authorities. At this point the rage Janet experiences she turns against herself by feeling suicidal ,although there are glimmerings of the realizations she later makes. Yet the (male) shrinks who treat her are not portrayed as one-dimensional villians; they are overwhelmingly paternal, convinced of the power of psychiatry to "cure", and that the use of this power to coerce is justifiable. "After all, it's for your own good", "You have no other choice", Janet is to told when she is badgered into hospitalization and electroshock. Their self-righteousness and omnipotent posturing will provoke the wrath of any feminist. Paul, the man Janet meets, lives with with, and eventually marries, takes up the second part of the narrative. At first, aware of Janet's past as a mental patient and confronted by her anguish, he acknowledges some trepidation at the prospect of their life together. After a year spent trying to live a "normal" life together, Janet re-enters another cycle of hospitalization over the next several years and Paul, acting against the dictator of his better judgment, is also subject to the psychiatic mystification trip. He becomes a hesitant accomplice in perpetuation Janet's Career as a patient--driving her to her electroshock treatments, conferring with her doctor, and doling out her daily quota of mind-pills. Despite the strength of commitment between Janet and Paul they become resigned, along with family, friends, and doctor, to the idea that she is a chronic invalid. With so little basis on which to assert an identity as a strong and independent woman, 'Janet attempts suicide by overdosing, coming to in the hospital after a five-day coma. As a consciousness-taising tool, tl book is indispensable, especially feminists who haven't entirely disabused themselves of the notion thz mental hospitals can be "therapeuti places for people who fan't "function". And as straight personal narrative, it is inspiring as an expression of the strength of a won who ceases striving tomerely function and finds the-determination to live and survive. 1 In the third and final part Janet resumes her story, but with a profound difference. Janet writes of a moment some months after her suicide attempt, when the events of the past several years become meaningful. 'Thete has been despait,' By Tanya Temkin Taken from: Off Our Backs, June 1976 Too Much Anger, Too Many Tears: A Personal Triumph Over Psychiatry by Janet and Paul Gotkin Quadrangle/New York Times Book Co. $10:95 I whispened. 'That is pat oi out condition, to 6eet despait. That is what I am keting and it i4 black and it webs up inside you until you ket that you witt exptode with the heaviness o4 this sense youuet, atone, in th,(:)s un6eeting datkness that can be the woAtd...no amounts oi Thotazine wilt even make this ieeting go away. After acknowledgement of these all too human feelings, she feels rage at what has happened to her: COAMM)1010.0411111114 MIIIIND411111041 M page IL I had nevet been sick and 1 wasn't now. The who& idea o4 my Liana's and my eventuate cute were inventions o4 my oychiatti-Ds ... I Azmembeted, bittekty, the yeaA's of dtug-taking, dependency, shock treatment, set,6denigAation. In the succeeding months I teviewed my own ten -yeah hi6toAy, going aver the detaLbs with a new view, seeing it att, ttuey, 4ot the ,f_tst time. These realizations came to Janet suddenly, without any clear explanation. To alter But this is as it must be. profoundly your perception of life 1 and recognize its implications is harrowing, as those of us who have been through any kind of conscious1 ness-raising can attest to. And after years of having your every action, gesture and though under constant psychiatric scrutiny, there is a part of that germinal strength you must appropriate for yourself. Most importantly, Janet and Paul perceive the implications their experience has for others, and act on Janet could have merely them. harbored bitterness toward her past and chosen to dissociate herself from it completely. The prerogatives of private therapy and voluntary hospitalization derived largely from her middle-class status, but she recognizes the commonality of all of us who have been victims of psychiatric excesses-- that personal guilttripping, masked coercion, fostering of self-hatred and divisiveness are institutional tactics that everyone within the institution of psychiatry is subject to 1113 ';NIMIND.041111104MINNMI0114)11101101Eli011111.0411=114/4/1104Dellic for the volunteers from the confere A room has been obtained from Mc Ke hospital to set up an information centre there. A suggestion was made that we seek to arrange some k of co-ordination with Parents an&iiii and telecare, A motion made and acc4 A motion to pay baby-sitting fees fi mothers-on -budgets to attend counc meeting was approved. Coleen reported on Council of Women meeting at the Y.W.C.A.-a federal g They are in need of representation North Western Ont but we decided it of no advantage to us ,So Move' was Report on Crisis Housing Gert reported on visit to Kenora House. The Water St residence is fully functional and St Mary's will be operational in a few month The tarbutt St Houses are full 8 w omen and 22 children under schol age, WE are providing Pampers. 1 The womans Credit Union The student researching this projec for the Northern Women Centre is 1 hopeful] it will be ready to go in the fall. 1/Joan Farrow from Kenora who has been a committed member of the council since it's formation will replace Paula Edwards as Vice Chai 1 Joan is also on the sub-committee Iof the HERSTORY project IReport on Equal Pay Mickey Murray reports they will be going ahead in the fall with speakers and possibly a conference. The next meeting will be held in th 1 conference Dining Room at the colle Aug 21 from 10 to 3 pm. A wine and cheese party at Gert's place,a sle 1 over and a Sunday Corn Roast ()=1MINSIII PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay, "P" Ont. return postage guaranteed RETURN TO: Donna Shaw 627 S. High St. Thunder Bay P HAVE YOU MOVED? LET US KNOW PLEASE. THIS IS YOUR LAST ISSUE (We must pay postage on your returned paper in order to keep our mailing list YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS up to date). DUEL PLEASE SUPPORT US 1 ,413.01610 09v4ow 3714)4p. ecit cyset 24).%#,AN, 4)\06 (six T.9su5) *3 22 YEAR. 02 BUSINESS OR INST 1 TurioN * 7 NAME GIFT. want to get involved? call 345-5841 any Tuesdays or Wednesdays ADDRE9S f DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED ../.101. I Free to one parent families Free to senior citizens PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 3 No 1 Description An account of the resource Vol. 3, No. 1 (1976) Title: The Northern Woman Topics include: Port Arthur clinic strike/unionization Letters to the editor Women’s studies programs Rape study Person’s Case 45th Anniversary Canadian Civil Liberties Association Critique of sexism in underwear advertisements Wife abuse Women’s Credit Union Baby bonus Wages for housework Redstockings Manifesto Welfare for women Native motherhood Classified ads Justice for convicted Native activists Canada Pension Plan Rape legislation Federation of Women Teachers Association Ontario Sole support mothers Skyway luggage strike Poetry Book review Crisis housing Equal pay Authors/Contributors: Tony Carfagnini Donna Williams E.M. Hall June Callwood Pierre Burton Hazel Clink Lois Yankowski Laurie Hill Josephine Stadden Wages for Housework Committee Toronto Berdina Holder Sallie Shun Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2743/1976_Vol_2_No._6_CV01.pdf d30fab72b0eeb57336a092c557cbc99e PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EDITORIAL 4- We are in this movement because we ourselves that we begin the work of are feminists, women who can no longer destroying the patriarchy." tolerate our oppression and who work to (Karen Lindsey, Boston Phoenix). We are begin the creation of freedom. We must remember this if sistercreating a revolution that will We hood is ever to mean anything. transform ourselves and our world. have insisted on an autonomous women's However, we must avoid the attitude that movement because we believe that sexis we in the women's movement are someis the most fundamental oppression. how the vanguard, the However, enlightened, we have divisions because, women towomen experience sexism, it who will lead Canadian while all We struggle out of different ways, according to liberation. in vastly necessity, not becauseclass, we arerace, al- age, education, sexual truistic missionaries.orientation...We cannot gloss over the Moreover, if we struggle around divisions by invoking the notion of our true needs, then we avoid the trap "sisterhood" conquering all. Sisterof becoming martyrs for some abstract hood is our ideal, politically and "The but it means struggle and ultimately futile spiritually, idea. woman who sacrifices her needs for to reach it and maintain it. the sake of the movement It is is no imperative threat that we strengthen to anyone, except to herself and the the communication links and networks. movement. Men have always repected an other feedback on We must give each Antigone, adored a Joan Arc, and an of ongoing basis, and make it easier why not? Such heroines fordeviate new women to become involved sacrifice little from the norm: inthey the movement. themselves for a principle or a vision The Other Woman Credit to rather than a man, but as long as they are sacrificing themselves, mankind The woman who endangers the is safe. partriarchy is the woman whose love for others grows from her love for herself--whose personal and political alliances stem from identification, not altruism. It is only when we love l- : , s. OUR READERS f the collective, whose assion is to send you nal is dangerously close g over, so good has been The nSe to our efforts. takes and the time we so easily translated into of love when we begin to eciated. There is little nventional press that rectly to the cause of d, one must either do of great import or someerly outrageous to be the context of being newWe here at the journal aded that all across this th west, in public or n, history is being written our being here. When the mes s us to new dimensions e encouraged to think of we have played in the the vista's that beckon us ery uture, we get an entirely lpt of the power and that is ours simply by tive". being women. There are edea must know about each there is no segment of e, that is not made better owledge of what goes on in and minds of one another. ood and strong and vital one of us must be made Knowledge to all of us. cedemic sense can be as statistics but the heart, mom ; nds calls for more. And ay thank you for your 1 OREEN, GERT, MARG,LYNNE ITo Dr.Chacko who equates the undesirable WENDY,qualities SHARON, LESTER of a social worker by the degrees iti 1 IMINIII PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ACTIVITIES Indoor and outdoor play; art work and crafts; circle time; various trips, e.g., library, pet store, fire station and train and sleigh rides. DAY CARE LOCATION 1000 Huron Avenue (Vance Chapman School) THUNDER BAY CO-OPERATIVE NURSERY SCHOOL TELEPHONE For more information, call 345-8651 (School) or 68306722 (Registrar) PURPOSE For children, 3 to 4 years old, REGISTER- NOW FOR SEPTEMBER an opportunity for creative play and interaction with other NEWS RELEASE 1:8. SESSIONS A.M., 9:30 to 11:30 Tuesday to Friday P.M., 1:15 to 3:15, Tuesday to Friday DAY CARE IS "my first best friend" DAY CARE IS "a rocking boat, dry pants, and my thumb" DAY CARE IS "being captain of a ship for a day" DAY CARE IS "making pictures for our kitchen at home" DAY CARE IS "sand in my shoes" DAY CARE IS "helping make cookies" April 21st, 1976. children. SUPERVISION A qualified pre-school education teacher; parent participation (although not obligatory); students from Confederation College; maximum adult/child ration of WHAT IS DAY CARE? The Thunder Bay Co-operative Nursery School is now accepting registrations for September. Children, 3 to 4 years old, have an opportunity for creative play and interaction with other children Morning and afternoon classes are conducted at 1000 Hurone Ave. (Vance Chapman School). For more information call the Registrar at 683-6722. THUNDER BAY CO - OPERATIVE Nursery School 1000 Huron Ave. T. Bay, "P" DAY CARE IS "child-rearing support for the modern family" DAY CARE IS "a sub-community within our community - it's our kids' neighbourhood" DAY CARE IS "a service for the conscientious mother with a career" DAY CARE IS "a total growth environment for happy, healthy, normal kids". EPILEPSY THUNDER BAY EPILEPSY THUNDER BAY During the year 1975 a special committee was organized in Thunder Bay under the direction of Paulette Sitch whose goal was to work towards the establishment of an eqilepsy association in the Lakehead region. In October this group became known as Epilepsy Thunder Bay Steering Committee and in February of this year was officially recognized as Epilepsy Thunder Bay, a Chapter of the Ontario Epilepsy Association. Education of the general public is high on the list of priorities of Epilepsy Thunder Bay through dissemination of information with the main goal being the removal of the stigma currently attached to this disorder, thus creating an informed public who thoroughly underEducation stand epilepsy. together with understanding can help towards the achievement of that goal. With proper therapy, most epileptics can now live essenThe tially normal lives. most serious hazard of an epileptic disorder, in many instances, is not the seizures, per se, but the associated emotional disturbances which may develop in a youngster as the result of mismanagement at home, in the school, or in the community. TheChapter can be of great assistance by giving support and guidance to parents of epileptic children, the education of teachers and education of the general public. 200,000 Canadians are believed to have epilepsy. Prejudice is costly to society and wasteful in terms of human The old attitudes of fear and prejudice against people with epilepsy bars them from employment in many industries. It is estimated that one in four people whose condition is whole or partially controlled by medication is still not able to hold a job, just because he or she is epileptic. This costs the country millions of dollars a year in unemployment, welfare and lost productivity. Prejudice can be eliminated through education. Public attitudes are slowly changing about epilepsy as people learn more about it. But institutions and official policy makers are often more slow to change. Persons who wish to become involved with Epilepsy Thunder Bay can write to: Epilepsy Thunder Bay Post Office Box 481 Thunder Bay South or telephone 623-6764 or 623-2290. The Ontario Epilepsy Association's aims and objectives might be summed up as giving support and guidance to epileptics. This can be done in many ways--patient and public education, employer contact and education, information and referral services, parent groups, social groups and vocational assistance. Epilepsy in itself may not be tragic, but the superstitious fear and ignorance with which it is regarded by the general public is tragic. Vast advances have been made in the medical and neurological treatment of epilepsy, but limited social' or educational progress has been made in assisting persons with epilepsy to develop adequate personalities and self-confidence. The prime purpose of Epilepsy Thunder Bay is to combat the prejudice, fear and ignorance still associated with this affliction. Therefore, education of the general public is one of the most important functions of the Ontario Epilepsy Association. Epilepsy is not a disease. It is a sign or symptom, and it results from or is part of, an underlying neurological disorder. Seizures may occur at any age in both sexes, in any race, or in any individual. With proper therapy, most epileptics can now live essentially normal lives. The most serious hazard of an epileptic disorder, in many instances, is not the seizures, per se, but the associated emotional disturbances which may develop in a youngster as a result of mismanagement at home, in the school or in the community. The Chapter can be of great assistance by giving support and guidance to parents of epileptic children, the education of teachers and the education of the general public. Public attitudes are slowly changing about epilepsy as people learn more about it. It is the hope of the Ontario Epilepsy Association, now renamed Epilepsy Ontario, to create a public awareness that epilepsy is not a handicap, but, rather an inconvenience. , 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �FAMILY PROPERTY LAW (part two) FAMILY PROPERTY LAW Ownership of other property of this series dealt with home ownership of the matrimonial (the principal residence of the married couple) For other property,ownership once again is determined by WHO HOLDS TITLE AND WHO PAID FOR IT. Let us look at several ways that married couples manage the finances and purchase of property. Part 1 Sometimes the spouse will (1) purchase property such as a car, furnishings,boat, or cottage by making monthly payments and the title (ownership Papers) is placed in the purchasing spouses name.If on the other hand the other spouse assists with the payments on this property from their savings or earnings,this spouse must keep an accurate account of the amounts contributed and prove the money used was their own,i.e. cancelled cheques from their personal account or proof of payroll deduction,e If norecord is kept they will have a difficult time proving any claim to ownership of the property. Often when both spouses (2) are working the husbands money is used to purchase real property i.e. payments on the mortgage,purchase of stocks and bonds,a summer home or car. The wifes earnings are frequently used to purchase food and clothing,music lessons for the children, or decorating the home. In other words,her money does not purchase property.If the marriage ends the assets(property)belong to the husband.The wife has nothing to show for her financial contribution to the marriage. Under existing laws, a married women in Ontario is under no obligation to maitain herself or to contribute towards her own support,or to children. If she is a wage earner the woman can invest her money,purchase real estate or spend it without her husbands consent.It is the husbands duty to support his wife while the marriage lasts. (3) The married womans contribution to the marriage as a homemaker has not been recognized under the separation of property system.So long as property disputes between spouses are resolved on the basis of direct financial contribution to the purchase price,the wife who stays at home on either a full time or part time basis will be shortchanged because her role as homemaker has deprived her of the right to earn money and obtain property. BILL 75. 1.(3) (c). States EXCEPT AS AGREED BETWEEN THEM, WHERE A HUSBAND AND WIFE CONTRIBUTE WORK,MONEY, OR MONEY"S WORTH IN RESPECT OF THE AQUISITION,MANAGEMENT MAINTAINENCE,OPERATION OR IMPROV_ MENT OF PROPERTY IN WHICH THE OTHER HAS OR HAD A PROPERTY INTEREST,THE HUSBAND OR WIFE SHALL NOT BE DISENTITLED TO ANY RIGHT TO COMPENSATION OR OTHERINTEREST FLOWING FROM SUCH CONTRIBUTION BY REASON ONLY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF HUSBAND AND WIFE OR THAT THE ACTS CONSTITUTING THE CONTRBUTION,ARE THOSE OF A REASONABLE SPOUSE OF THAT SEX IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES;. Hopefully this section of BILL 75 will get rid of of the worst features of the Murdoch case and others similiar to it,situations in which a wife was not allowed any share of the home,it's contents or a share of any other property because of her contribution as a homemaker.Under BILL 75,What will be the courts evaluation of a wife's contribution if she remains a homemaker who manages and maintains a home?. To benifit from this clause in BILL75 both spouses will need documentation for proof of contribution. (4) Equally controversial is the measure of a spouses contribution to a small business owned by the other " spouse, i.e. (a) The wife who keeps the books and does the billing for her husbands garage or repair shop. (b) The wife who works in the smal corner store receiving no salary. (c) The husband who does repairs or keeps books for a small busine his wife okinC. The wife who works in the fie (d) and barns of the family farm. Hopefully BILL751(3). (c) will grant recognition to this typ of contribution to the assets of a marriage. (5) If a wife is at home and the husband is the sole owner,saving's made by the wife from house-keepin allowances,property purchased with these savings,or investmentd made with them,belong to the husband, strict separation of property mean that increases, decreases,rents profits,etc are added to h the value of the property of the owner There are obvious inadequacie difficulties,and unfair rules in t present laws governing property re ions between husband and wife. Whi we work for reform of these laws,h can the purchase of property and owner-ship be shared by married i couples. (1) LEARN AND KNOW MORE ABOUT FAMILY PROPERTY LAWS AND MAKE THEM WORK FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNERSHIP. (2) CONSIDER JOINT TENANCY AS A METHOD OF OWNING AND SHARING PROPERTY. IF BOTH SPOUSES WORK,CONSIDEP (3) THE CONTRIBUTION THAT BOTH SPOUSES CAN MAKE TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF PROPERTY. EVERYTHING NEEDN NOT BE JOINTLY OWNED BUT BOTH SPOUSES,ESPECIALLY THE WIFE SHOULD CONSIDER INVESTESTMENT OF EARNINGS IN REAL PROPERTY. (4$ AS WELL AS SHARING INTHE PURCHASE OF PROPERTY,THE SPOUSES SHOULD SHARE IN THE RESPONSIBI_ BILITYS OF PAYING FOR THE NECESSP ITEMS IN THEIR DAILY LIVES. (5) DO NOT BE COMPLAISANT WOMEN HAVE A RIGHT ANU A DUTY TO THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES TO KNOW THE LAWS,AND TO BE INTERESTED IN THE PURCHASING POWER OF THEIR EARNINGS(or) GIFTS OF MONE'i WITH REGARD TO INVESTMENT AND PROPERTY. JOAN PACKOTA the suort of her husband and UNIVERSITY WOMANS CLUB An invitation to accompany Lisa Bengsston our good rep. from Sect'y State, on a visit to Kenora gave me an opportunity to talk with the originators and staff of the Water St. Residence for The simplicity that chose Women. the name is reflected in the house itself and personified in the person of Bertha Williamson, the single staff member who runs it with gentle authority and considBertha is erable good humour. native and while the house is available to all races it is her own sisters she has the privilege of serving most of the time. Formerly a hospital it provides accomodation for a maximum of 10 women whose admittance requirement is that she be referred from the treatment centre. The length of stay is flexible as Bertha explained, they stay till The the problem resolves itself. close community nature of the native family makes it easy to follow up their progress after The house itself is cheery and well kept. A sewing room is in the making; a piano is in the living room; an accessable kitchen. The women in the house were busily engaged in housekeeping duties and had the feeling from the woman who was ironing, that she was doing it for everybody, so great was the air of co-operation. "I don't do anything", Bertha told us, just talk and listen. The women do their own marketing, cooking, cleaning, laundry. A resident that upgraded her education from grade four to the place where she could qualify for training as a day care staff person, was cited as a success story. Some women do day work to help with their costs to the house. There is no staff at night. Bertha does not believe in people being hired to watch people. That is nonsense she says. Under a simple and civilized set of rules very few people will take advantages. That is a piece of wisdom that seems to have escaped my own race I'm sorry to say. I I enny :ra ey a member on th board of the Friendship Centre al ong with Kitty Iverson and Bertha Williamson conceived and brought the house into being. It is supported by funding from the Presby terian Church, subsidized by a p diem rate of $8.00 a day from Ont Social Services and a comfort all ante. Under this arrangement the future looks secure. find it very appealing that a church shou guarantee this security and do it without any manipulative strings attached. My congratulations to them for living the life--and my congratulations also to the residents of the house itself, who seem to have grasped a simple reality that while a problem exists the responsibilities of living col tinues and manifests itself in as simple a thing as keeping your surroundings and yourself as intact as possible. To do it in a sharing way makes it all the more appealing. Bertha has promised tc keep in touch through THE NORTHERN WOMAN. I continuel page 5 leaving PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �la suirmaymnrussiontammuitimmtmow I MEOW R111111WNIMINNIMME111.- SISTERS FROM WOMEN'S PROGRAMMES EXCLUDED by Noreen Lavoie As part of IWY the Women's Programme of the Dept. of the Secretary of State sponsored a series of 12 seminars entitled Interchange 75...A Forum For Action on Women's The last of these 12 semIssues. inars Women and Alternatives, held Dec. 2-5, 1975, saw about 35 participating women from all across was the delegate from Canada. Thunder Bay. These women were chosen, for the most part, with the exception of a few selected by the members of their groups, by the Secretary of State, because of their participation in women's legal aid clinics, health collectives/self-help clinics, women's centres, alternative media groups, transition houses, feminist therapy groups, lesbian fem., We were desinist collectives etc. as "grass roots feminists". cribed There was a feeling of discomfort and suspician almost from the No one beginning of this seminar. seemed to know why specifically they were chosen, or why they were there There was no material sent at all. prior, so that the delegate could discuss with their collectives the priorities of their particular groups or the purpose of the seminar. On arrival Mon. night each delegate was assigned a large room with 2 double beds. The implication was that the government did not want to encourage lesbianism by billetting two women together.. A silly and presumptious reason and a waste of I money. Tuesday morning we started off The structwith a plenary session. ure table arrangement, microphones, interpreters and the large number of women from women's programme had an intimidating effect on many of us, particularity those who had never spoken into a mike before or spoken It was in front of a large group. also strange to hear a male voice interpreting the words of a French speaking woman. A list of the delegates names and room numbers were requested as well as the per diem cheques for These were promised but meals. those with no money found it necessary to eat in the hotel dining room as the cheques never arrived till Thur., and the feelings of isolation persisted after leaving the plenary sessions or workshops as no list of names and room numbers materialized either. Tuesday after the short plenary session we were asked to read the Stimulus Paper and other material that was distributed (in our isolpersonally found ated rooms). the Stimulus paper heavy reading although assumptions about the women's movement (there is a recession and we are treading water--we are burned out feminists) bounced off the page at me. This was a liberal government's analysis of could not the movement, which agree with. Wednesday morning the workshops This first workshop is began. vague now, except for the feeling that nothing concrete happened and there was not a free flow of constill versation happening, and I I did'nt understand the reasons for this seminar or what we were supposed to accomplish at it. Workshops in the afternoon also produced little in the way of productivity and there was a noticible strain on the leaders to keep us on topic, i.e. what has the women's movement done; what problems could be encountered to create alternatives in this society; effective ways to produce more satisfying solutions regarding women's issues; what would the long term implications of these changes be. Wednesday evening saw the coming together of a small group of women who sat up till after 2:a.m. analysing and trying to justify the feelings of paranoia that seemed to pre vail on a wide scale. It was sensed and feared that we were there for an overall purpose, which we did'nt understand. JUSTIFYING OUR PARANOIA Comments on the process of analysis were taken by one of the women in the group at this meeting, and from these notes are some of their conclusions.r--we as grass roots feminists were seen as possible agents of social change-- information gleaned from us, i.e. experience, practice theory, values, could be used in a manner women from women's programme understand---this information would not stay at the level of women's programme (bottom level of Secretary of State) but go to a higher level---we agree this is not good, as women's programme have no power and those that possibly want power over us already have the most economic power---women in women programme are employees of the system that continues to oppress us---this seminar could be to design a modified form of social control using what we're giving them to diffuse us---delegates were chosen because of their political naivite---we were being led to see the trees and not the forest---Dept. of Women's Affairs may be implemented such as the Dept. of Indian Affairs which would isolate women's issues and be implemented by the heirarchy-this seminar is really a public hea'ring, but at the personal, not political level to make it invisible. Conclusions This is not the government of the people, even though it may have been the genuine feeling of women in the programm---women in women's programme now, are not necessarily going to be there next year---we are not going to isolate the variables that made us radicals- we are not making recommendations or telling them our processes in order to stop other women before they get to this stage---we were being cointo leadership positions to opted give the system we're fighting ammunition---this disallows us to identify the government as the enemy- women in women's programme may not even know where the reports are going and this is why we must exclude them---in no way were we faulting women from women's programme. WAS THE GOVERNMENT PAYING FOR US TO PLAN THE REVOLUTION?? NO IT WAS TO LEARN OUR PROCESSESS Thursday morning instead of going directly into workshops as scheduled, a plenary was called and women from the Tate nibbt meeting put forth their conclusions about the seminar. Nervous energy was high but guilt at rejection of our sisters from Women's Programme had not quite reared it's ugly head. Although they were assurred there was no hostility towards them, they were naturally defensive. THERE WAS UNANIMITY AMONG THE DELEGATES THEY SHOULD LEAVE. THEY LEFT. The interpreters left. We moved to the floor and formed a large circle. The Francophone women were very able to communicate in English. The remaining time was spent in analysing and justifying what we had done, whether it was a democratic decision or whether a certain few had a strong influence on the decision to exclude the women from the remaining part of the seminar. Emotions really fan high and guilt and searching for a scapegoat continued till late Fri. afternoon. Some women had planes to catch and some women could just not take any more of the emotional strain. Whether we were right or wrong in our feelings of paranoia about the motivitations of the government in sponsoring the Women And Alternatives Seminar and the fact that no resolutions came about, as did from all eleven previous seminars, this was a valuable experience for all of us involved. One woman stated she felt she had lost her political virginity, and I'm sure she spoke for many of us. Now, six months after this seminar, still feel good about what happened. For some of us we felt power for the first time. Personally grew a little and learned a lot from the women who participated in "the secret meeting". The women's movement reluctant to model themselves along the lines of the male pyramid structure, nevertheless needs leaders who have analytical minds and can share with those of us that don't. The radicalization of many of the delegates in itself justifies what happened at this seminar. As for what we did by excluding our feminist sisters fovm women's programme, we can be assured they understood why this had to be because they are firstly feminists and secondly employees of the government. I I KENO RA cc) ti gir A visit to the native women's office was icing on the cake. Lisa is helping them plan a conference. Nancy Morrison and Peggy Copenease seem to operate in a hive of activities. Only the truly committed could spend the energy one sees around them. It seems fairly certain a rep. from this group will take a place on the Northwestern Decade for progress Council now operating out of Thunder Bay. Our family of Northern women increases as we support and sustain each other. Over the raucous voice of Eleanor Jacobson, the native women of Kenora, care and share and struggle together, bringing honour to us all. I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �HERE AND THERE 40, ,m same WOMEN'S CENTRE IS NOW d "Feelings" The following is written by a young ' NORTHERN INCORPORATEDY to her social workers t t convey some of Since Jan. 1976, The Northern what it means to I Women's Centre has been incorporated elp from the system. as a non-profit charitable organizati GS The centre is incorportated under the Iname NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO WOMEN'S CEN elings of despair, being no good, are e prejudiced attity the public in here are beautiful ming into the Social e most part, they are s friends. Occasionncounters the Their attitude ". ity and an atmosphere ust is created; thus he way of helping Soical workers shed. be able to relate, ct with their are so heavy, so the is impossible when has a hell of a time epeople. being unsatisfactory The rules in that geographically governing the procedu ue. ass for both sides. the in became ion was incorporated placed on could be named as a es and background, wishes to thank Mary Tomlinson whose The centre a will. ocial pressures, Ilegal assistance was invaluable. king a giant step The centre will continue to function people help themHowever, unstructured as possible. Iit was necessary to appoint (they volunteered) ten women to sit as If you are on tF Board of Directors. IBoard of Directors and wish to be replaced please notify the centre. THE FIRST ANNUAL MEETING WILL BE HELE ION SEPTEMBER 16th, 1976. ALL WOMEN ARE WELCOME. There will be elections to replace any vacancies on the boarc !ALL WOMEN CREDIT UNION A POSSIBILITY The BAY Northern Women's Centre has hi THUNDER Laurie Hill, with funding from the Secretary of State, to investigate 1 lithe feasibility of a Credit Union foi Iwomen in Thunder Bay. The Metro Toronto Women's Credit Union has beer m in operation for some months now and Ihas set a precedent in Ontario, in having women considered a community, which will make it easier for other Iwomen's credit unions to obtain a On June 24 at 8 p.m. at the charter. centre, 120 W. Amelia, a meeting wil just 9 - 5. Laurie will be prepared at kers to lighten I be held. time to share all the information shl If you are has obtained to date. incomes to curious, interested, or already ine in earnings If you are union, please attend. more incentive to work. enthusiastic about a women's credit . This will give IIn conclusion, let people help people I unable to attend, phone the centre I so that the people being helped feel than information. ` life is worth living, not just existing.' 'WOMEN'S CENTRE NOT BEING UTILIZED LS II MENNE MIME MIEN 1E1=1 f =MI room The Women's Centre welcomes small groups of women who wish to meet in Congratulations to:Colleen Izzerd,winner a quite comfortable atmosphere, of the hooked rug. perhaps to meet for consciousness raising, letter writing (lobbying) whatever. There are also a lot of trying to cope with depression. Son women have remarked that even coming to the general meetings has helped t e government's constraints to feel less alone with their problt We would like to see a grodp or groi. formed at which time you could talk al services, education, sociz! over your problems, with each other. Anonymity could be maintained. d public sector employment THE CENTRE'S HOURS ARE 10:00 a.m. tc 3:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays To inquire about using the only. centre for meeting phone 622-3989. For July and August only there will be no Thursdayevaluation general meeting, PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked copy HAVE A GOOD SUMMER: senseless attack on health d that it be stopped by the of CVISION PDFCompressor �_ May 11, 1976. Dear People, : ' Dear Sisters, Just received Vol. 2, Issue 5, and found it most informative, particularly the articles on "Legal Sanction of Rape", "Where Do We Go?" and the "Crisis Housing Report". am enclosing $2. to replace that with which you reimbursed Ann Garret, agree with your since opinion that there are many issues on which we agree, and we should concentrate on these for the betterment of all, rather than get hung up on one contentious issue. Congratulations on the paper - a worthwhile effort indeed. -Patricia Baxter, T.Bay. p.s. The poems are a real "To my first love" bonus. was particularly meaningful for me. We would greatly appreciate it if you would place the following as an ad in your newsletter advertising The New School for Peace "Humanistic approach to the probliems of injustice, pollution, poverty, prejudice, resource depletion, revolution and war. Actualizes the values of compassion, equality, freedom and nonviolence. The New School, planned for Jule 31 - Aug. 13th on Grindstone Island near Ottawa. Cost for 2 weeks of an intense, enjoyable and challenging experience is $200, including all necessities. Apply now if interested by writing to Nancy Bayly, 562 Johnson St., Kingston, Ont. I ' I 1 ' 1 1 Thank you, Nancy Bayly. 99 Braemore Adus. Toronto 4, Ontario. May 31, 1976. 1 1 Dear Sisters: was thrilled to receive an issue (Vol. 2, No. 5) of the Northern Woman in the mail this morning. Enclosed is $3.00 for my subscription, to be mailed to the following address: I 14-2120 Ridge Rd. Victoria, B.C. I'm pleased to hear that the Victoria Women's Centre is receiving your publication. I'd like to offer a comment regarding editorial policy on "censorship" of material. noticed that Ann Garrett's letter against abortion was printed. Although ideally the news-journal should reflect many points of view on issues that affect women, you should be cautious of allowing the journal to be used by people who seek to destroy the foundations on which women's liberation lie. The right to secure birth control is such a foundation, and the Right-to-Life organization will use any means to prevent women from obtaining a measure of this right, which is the freedom to have an abortion. Although thought that your reply to the letter was great, hope that you I I I Dear "Northern Women" Enclosed is $3.00 for one years renewal of your paper. Thanking you for the effort alone that goes into it. May urge you to consider joining with the Congress of Canadian Women, helping to make it stronger, and encouraging all women who participate in an orgazation formed 25 years, devoted to Equality, Development and Peace. Now this Decade offers us tremendous challenges. A strong progressive CCW across our coup can do much to advance women an work for Peace. We need to give every possible support to our Native women. Do you have the book by Howard Adams--Prisoner of Grass, now number one in the Trent University Native Studies? This is excellent and important reading. Out of our 16 Universities, 14 are now having courses in Native Studies. We must help make these courses real. Best wishes to all the good Northern Women. Sincerely Nora Rodd Toronto I I / I Dear Sisters, In addition to giving me a Subscription, could you please send me the issue in which you included some material on Wages for Housework. It may have been issue 2 or 3. Thanks a lot. The paper looks really good. CLICK! October, 1970, walking down River Street in Winnipeg, with a dear friend, now dead, talking about the husband who divorced her, after more than 20 years, for a much younger woman. She said, "You know how much he hated the outdoors, - picnics, camping, roughing it. loved it, but we never did it. Guess he's got the right wife, now they spent all summer on a northern lake". Click! and at 5:30 p.m. outside a kitchen boutique on River Street became a feminist. So now I'm a G.D. Women's Libber, sometimes a "lesbian" or a "whore" or just "frustrated". Don't know if there are any labels left. But do know that there are identifiable Women's issues, beyond that believe fervently that all issues are women's issues. I'm still working for peace and universal "humanhood". I I I I Tery Padgham, Yellowknife, N.W.T. (reprinted from HER-SELF, Winnipeg YWCA) Best wishes, Francis Gregory. don't feel obliged to print "challenges" or simply material, the intention of which is to destroy the very basis of the freedom we seek to establish. hear that "Birthright", By the way, an anti-abortion counselling agency (whose source of funding is a well-kept secret) is establishing an office in Thunder Bay I this fall. also would like to say that found both Mallory's letter and Eve's offer deep article very touching. I I I empathy to Eve, and suggest that she send her article on her construction job experience to the Labourer's Union and let them deal with their disgusting behaviour at the next union meeting. Enough verbosity. Thanks, best wishes, and love: Georgina Garrett. found this while reading, and thought you might be interested in printing it: I Dear Sisters, Please find enclosed a cheque to cover a subscription to your publication for one year, plus a very small donation. This is the first issue of Northern Woman that I've had the pleasure to receive and read. am very impressed with the quality of the articles and great variety of topics covered in just this one issue. might add that was not so pleased with one article,("The Socialized Penis) ", but am keenly waiting for its continuation I I I In November, 1974, an arbitrator found that Bell had been discriminating against two of its female managerial personnel by paying them less than the men in their department with the same The women were awarded $2000. skills. Apparently, this decision in backpay. undercut Bell's personnel policy which functions on the premise that a woman goes not have to use her 'bratins to say "one moment please", and so Bell appealed the case. The judges agreed with Ma Bell and overturned the award, claiming that only the job performed, and not the skills and experience brought to the job, could be considered in determining whether there had been any discrimination. The tour's decision severely waters down the protection promised women in the federal government's Female Employees Equal Pay Act. (from This Magazine, No. 5 & 6, Vol. 9, Nov. - Dec. 1975.) I in your next issue to see how the author can redeem himself from his apparently chauvini-4-ir description. PI, up the good work. I'm sure it must be very difficult at times. -Brooke Carfagnini The Northern Woman Centre has received a grant from Sect, of State for student summer employment to research the possibility of forming the first womans Credit Union in the city. She will also assist in a health choice work-shop to be held at Confederation College this fall. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �POETRY I I I saw a women sleeping. In her sleep she dreamed LIFE stood before her,and held in each hand want a women's revolution like a lover. lust for it, I want so much this freedom, a gift In the one LOVE this end to stuggle and fears and lies we all exhale, that in the other FREEDOM and could die just I with the passionate uttering of that desire she said to the woman"CHOOSE! Just once in this my only lifetime to dance all alone and bare on a cliff under cypress trees And the yeoman waited long with no fear of where and she said FREEDOM! To even glimpse what will become, had I place my feet. I I might have been and never never not had to "waste my life" fighting for what my lack of freedom keeps me from glimpsing. And life said" Thou hast chose If thou had said LOVE well". Those who abhor violence refuse to admit they are already I would have given thee exneri9n-_ing it, committing it. what thou did ask for,and Those who lie in the arms of the "individual solution," would have gone from thee,and the "private odyssey," the "personal growth," returned no more to thee. are the most conformist of all, Now the day will come when because to admit suffering is to begin shall return,In that day the creation of freedom. bear both gifts in one hand. Those who fear dying refuse to admit they are already dead. Well, I am dying, suffocating from this hopelessness tonight, I I I I shz. heard the woman laugh in her sleep. Olive Schreiner from this dead weight of struggling with even those few men I love and care less about each day they kill me. mmiTHE FREE INORTH --Robin Morgan, from "Monster" She was Northern, /deep in her secret marrow the depth of rock and forest claimed her, here in its swollen rivers she heard the whisper of the dipping paddles where the loon was hiding. More than the North, .00000°./ she was the quiet pool unpolluted.... The free north virgin Yet in the wilderness she played as fawn to doe, a target for the hunter, a raw resource...Ripe for picking. The lust of progress felled her like a pine, stripped her Stole the treasure she was hiding Left her like an easy lay discarded She was Northern, her braids as sleek 14%.. as feathers on a crow and yet Her destiny was wed to sorrow. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CUT BACKS FACTS ... FACTS ... FACTS ... FACTS "Everyone has a little bit of suffering to do." --Jean Luc Pepin Dec. 5, 1975. "Do not get discouraged if the consumer price index maintains a two-digit momentum for several months to come." --Beryl Plumptre, Oct. 11,1975 "Look lady, don't expect the price of a can to stay where it is because we've brought in a freeze." - -Pierre Trudeau, Oct. 10, 1075. GOVERNMENT CUTBACKS In October, Trudeau brought in a program of wage controls. He followed this in December with an announcement concerning government budget cutbacks. The main targets of the cutbacks are the people with the least power -- women, the elderly, and youth. CUT BACKSscuy "ticks salaries for a year (which they weren't planning to increase anyway), they increased their tax-free allowances as scheduled. II. Universities. The Henderson Committee has recommended: * A tuition increase of 65% over the next three years. The elimination of the grant The government also announced portion of the Government recently that they are spending Assistance Program, meaning $1 billion on 18 airplanes for students will be saddled with the Armed Forces, and increasing even huger debts when they Defense spending from $2.5 billion graduate. to $5 billion in the coming fiscal The University of Toronto year. has already attempted to cut back the Women's Studies PAID LABOUR FORCE Program without success, and will probably try again. With the cost of living increasing the way it is, more and more III. Other Social Services women are forced to take jobs outside their homes. Between The Ontario Government has: 1964 and 1974, the number of women in the Canadian labour Frozen force grew by 88.6%. 43.1% ofthe building of nursing and old age homes, meaning the women in the paid labour force more work for women looking are self-supporting. Despite after this massive increase in the the elderly in their own homes. proportion of woren in the paid * Frozen labour force, women remain in staff and service in hospitals the lowest paid jobs --"women's" in 1976, meaning more work for hospital workers, jobs. 70% of whom are women. In 1963, 61.8% of women in the Toronto, threatened paid labour force were In in Metro clerical cutbacks sales, and service. By 1973, in social services include: this percentage had increased * to 63.1. Family Allowance. For a saving of $221.3 million, the government is eliminating the 10.8% increase mothers were supposed to receive beginning January 1. This is the largest single saving in the government cutbacks program. * UIC. Claimants with dependents who used to get 75% of their earnings have been cut to 66 2/3%. People over 65 years of age are no longer eligible, at a loss of $120 million to those claimants. * OFY eliminated. A saving of $3; million and 35,000 more youth without a wage this summer. CYC eliminated. A saving of $6.1 million and 450 community workers wageless. LIP cutback by $35 million and 80,000 more people unemployed. The Native Indian Brotherhood has calculated that the above cutbacks will mean a loss to native people across Canada of over $6Z million. These cuts come at a time when the national unemployment rate is 7.3% and over 10% of women and 13% of youth (14 - 24 years) are unemployed. However, the government is also "going after the rich". They have imposed a 10% surtax on those with incomes over $30,000. There is a debate going on in Parliament whether this means that a married man with two children making $35,000 will pay 19 or 35 more tax per weekl GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURES At the same time as the governis saving money on women, old people, and youth, it is increasing expenditures elsewhere. While the MP's and Senators have frozen their ment *A 50% cut in shelter allowance And the difference between men'srecipients. for welfare and women's wages is increasing. The end to supplementary In 1971, the average man earnedto Family Benefits benefits 44/ more than the average and woman. Old Age Security recipients, By 1973, it was 45.1% which In for eyeglasses, more. paid Ontario in 1974, women dentures, waged hearing aids, etc. workers earned $1 billion less of staff and services *Reduction than if they were men. in old age homes. *Freeze on spending for POVERTY AND WOMEN visiting nurses and homemakers. Imposing poverty these All is of what which means MORE WORK FOR WOME cutbacks are all about, and a woman on her own is assured a place among the poorest! IF YOU PUT A MAN ON A PEDESTAL, 2/3 of all women below ageGETTING YOUR HEAD YOUthe RISK of 25 have annual incomes of KICKED OFF. less than $5,000. * 85% of single-parent families are mother-led. "In this struggle, we must accompli * Almost 50% of mother-led families nothing less than a wrenching adjus have an income of less $ expectations." ,000. ment than of our 23% of single father-led families --Pierre Trudeau, have less than $4,000. Oct. 13, 1975. * A male head of family hasgetting a "We are tired of always 9.3% chance of living below theourselves for somebody sacrificinn poverty line. A female else'shead goodofor profit. We want family has a 40.1% to chance. stop inflation where it hurts most -- in our pocketbooks. We CUTBACKS IN SOCIAL want SERVICES IN ONTARIO the increase in our Baby Bonus If you don't live and in Ontario, we want wages for all our work use these figures as model as awomen." to find out what's happening --Sallie Shum, in your area.) Dec.24, 1975. . I. . Daycare. From a letter to the Toronto The government cutbacks are forcing an Globe increasing and Mail. number of women out of their paid jobs and into total economic dependence on a man.WAGES HOUSEWORK COMMITTEE The FOR government has: 745 DANFORTH AVENUE, SUITE 301, TORONTO, ONTARIO. 466-7457. * Frozen any expansion in the Parry Sound, Ont. (FNS) number of daycare centres after March 31. A young native woman was raped * Threatened to double the subby sons of the Mason Lodge here. sidized fee from 251 to 50 daily. First, they pounded salt into Frozen the number of subsidher vagina, they then gangized children. banged her. Nothing was done * In effect reduced the operating after the incident since she budget of subsidized daycare is a native woman and the men centres by allowing only a were sons of Masonic Lodge mem 5.5% increase this year. bers. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �P,ROJECr Although many widows'Wdrkedwhile they were married, the vast majority, 70% preferred to stay home to look after their families. The impression given was that t5 ON WIDOWS The following article is a condensation of a research project done in the Kingston area on tl-e status and conditions of life of some widows in that city.- Funded by the Dept. of the Secretary of State at the request of Widows United, Kingston, Ontario. We feel it will be of interest to the general public since widowhood is universal and inevitable in many cases. The following then contains exerpts from the research papers and the entire subjective evaluation. This research consisted of 80 persons Anglo Saxon in origin, 70% of whom had resided in the area for a minimum of twenty years and of whom over 50% had been married for over 20 years. The average age was 53.4 years. Most of the subjects had been widowed for over 2 years making it difficult to examine closely the reactions to the severe grief which immediately follows the death of a loved one. Many of the widows could not remember and fully discuss this aspect because of the time lapse. The sample group was by no means random. Therefore, this report cannot reflect the total profile of widows and their problems, but there are significant trends seen in this group to support a meaningful examination of these subjects. Although most married couples assume that the husbands earned pension and life insurance together and would provide for the widow's livelihood in the event of death, only 51.3% of our sample were receiving a widow's pension from BREAKDOWN OF PROBLEM AREAS Loneliness and general isolation -53.7%. General adjustment problems -27.2%. Financial problems -19.1%. Advantages 72.r% saw no advantage in being a widow. The rest listed freedom, relief from worry over his illness, solitude, no need any longer to be servile, more mature and independent. ATTITUDES TOWARD WIDOWS BY COMMUNITY Over 80% of those widowed believed they were treated unfairly by the community, taken advantage of by car-repair people, house repair people, salesmen, men, lawyers and real-estate and bank personal, -in general, devalued and ignored while 13.8% saw themselves as well-treated and valued. It is interesting to note that few widows advocated more independence and responsibility in wives before widow-hood strikes, rather opting for more social security after the fact. Only three widows wanted more control in pension and life insurance decisions. Only one felt girls should get a good education and learn a trade. SUBJECTIVE EVALUATION Certainly not all widows have problems but many of the widows that their husbands' employment and only were interviewed seemed dissatisfied 21.3% were receiving a life insurance with their lives. The change from Canada Pension, designed to annuity. the status of wife to widow seemed supplement personal resources was being to present most of the problems. paid to 56.3% of the widows, but in Grief, of course, was very difficult some cases the widow commented that to live through, but the problems of the payment was less than ten dollars adjusting to be a single independent In 78.75% of the cases, a month. woman seemed to continue for years income had dropped. 57.1% had dropped and years. The strongest problem over 50 per cent. More than one-fifth area we discovered was an inability had to sell their homes and move to to make decisions and solve problems cheaper lodging. (a certain passive acceptance of things). Many widows would complain NEED FOR ADVICE AND HELP about certain issues and then would be totally unable to conceive changing A large portion of the group, 70% and solving them. For example, many needed advice after the death of their women were very lonely and wanted In order of priority, the husbands. companionship, yet would never think most needed was financial assistance. of meeting a new man, out of loyalty Understandably, many widows found it to the dead husband. Others would difficult to express trouble and grief complain of lack of money, or a need to strangers, and often to friends. for bigger pensions, but they would For this reason, they felt open to not explore possible avenues of If there only their closest family. retraining or employment. was no close family, these strong Some widows complained of nowhere feelings were repressed and controlled. to go for help and advice, yet when Many of them felt no one was really asked later about what social service They helpful to them at this time. agencies they would use if available, felt they presented a threat and they claimed that they wouldn't use embarrassment to others. any because they like to be independent A large majority of widows were upset REACTIONS TO THE DEATH by the attitudes society had towards them, yet when asked what changes Shock, relief that illness is over, they would like to see in the society sorrow, numbness, depression, confusion, only a small percentage mentioned a nervousness and mental problems, change of attitude. hysteria, loneliness, fright, resignation Our feelings are that many widows bitterness, surprise, helplessness, guilt, believe consciously or unconsciously disbelief. 13.8% rejoiced, were angry that their life is over, that there at husband for leaving her alone with is no point in actively changing kids, nothing, wound-up, haunted, anything. In fact, many widows tragic, supressed feelings, wanted never do make the adjustment to to go home, or had no answer. being single, independent women; 32% would consider re-marriage. they appear as wives who died with 67.5% would not for various reasons. their husbands. Such an inability Re-marriage is not commented on with to change and adapt is understandany enthusiasm and companionship was able with older women who become the only popular reason for consider in it. widows. housewife and mother in the home, They found value and worth in the domestic work that they did, and many felt most competent in perform Once the family ing such activity. disperses and the husband dies, a woman loses her role as housewife She is no longer value( and mother. for what she has done and been trail to do all her life. These skills are not easily marketable and the sense of value derived from this Now, the widr work soon disappears. must face a world of survival entirely foreign to what she has bec Though many women have used to. worked before widowhood, this work most often low paying and she has n( consistently pursued it all her life Also her age and sex may go against because many employers would be hesitant to hire an older woman who has had no consistent experience. Very frequently, the widow is left in a situation with which she She totally unprepared to cope. must survive in a working world she may be unused to, she must make financial and business decisions on her own, perhaps for the first t in her life, she must make new friends on her own and the midst of all this change, she must redefine herself from that of housewife to single woman. The role of housewife and mother an essential role, in this society, to the exclusion of all other livin skills, it can become a trap to the If the housewife has no widow. 'marketable skills, no financial or business knowledge, cannot make independent decisions; cannot survive in the male world, she is for the biggest cultural shock of i her life. As long as marriage remains an integral part of our society, there There are 2,92 shall be widowhood. widows in Kingston, 560 of them he Every woman who marri of families. must realize that she is a possible widow, and must prepare herself for that state realistically. The youn er a couple is, the easier it is fo them to recognize widowhood as a natural extension of wifehood. In our study, less than half of widows had discussed the possibility of widowhood at all with their husbands, and even for those who had made provisions for widowhood, their preparations were often less than The lack of involvement c adequate. the part of many of these women as wives in issues that directly determine their future living standard indicates either a complacent or a Perhaps some COUf passive attitude. still believe that the woman should shielded from complicated money matt even when they determine her future 1 security. So strong is our taboo against recognizing the effects of death in our midst, that many writers lump widows, divorcees, and single women together as one coherent group. But singleness is not the issue for widows; it is grief, and learning to cope alone with economic and emotional problems, exactly what she has been protected from all her married years. Our study shows that woman, who has seen her major functi as that of housewife, loses her love one, her job, her income, her social and sometimes her home. And she mus continued on pas PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �C RED IT $ COUNSELLING WANTED - MORE CREDIT COUNSELLING In a classic double-bind statement designed to hide the dismal truth about "easy credit", David Ogilvy, a British advertising executive once told an audience "Gentlemen the consumer is no moron, the consumer is your wife." Unchallenged the statement places the full burden of money mismanagement on the everyday housewife. The truth is more complicated than advertisers can afford to have us Credit Counselling shows that believe. the lure of easy credit is oblivious Men and women, we find, are to gender. equally vulnerable to subtle invitations for indulgence in a seductive market place. In addition to deliberate corporate consumer manipulation, credit or financial management difficulties may be caused by any number of reasons illness, employment difficultsuch as: ies, reduced income, and so on. Regardless of cause, the result of financial difficulties can be extremely hazardous to the victims well being, sometime jeopardizing employment, home life, and even health and mental stability. The Ontario government has shown some leadership in providing counselling for troubled debtors. Province subsidized programs are operating in a number of centres throughout the The debt counselling program province. operated by the Thunder Bay Family and Credit Counselling agency receives 60% provincial subsidy for operating The remainder, 400, is expenses. raised locally by donations from credit grantors, and through United The counselling service Way funding. is provided free of charge to all During 1975 the agency clients. assisted 229 clients with a variety of Services financial problems. included budgeting assistance, general financial advice, and proSimply stated, a pro-rate rate. service is an agreement arranged by the agency between the debtor and all creditors, which repays debts in significantly reduced monthly instalments. Though only a small number of individuals require debt-counselling services, the amounts involved can serve as a warning to those who may be on the verge of falling prey to easy credit. Total debts for 229 clients amounted to a staggering $1,218,019. (one million, two hundred and eighteen thousand, and nineteen dollars) owed Only 84 of the to 1445 creditors. 229 clients required pro-rate assistance. Pro-rate disbursements to the credit community (banks, credit unions, finance companies, stores), came to a sizeable $110,065. In human terms, the results of debt-counselling are extremely People, once at the mercy gratifying. of wage liens, legal threat, hassling telephone calls at home and at work, regained peace of mind and personal and family stability. Many families were spared the debilitating psychosocial symptoms of financial stress: divorce, desertion, depression and general dispair. informed future consumers. Lastly, Despite the proven effectiveness individual consumers have a responof credit counselling services, the sibility to become better informed program has not reached maximum about the many hidden issues related A significant effectiveness in Ontario. to consumer spending. part of the problem is that the province Ogilvy might not have been right, takes a miserly approach to the but how would we answer P.T. Barnum? development of needed social services. Provincial subsidy policy, for example, -Arend Visser. deliberately excludes funding for NmsoiroplI 4111141.1m. program advertising or community. promotion - the hassle tools of the market-place are not available for developing a well informed consumer! Imeet this trauma alone. 18.1 percent With over This point is important. found that no one was helpful, no 1.5 billion spent on advertising widows found social services to be annually in Canada (2% of our gross helpful, and children emerged as national product), the high risk the only significant helpful group and even ordinary consumer is subof all those that widows turned to. jetted to intense pressures - for many A good idea is an annual reassessit results in a wealth of vexing ing of the financial situation, problems including the ills of a adequacy of life insurance, wills, A current prayer,7 debt-life style. pension retirement plan and sur"Dear Lord, please give me the luxuries vivor benefits. Both partners should of life and I'll gladly forego the participate and understand all necessities, typifies the attitude aspects of future plans and present It makes the modern situation. of many customers. A good time for this producer King and Sovereign of all would be the couple's anniversary. human needs (real or conditioned This day can be a commitment that by advertising), and relegates the their love and concern for each average consumer to life-long other's welfare will extend beyond the widows cont'd serfdom. grave. Inequalities in the advertising equation reveal themselves in a steady avalanche of consumer complaints to the Federal Government's official listening post, Box 99, Ottawa. Here is a quick run-down on the type and number of complaints. -Food (2,180 complaints): quality, prices, and labelling. -Cars and accessories (2,133 complaints): quality, failure to receive goods, guarantees and warrantees, repairs and service. -Housing and real estate (1,800 complaints): quality, price, failure to receive goods or ser- Women must accept the fact that the security of a housewife is too often short-lived. Girls must secure adequat education and employment training so they can maintain the standard of living for themselves and their children if necessary. The original purpose of this report was to study the problems of widows in Kingston in order to make recommendations for changes in the community and in legislation. But through this study, we have discovered that only a minority of Kingston widows could propose positive changes in community and vice. legislation that they would use and -Prices (1,911 complaints) benefit from. We as researchers -Advertising (969 complaints). feel that we cannot rightfully tell widows what they need. In fact, Complaints cited indicate the the one recommendation we do make is tremendous impact of calculated that no one should tell widows what marketing strategies on the more or they need. Widows must explore and less unprotected consumer. The become aware of their own needs and modern market place has become a wants, then perhaps they will take initiative in solving their own jungle of confusing product claims problems for themselves. These by manufacturers and has given birth widows must be given an opportunity to a veritable explosion of consumer to define their own problems in a products. Only a couple of decades constructive way together.. ago, for example, grocery stores used We hold that no one can really help to stock 1500 items on their shelves, widows until they are given the compared to 8000 (of which a thousand opportunity to help themselves. a year are new), in 1976. We recommend that a drop-in centre Vhat should the Federal Government should be formed for widows similar to do besides listening to consumer those centres for senior citizens. complaints. How can it counteract tht The centre should be available for forces of "normal" corporate sales widows to drop-in and socialize strategies, and abnormal mass media a certain number of days a week. hucksterism. Besides making business In this way, the isolation that surrounds more competitive, stronger policing each individual widow may be of the market place, allowing full lessened, and she may see that her consumer participation in decisions problems and concerns are those of affecting them, and providing better other widows as well. Such a centre grievance-solving mechanisms for would supply a safe environment for individual consumers, senior widows to interact and perhaps government must develop a national then they will be better able to network of credit counselling agencies. specify their needs. A counsellor may It has been estimated that it would help with these discussions. A only cost $3.3 million dollars to set :entre will also encourage widows up an effective nation-wide counsellin to take responsibility and program. Meanwhile, the cost of initiative in running something as personal bankruptcy in 1970 was an :oncrete and tangible as the centre. People should be available to give estimated sixty to ninety million financial and emotional advice to dollars. The business communtiy too widows who need it. Together has a responsibility for "cleaning widows may be able to help themup its act", perhaps by diverting selves, for no one else can live for a small percentage of its annual them. A widow must learn to know profits towards developing a more herself as a woman, independent informed consumer. Schcols also and single. must play a stronger rolc in preparing 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �FEMINIST PRESS These small news-letters and grow-ing journals are like yeast in the dough of complacenty to a sex that has been eating the unleavened bread of oppression for too long. We must preserve and support this voice as a priority,it is the only voice of women totally free from the manipulation of those whose aim and desire it is to keep us ignorant of the power and confidence that is our right by birth. In almost every case the women who write and distribute this press do so on a voluntary basis,oper ating on crumbs of cash provided by small grants from Gov -with the support of a growing readership. Survival is a constant threat from issue to issue we must find the drive, the ener the cash to sta e our case What is the feminist press? The true believer will tell you it's not MS or the woman's homemaker mags,its not even Chatelaine although one finds in its pages, a certain appetizer that creates a hunger for a deeper meaning,a closer walk with a movement that has become like the cry of our own hearts. Across this Canada of ours from the north-west territories, to St Johns Newfounland the Status of Women Councils and the centres of radical feminists comes the written expressions of discontent og women who are emotionally and mentally ready to assume a larger role in a man-made,male controlled world. REPORT ON FEMINIST WEEKEND AT CEDAR GLEN In the conference centre of the United Church at Cedar Glen, Bolton Ont. the Toronto collective hosted, without government participation a feminist weekend of what turned out to be, as far as could see, a meeting of true belieThis person in spite of a vers. non perceptable generation gap was enfolded in that special warmth that is generated where ever women meet without the props of pretension. Planned without a set structure of workshops, it made a random selection of groups to first come up with subjects for further discussion in a later workshop approach. found the small group discussion not as productive as the general discussion which took place in the One constant large conference room. theme emerged time after time, the pervasive impotence that women feel who are mentally and emotionally prepared to take a larger part in the planning of changes that must take place in society if woman is to reach her full potential in this The hetersexual relationcountry. ship as defined in both emotional and economic terms as a form of dependancy was one that found responce in both straight and lesbian It became a bridge that women. both sides could cross over with The conference could well ease. have justified it's exsistance by this fact alone; a mutual recognition that differences in life styles crumble under the harsh realities of economic pressure. The lesbian collective of Wages for Housework was vociferous and militant, they are embattled and bitter, twice oppressed, many with children finding themselves pushed to the wall by the society they equate with male supremecy. We may question the approach but never the motive; there is no question survival is the driving force, to keep their children and preserve their life-style. Wages I I without apology-to a society who have found it all too easy in the past to dismiss women as the appendi of the real power in control. One of the more comprehensive journals in the feminist press is THE OTHER WOMAN out of Toronto,a good and solid read for 50G or $4 a year to subscribers,free to prisons and Native Women it provides a larger look at lifestyle and the general health of the movement. We at the northern Woman will keep a supply of this fine paper for women and solicit your support for it as well as our own.We will also the first time print a list of other news-letters that have impressed us. CEDAR GLEN for Housework did not find support in the conference, it was seen as one more dependency gimmick that allows the state even more participation in the lives of women. The number of times the words money, power and control were used as a panacea for all the problems would have delighted any member of the board but in general this was a conference prepared to face up to the realities. The future and fate of the movement and all women hinges on their ability to defend and susstain each other in the struggle. Joint ownership of land and property, lifeskills for a feminist community, the role of the feminist press, the pros and cons of separation of the sexes, the third option of celebacy relin avoiding the hassle of deep ationships, the subject of cooptation from the extreme male left, from social services, from the moderate liberal; a more realistic approach to the non declared feminist groups whose long term goals in the struggle for equal right lay parallel to their own, the growing interest in credit unions for women, the increasing crisis housing starts, the passion to have them owned and operated by women as true havens, the sexist literature in the schools, the push of the anti-abortion groups, All these topics combined to make the general discussion groups a fascinating study, the freedom and ease with which all took part was extremely gratifying. My personal impression was one of tremendous vitality, not always channeled positively but a tangible physical presence; one who has always believed the spoken word is the most unreliable form of communication, can now dismiss much of the words my own included and say with perfect It confidence the spirit lives! struggles from frustration to depression and from depression to celIt is in healthy flux ebration. politically aware yet obliged to If buy into privelege for survival. it has a fault it is the impatience that sets it at odds with the compI lacent and unaware, of it's own sex. Those who have opted out of the hete sexual relationships have paid their dues. It is unthinkable that straig women everwhere should withhold the Man and full measure of sisterhood. woman relationships under the present structure are enforced and continued as an imbalance of power to th highest level of political maniThe personal is political pulation. and many times freedom begins and The word radical ends in the home. is misused and abused in the context of human relationships. Personally can't see anything more radical than challenging sexism where ever That is how radical it is found. suggest in am prepared to be and that context we are all equally radi The burgeoning spiritual and creatiN growth in the movement should give us all a measure of satisfacttion. 1 Sat. night concert at the conference was a real power-house, singing, comedy routine from the Three of Cur a feminist tea-room in Toronto, poetry by Alexa de Wiel and from A most engros! Thunder Bay as well. ing film on the life of Gertrude Stein, that great literary genius, was the delight of the most creativr minds of her time. The fact that si was a known lesbian posed no threat to her popularity. The part Alice Tooklas played in her life was fascinating. would'n It was an experience learn listened and have missed, was not alone in my age group. Kay MacPherson from NAC was a great companion and took me back to Toronto. Whatever the conference hoped to accomplish in the way of concrete directions palls into insignificie beside the friends made, the communication established by a short IA to-gether along a path that is our common destiny. I I I I I I I GERT BEADLE 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �REPORT FROM COUNCI L NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO INTERNATIONAL WOMAN'S DECADE CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL Minutes of May 15, 1976 Meeting held in Conference Dining Room at Confederation College with 19 members present. A group picture taken by a photographer to be used in submission to the Chronicle Journal's woman's issue, June 29. Minutes of previous meeting were RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT ACTION GROUP: adopted as read. Paulah Edwards reported that the core group are presently enrolled in Secretary's Wen-do classes, a self-defense course. Publicity report: report stated that an information They will be sponsoritig a seminar on package, containing a pamphlet, rape and sexula assault at Confederation a covering letter, and a copy of the College, June 19, and brochures will follow. Northern Woman journal had beenThe sent group will speak at Hillcrest highschool, to approximately 100 woman's organizations with the highschool health classes, A press release in N.W. Ontario. and have already appeared at a Woman's re: formation of the council andInstitute. its aims had appeared in all local papers. Moved by Marg Lanchok that Gert's and Paulah's reports be accepted. Discussion on Council's approach Seconded by Leone Lang. Gert Beadle suggested to the media: the action groups report on their own HERSTORY projects under the supportive structure of the Council and that BerniceMarg Lanchok reported that a grant Cain be the official spokesperson in the Secretary of State was grom the interests of the Council in received, and interviews of the Motion that all reports be accepted by Micky murray Seconded by Marg Lanchok.' . HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION HEARING Marg Lanchok reported that she attended an organizational meeting on behalf of the council and will present a brief at a public meeting June6. Meeting adjourned. Next meeting June 12/76 future. students were completed. Paulah Motion by Gert Beadle, secondedEdwards by will continue the project Joan that the publicity committee operating out of the Northern be dissolved and that action groups Woman Journal office, Bay Street. be responsible for their own publicity. NATIVE WOMEN LIBERATION I cannot breathe this air of COMMITTEE REPORTS Bernice Cain reported that she had sent letters to Marlene Pierre, Gert Beadle reported Crisis Housing: Nancy Morrison and Edith MacLeod, on her meeting with Dorothy Akram, asking them to join the Council. councillor at the Tarbut St. Houses. It was pointed out they were presently She stated her committee was encouraged involved in the Native Women's Lisa informed the with the progress. Conference. group that she and Colleen and Gert will visit the Kenora women's hostels SOCIAL SERVICE CUTBACKS At present, no active in June. citizen's committee is operating there. Sharon McKay reported. Our Council is not affiliated with the Coalition for Social Justice in opposition to social service cutbacks. Bernice Cain will send MEMMEMEM NUMMI a letter of support to Norm Richards. Sharon McKay will be Council's liason with this group. ROOTS A telegram of protest from this Council's My grandmother had a word for sex, seminar had sent Intercourse,fornication, or the by Sharon. common screw,and all the other definitive terms were not incluEQUAL PAY GROUP ded in her repertoire.She had her own wore It was"accomodateY Leona Lang reported that a strong got the feeling rather early core group was established. Weaknesses that accomodating each other in wasthe labour laws which accounted something my grandparents didfor the labour contract failure rather well,and with considerable at the Port Arthur Clinic was merriment. wasn't sure whatdiscussed. Changes in that area will it was but knew it was enough have top priority with this group. to make her give a rough tongue Motion that we affiliate, with to a neighbour who had the bad N.A.C. who are actively lobbying for manners to catch the act in the legislative change. Unanimous consent. hayfield one day while she and Bernice will request affiliation by letter. grandfather ,AAt building a hay II MIMI stack. II II MINIM. M heard her tell my mother, got some pretty definite "It's nobody's business where ideas about my grandmothers accomodate my man and told meth6ds of accomodation. For one him so,he wont come snooping thing,it never occurred to me around here again can tell you". that it wasn't she who decided just when she felt accomodating. PDF compression, OCR, web a watermarked Theoptimization word duty wasusing dust in her mouth. heard her say many unequal values where the lyrics for shunted womanhood ring to the tune of "pots 'n pans ugly hands' and "aging witches becoming bitches". I know another part of me the part you fail to see the real meaning of me I Thus fulfillment is found I I in womanhood creating a restored image I I I in the femaleness I in me. I I -Wendy Peterson Kenora evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �NATIONAL ACTION COMMITTEE mi ni st ers absent was In April of this year On Sunday _the to resolutions fortunate enough representwi presented to theOntario voting as delegate North-Western a delfor refusal Very egate from or theacceptance. Northern Women's In support of the North West Territories little was raised for Centreopposition to the annual NAC (National Status of Women Action Committee's any of the issues with some delec Action Committee) conference in ates exercising reserved position Brief to the Mackenzie Pipeline The conference began Fri. Ottawa. on evening a few. April Inquiry, re the effects of the pipeline The three issues until 23 andmain continued arising out of the resolutions on N.W.T. women, BE IT RESOLVED that Many piwomen Sun. evening, April 25. sed were: economic matters NAC encourages member organizations also stayed for the lobby such of M.P.'s wage birth cc 26. to make representations at hearings on controls: Parliamentabortion, Hill, Mon. April across Canada of the Mackenzie trot and dayconference care; and began the organThe on a someization of an effective communicPipeline Inquiry re the effect of what disappointing note when the ation system which could reach 0 of the pipeline upon women. panel of Marc Lalonde, Minister women of Canada on issues concerr Health and Welfare and also Ministing WHEREAS Native Women In Canada suffer Other deal erthem. in charge ofresolutions Federal governwith such thing as the MacKenzie a double discrimination and are thereIWY, Ron Basment participition in Pipeline, the presentation fore the most oppressed in the country, wonJohn ford, Minister of Justiceofand inMunro, the media, energy WHEREAS the Supreme Court of Canada Minister of alternatives Labour, did not priorities in government spending has upheld the right of Indian appear after they had agreed to do etc. Councils to strip Native women of Details of these resolution It was immediately apparent to so. will givenpresent in THE how STATUS OF their heritage when they marry, thebewomen important WOMEN NEWS. outside the band, while similar these men considered the conference penalties are not inflicted upon men participated in sent th place they reto On be.Mon.In their lobby of MP's, in which who marry outside the band, lobbied for Munro and Baspresentitives; BE IT RESOLVED NAC urge that the Bill an ford individual MP;their the NDP caucus, they had Deputy Minister took part in the luncheon attende reof Rights be embodied and entrenched and Assistant Deputy Ministers, by spectively John Munro in andattendance. Marc Lalonde an in the BNA Act... that NAC mount a delegation to the visited For the Lalonde, office ofthe Bobrepresentative Andras, Minister of Indian Affairs, Judd my was local who had agreed BobMP, Kaplan, an not MP and alsot Parlreceive any lobbyists. Buchanan to ask that evictions of iamentary Secretary toThe thelobby Minister Native women on the Caughnawagna wasofthe high point of the weekend National Health and Welfare. reservation be halted pending resolution forAlso it presented an opportunity t on the panel was Martha Hynna of their appeals which are before the speak face-to-face withof the men aPrivy Coordinator, Status Women, courts, and that the rights of Council, and Jeha Roberts, women who have so much to do MP. wit The Native women should not be jeopardized men there on behalf ofinfluenci Munro and passing the legislation in any contemplated changes to the were placed women. in a rather diftheBasford lives of Canadian Indian Act;... ficult position for The conference wasalthough attendedthey that ... (NAC delegates and member could provide some of information women from all parts Canada it to organizations be asked) to write questions asked of them could cluding Newfoundland, B.C. they and tfletters of protest to the Minister, not answer the Ministers Yukon. was for grateful for the that and to Ian Watson, M.P., in whose Marth they to were representing. chance articulate the particul riding Caughnawagna is located... Hynna was very informative concerns of Northern women to and the appeared to be committed to the work present. Mary Two-Axe Early and several other As for the two that she isthe doing. Despite regional, class, Indian women took active part in politicians; they displayed an inethnic and political differences discussions and lobbying M.P.'s.They execusable ignorance of women's that existed among the women at t are threatened with loss of homes, issues and to make this ignorance conference, almost unanimous agre separation from families, loss of even palatable, theyall spoke ment waslass reached on almost of in rights, (and their children also lose very patronizing, sometimes theaissues. think that this wotolrights) such as to advanced education,... erent, have to besometimes stated asnot-so-tolerent the success if they marry a man who is not a Although the questioning of the manner. conference. registered Indian. As one vivacious theSaturday panel was a a frustrating experwas busy day win "Montreal older woman said: ience for all those present, workshops almost constantly in me it people can come and bury their dogs certainly a greatthe deal to bring ion, first to did determine prior in the pet cemetary on our reservation, together the anger and disappointities and then to draw up resolul cannot be buried with my own but ment ofthe theworkshops women gathered ions from chosen there. people there! the delegates according to the i5 ues they felt to be most importar The workshop attended was to dr resolutions for the following foL The Herstory project begun issues; mass consciousness-raisin I.W.Y. will go into it's 111111111 IMMO MOM ing, abortion, wage control and second phase this season with backs, and political equality. a summer work project grant. the workshop attended was typic Paula Edwards will index and of the others, as I'm sure it was complete the material,to those it is a miracle that we were able students who applied we can only to arrive at an acceptable statesay we are sorry we couldn't ment on these issues, considerinc hire all of them. the wide scope of involvement one militancy or lack of same among ENGLAND the women participating. But agr ment was reached which was a verb A Bill Battered Wives (Rights encouraging achievement. to Possession of Matrimonial Home) has received first reading in the It would English Parliament. OTTAWA Hill - A pilot project to continue BY Laurie "require the courts to make an the initiatives in the field commenc order giving the wife of a man by the IWY Secretariat in 1975,eight who has been convicted of an act consultants experienced with women's of violence against her the comgroups and community education have plete right to possession of the been hired to work in eight regions matrimonial home if she applies across the country. One of the confor such an order and for purposes sultants is Colleen Hughes in Nothconnected therewith." western Ontario. "Loserism is when oppressed -Spare Rib (English feminist do something. Well just DO Colleen Hughes can be contacted by magazine) Establishment's jobl" leaving a message at 623-5241,the SecI NAC NEWS RESOLUTIONS FOR URGENT ACTION I I I I I I I I QUOTE 14 can't I OMEN- retary of State office,or through her Ihome,358 N.Syndicate Avenue,Thunder P7C 3W5. Phone 623-3990 IrrU 1E3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy ofMIME. CVISIONMIN PDFCompressor sit around and think up reasons why they �CONVERSATION HE SAYS. SHE SAYS I USED TO LOVE TO DANCE,BUT HE DOESN'T CARE TO ANYMORE. MY WIFE CAN DO ANYTHING SHE LIKES AS LONG AS SHE DOES IT ON HER OWN TIME, C I'M SO BORED WITH MY LIFE I COULD SCREAM. 0 M M I'M JUST AS TRAPPED AS SHE IS I CANT DO EVERYTHING I'D LIKE I'M EATING TOO MUCH AND I DONT KNOW WHY. EITHER. I WANT A ROOM OF MY OWN WITH A LOCK AND KEY,I WANT TO KEEP MY DREAMS FROM BEING SMASHED. WHY DOES SHE NEED HER OWN MONEY EVERYTHING I HAVE IS HERS. U N I WANT TO STAY LOVING BUT IT'S HARD. I WANT TO STAY THE WOMANS MOVEMENT FRIGHTENS ME 'M AFRAID SHE'LL HATE ME. C I GIVE MYSELF OVER TO THE RAGE THAT IS IN ME,I'LL SMASH EVERYTHING WE HAVE BUILT TOGETHER. IF T HOW CAN I SAY THIS FRAME IS TOO SMALL TO GROW INJWITHOUT SAYING I WANT TO GROW AWAY FROM HER I 0 HARD. THE WOMANS MOVEMENT FRIGHTENS ME, THERE IS SO MUCH OF IT THAT APPLIES TO ME I DONT WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT. IF I GIVE MYSELF OVER TO THE RAGE THAT IS IN MEJI WILL SMASH EVERYTHING WE'VE BUILT TO-GETHER A LOVING BUT IT'S HOW CAN I SAY THIS FRAME IS TOO SMALL TO GROW IN WTHOUT SAYING IWANT TO GROW AWAY FROM HIM. N HOW CAN WE TELL EACH OTHER HOW WE FEEL WHEN WE ARE BOTH SO DEFENSIVE WE'LL ACCUSE EACH OTHER OF NOT CARING. I MOURN FOR MY SISTER Credit to Country Women Journal. leisurely enjoyed This morning as my second cup of coffee.I reached for the local suburban newspaper and read with horror that a 36 yr old woman had been murdered during the night. A neighbour had seen the figure of a man with a gun in did not her doorway.Even though know her personally,nor her two children,nor her estranged husband (described by the press as having no regular address or place of employment)nor her co-workers where she was employed as secretary,I wept for her. She was my sister. was overcome with rage at this violent act,a symbol of the final or ultimate sacrifice of personhood which men have historically demanded of us as a separate species: woman. has The male/female relationship probably best been characterized by the females willingness to sacrifice any or every portion of her own individual needs,goals and basic personhood.Direct confrontation was out,so she developed covert manipu. anion as a method.I consider it a frightening statistical fact,that married women make more suicide attempts and carry them out at a alarming and higher rate than single and dissapated,they either give one last sigh and surrender,or take a deep breath and come out I fighting. I I women. Some men,in there honest groping search for new roles to play,are themselves many times lost,it takes a very self assured woman to gently guide them in the relationship. It is however a fine line between guiding andteaching a person to allow himself to be free with you and yet not attempting to dominate him denying his needs,under the guise of our own liberation. have watched women friends try to please men who cannot be pleased,remembering as little girls,that pleasing their fathers and grand fathers and uncles brought them love and acceptance.The circles enclosing ,their worlds grow smaller and smaller as they try harder and harder to please until they are mere things, objects.Their life energies I personally find intimate relationships with men draining.I find myself in a ping pong cycle ,getting need from the emotional support can be strong enough to women so with men.I find myself hassle it out representing every female relationship they have experienced from mother an interaction on down;taking of with them,means taking on their garbage and accumulated myths.lt is tiring to discover that each friend ship turns out to be a CR experience for both of us I I I sapped The tension of being powerless The waiting and knowing that with each shadowy figure on a dimly lit street your very existence could be wiped out,or with luck you could only be raped,molested and beaten.The physical power,the physical meat muscle strength which is held over women from the time of small wobbling toddlers threatened with "when father gets home",or the gangs of boys on the way home from school-the pushing shoving,hair pulling,rock or snowball throwing.or the adolescent male sadistically teasing with an arm twist or a locked grip on your wrist. This constant taunting of muscle power over our bodies as we remember the the neighbour lady with the cauliflower ears from her husbands beating.The very real vulnerability of our experiences recorded in our minds and ever interfering with assertiveness in our adult day to day relationships with men. How many ways do men kill women? Killing us softly,slowly,eating away at our capabilities,our self-confidence, our dignity,self respect and self esteem;eroding our hopes and dreams the Dream Killers,the Mind Killers the Soul Killers,and the epitome of their domination,when we act out their fi nal demand and take our lives or have them taken from us. So to-day mourn my sister's death,shot in the head with a shot. gun by her former husband,and mourn the suffering that all my sisters have received at the hands of the men they have loved. I I . PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �T HE F OR NEED The rage we feel in our day to day encounters with peo,ple who lack understanding of women,the constant frustration of exploitation and belittlement,and the ever present fear of destruction ,are but a few of the problems we,as women must face. Try to imagine for a moment how all these problems would feel,given a few details of another persons life.For example,men making passes at you,that you dont recognize as a pass,because you have no idea what a pass is. Or imagine being made love the to,enjoying it with pure animal instinct we all have within us,but with none of the tenderness or care that is such a vital part of lovemaking.Or let us take it one step further7imagine yourself pregnant,imagine drs. checking you over,discussing your life,then doing something very painful to your insides,that you cannot recognize as an abortion because you dont know what an abortion is.Then you go through a post partum depression and lose control and they lock you up ,.in a room.You get over it and everything is the same,except they give you a little pink pill,and you dont know what it isbut you take it because you have sJo much faith in the people who give it to you that you would trust them with your life and sometimes you do. This gruesome imagery, is unfortunately not imagery at all its not science fiction and its had last night, not a nightmare It's all true.It happens to a very misuderstood,and completely oppressed minority of women. It happens to mentally retarded women who are misfortunate enough to be forced to live behind the walls of an institution. The glaring facts came to me quite by accident in 1973/74 was working on an indep. while endant study for the college was attending at the time. My study involved sex education for the mentally retarded. while studying,working, surveying and researching--I became quite famwomen iar with many retarded who lived in a southern Ont institution.Iwas also working within the walls of this place as a councellor.Some of the slips of the tongue,that were inadvertantlyspoken to me shocked me at first,then came astonishment I I I EDUCATION S EXUAL then devastation that we could have come so far in the movement and still be so ignorant of a particular minorit.Y.which needed our help so desperately. Sex Education is almost vital to the survival of these women but for some unknown reason,we haven't taught them what they need to know. You may be justly surprised at some of the details of my study which am about to outline,it is simply proof of our innocence on the subject. will be discussing The women are classified as "borderline intellnormal",they have igence" or dull I.Q.'s that could run anywhere from 50 to 85*,and still be in this category.For the sake of argument we will avoid discussion of the severely and profoundly retarded. will define normal as not retarded to avoid confusion since the term itself is questionable.I will go so far as to say that to the best of my knowledge"sex drives" in the M.R. are more closely linked to the mental,rather than chronological age of the person.Compared to the normal therefore,the borderline person,will usually 'exhibit less sexual be' haviour,and not more as is sometimes I I I believed. Many more retarded women are taking their place in the community as self supporting adults,Others until destined to a life of recently dependance are now viewed as capable of becoming at least partially selfsufficient.As the M.R. woman assumes a more productive role in society the more she also assumes responsib- It should be added,and am quoting a resource guide put out by the National Institute on Mental Retardation" young retardates are vulnerable and easily mislead,without careful preparation can and do fall victim to sexual seduction and exploitation". It should also be added there is no evidence of increased promiscuity among the retarded.I would also like to destroy the commonly accepted myth that aggressive sexual acts are common in the retarded,as is usually assumed) and that cases like this are extremely rare,in fact less common on the averag( than in the normal population.Such act! that do occur are usually due to a lac) of emotional control rather than malicious intent. It must also be pointed out that,t1 intellectual limitations of the mental retarded present certain difficulties in the development of sex education relevant to their needs.Generally speal they are not capable of understanding the complex biological structure of the reproductive system,nor can they anticipate the social consequence of inappropriate sexual behavior.Yet,they ml be prepared for the social roles they will assume in the future. The term sex education covers all area which hSve to do with human sexuality including our attitudes,our feelings, our behavior,and the way we relate to ourselves and others. Guilt is an emotion we must be very careful not to instill.If for example ,we slap her fingers for playing with her genitals but smile when she plays with her toes,she will be confused and may associate her genitals with I ility for her own---behavipur.-_,_maintain that this very responsibility entitles her to the same respect we receive,both sexually and emotionally,not only because we are all women,but because we are all people. It's so sad to see the abuse these women are subjected to as a result of their lower level of understanding. As our sisters, we should be helping them get the very best of treat ment,rather than the all to obvious reality ofour shortcomings. My study therefore was based on the premise that retarded women ,can and do learn;and the ability to learn varied greatly from woman to woman but,for the most part she can behave in a socially acceptable fashion in s-of-NpuM-%_4wmi But time takes care of mo embarassments,when she is old enough to go out in public,you can teach her not to masturbate,just as you teach her not to pick her nose and so on. Theses are a few of the points researct brought about through careful and determined questioning. have outlined for you here What merely involves the introduction,and first chapter of my study.If signs of interest are evident,parts of the whole study will be published by the Northern Woman Journal,I hope sufficier interest will warrent this *I.Q. levels are those of the National Institute on mental retardatic Paulah Edwards I all areas of social and sex related aspects of life.If we assume she can,and does learn,then the development of sex education programs become' a reasonable goal. I M PORT A N T NORTERN WOMAN CENTRE....622-3989 WOMEN IN NEIGHBOURHOODS..622-8187 345-5841 THE NORTERN WOMAN 622-2863 MOTHERS ON BUDCE'TS 344-2431 SMITH CLINIC Paulah Edwards came to us out of Winds( This article is only part of a study she made for her thesis.Idealistic and loving she offers herself to the further understanding of what it means to be a woman and defenceless. NUM BERS SOCIAL SERVICES....623-2711 344-3571 CRISIS INTERVENTION 623-9596 FAMILY COUNCILLING 3451972 LEGAL AID 344-1192 TELECARE 623-2711 CRISIS HOUSING HUMAN RTS. COMMISSION..475-1693 EMPLPYMENT STANDARDS...475-1691 344-3922 MUNICIPAL DAY CARE 622-2450 OR 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �1* THE NORTHERN WOMAN RETURN TO: 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay, "P" Ontario. return postage guaranteed Canada Poster Poet Canada Bulk En hombre third troisieme class classe 220 111111011111 NM TABLE OF CONTENTS Donna Shaw 4ag 627 S. High St. City P Day Care 3 Epilepsy Thunder Bay 3 Family Property Law 4 4 Kenora Visit Women & Alternatives 5 Letters 7 Cut Backs 9 Project on Widows....I0 Credit Counselling...11 12 Feminist Weekend 13 D Report N.0 National Action Cmtt 14 Mourn For My Sisterly 16 Sexual Education 71111400Ee I THIS IS YOUR LAST COPY I YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS DUE RR law womos Nom= ism mom PLEASE SUPPORT US (Six ISS1-45) 4 3 2-2 YEAR 72Q BuSI NESS OR rNST t TUrtONt NAM E GIFT want to get involved? call 345-5841 any Wed. or Friday. ADDRESS -- DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 2 No 6 Description An account of the resource Vol. 2, No. 6 (1976) Title: The Northern Woman Topics include: Alternative political institutions Critique of political authority Anti-capitalism Epilepsy Day care Thunder Bay Co-operative Nursery School Family property law Women’s treatment residence Kenora Interchange 75 – A Forum for Action on Women’s Issues International Women’s Year Tenant rights Women’s Credit Union Northern Women’s Centre Letters to the editor Poetry Art Government cutbacks to social services Research on the lives of widows Credit counselling Feminist press Feminist conference, Bolton ON Northwestern Ontario International Women’s Co-ordinating Decade Council Rape and sexual assault action group Human rights commission hearing Sex National Action Committee Mackenzie Pipeline inquiry Indian Act & sexism Indigenous rights Indigenous housing crisis Battered wives Bill (England) Grief & violence against women/femicide Sex education Authors/Contributors: Joan Packota Arend Visser Gert Beadle Wendy Peterson Laurie Hill Paulah Edwards Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1976 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2742/1976_Vol_2_No._5_CV01.pdf 22853e8946c20bfdc126469b20628aa1 PDF Text Text PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EDITORIAL 41010:411:1/01/0.7.sar...16.S.17_4401r My heartfelt thanks to my sisters from the Northern Woman's centre who were so supportive and helpful during my recent surgery.Also to friends and neighbours and sisters who sent gifts and flowers and cards. Your kindness will always be remembered. In sisterhood ari love I ,W,Y, WHAT IF THE DRUM THAT BEAT THE OLD YEAR IN AND OUT WAS HOLLOW WE DANCED, Noreen Lavoie. WHAT IF. WE KNEW THE PEOPLE V11-10 MADE THE DRUM AND CALLED THE SHOTS WERE LAUGHING, TO HELL WITH THEM WERE DANCING, FOR WE WILL MAKE OUR OWN DRUM AND BEAT IT TOO, WELL WRITE THE MUSIC AND THE WORDS AND KEEP ON MOVING, STEP -STEP SHUFFLE -WHIRL AND HUSTLE, PRAYER Deliver me from sure things they are so obviously rote, footprints hardened in cement, open privy doors for one intent and little goals established by the ant. Deliver me from what know is there,the plodding plotted life,the cushion in the snare. Direct me to the danger of the leap, one flight on faith alone before sleep out where the dice is tossed the caged bird sings, want to see the colour of her wings. I EDITORIAL POLICY he newsletter group,a Separate yet supportve group of toe Northern Woman's Centre, eflects the complexity of the makeup of the orthern Women's centre as a whole. Being a smaller,unified group,the editrial board of the Northern Woman will attempt hrough collective,creative and thought prooking comments,to respond to,and express through concensus of opinion) their reactions o, various articles, letters and timely topics f interest. Through such a policy it is hoped that IE NORTHERN WOMAN will become a tool for Amen to develop an increased understanding of ieir situation and forces affecting their I I Ives. THE LEGAL SANCTION OF RAPE The Criminal Code of Canada lists a crime called rape. Perhaps the fact that it is disguised as a "sexual offence"(which only happen to "immoral" people) is what enables the court system to ignore it. Ignore actually isn't the right word. The court sy tem seems determined to prevent successful prosecution of rapists. Eventually then, it may be hope4. a woman will no longer have the audacity to demand that a criminal who has assaulted her sex organs, attempted to demean and exploit her, and who presents a constant threat to theviecurity of the community,Be brought to justice. It would be too blatant for the system to simply request that the crime be eliminated from the criminal code. Some people might then take So the notice and object. process must be one of removing the crime by preventing juries from convicting rapists. have just How is this done? come to the end of a year of watching the process unfold. The particulars could vary I Send this coupon to your local MP. THE NORTHERN WOMENS CENTRE. The Northern Womens Centre, whose function has always been to encourage womens' groups to participate, now extends an invi tation to any womens groups in Northwestern Ontario to use the premises for their own meetings. All bookings can be made through: June Cryderman, Nothern Womens Centre, 120 Amelia St., West, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Phone;622-3989 (Tues.& Fri.) (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) BELIEVE THAT RAPE CRISIS CENTRES PERFORM I A VALUABLE SERVICE WHICH IS DESERVING OF THE ISSUE OF PERMANENT GOVERNSUPPORT. MENT FUNDING OF SUCH CENTRES SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION AND ACTION. NAME ADDRESS MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT depending on the specific biases of judges and the skill and fluency of defense lawyers but the following examples give a good picture. 1) Since rape is not such a serious crime anyway(?) rapists are generally not held in After all, no man custody. should have his liberty restricted just because he took away the liberty ofsomeone When court assizes are else. held prisoners in custody are This can result tried first. in there being no time left to hold the rapist's trial. So time goes on, memories become less clear, the victim is left in a state of trauma, and finally if schedules work out the rapist is tried some six, eight, or twelve months after the crime was co!-mitted. By then, the system may think, who cares anyway. OVER PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CONTINUED FROM EDITORIAL PAGE (the rapist) lost control and A broken leg slapped her. could be explained similarly, no doubt, by the rapist saying I "she stormed out of the room didn't want to said after see her again and fell down The rapist needs the steps". only to get someone to claim that his own injuries predated the time of the rape. The credibility of such a witness in terms of his or her vested interest in the rapist isn't questI 'WomeN3 WANt to 6e, Rfire_t)." I ioned. 2)There are rules governing admission of evidence in rape trials which apply to no other case of criminal assault. One of these is the ease by which testimony regarding the complaint itself may be excluded. If a rape victim reacts in a normally terrified manner after gaining freedom from a rapist and reflects on the possibility of retaliation for reporting him, on the horror stories she's heard about the treatment of rape victims,and attempts to seek advice from trusted people she will find that in court a jydgement will be rendered that she did not make a complaint at the first "reasonable" opportunity., No consideration apparently is given tothe unreasondble state of mind hnmediately after the crime. The result-a jury suddenly realizes that they are spending days determining a case in which theyy crime 've never heard that was reported. 3) Because, as a judge recently stated it,"the previous experience of the law" indicates that rape is a charge too readily made by a "girl" on the basis of fantasy, jealousy, or spite,jurors are cautioned that it is "dangerous" to convict a man unless there is corroborative(supporting) evidence to the victim's testimony. Barring the existence of an eyewitness to the crime this usually means evidence of physical injury. This is not reasonable considering that rape is a form of assault which does not necessarily leave physical signs, particularly if the rapist admits to intercourse (with consent,of course). If a woman has been verbally threatened into submitting to the rapist there will be no physical injury. Why is rape victims who must it only permit further injury and possible death in order to prove a crime? Because, society says any woman should prefer death to forcible intercourse. It is especially critical to note that even when both the victim and the rapist have incurred injuries these are not considered corroborative if the rapist makes up any semi-plausible reason for them. For example, the victims face and head are bruised because "she (the victim) insperformance and ulted my sexual 4) As in any trial the judge is responsible for giving instructions to the jury. This involves an explanation of the law and of the factors which must be present in order to convict the accused. The judge also reviews the testimony presented, points out what evidence could be considered corroborative, and comments on what s/he considers to be important testimony and what questions or issues the jury want to pay particular attention to. It is here that the judge shows either the informed objectivity or the judgmental bias which s/he brings to such a highly If a judge esteemed position. personally holds false and biased assumptions about rape and about women who are raped and allows it to show in the review of testimony and in the other comments the judge can easily negate the jury system. Jurors in criminal trials are called upon to make a kind of decision which is unfamiliar to them, which is most difficult and often complex. When a person has to make this type of decision the perceived opinion of a "legitimate authority" (the judge) becomes all the more The most abvious, of course, is that a woman's "character" has some important bearing in whether it is permissable to rape her. For trial purposes this is disguised a bit by making a woman's "character" ortant in determining her "cre ibility (whether she is to be believed). Poor character can be defined as a woman who part cipates in social functions wi men, likes to have a good time socially and enjoys mutually agreeable sexual experiences. The logic of how this relates to a person's ability to tell the truth totally escapes me. The obvous indicator of credibility is whether a person ha a history of making false statements about people or events This, of course, is not relevant in rape trials. What is really being said is that a woman enjoys screwing then no man should get in trouble just for giving one when "she' didn't want it. The time and place is his perogative. The judges and defense lawyers i i just say this in fancier language. Most of the time in a rape trial is spent in examining whether this myth of "poor character" applies to the case at hand-out in examining the circumstances and events of the assaut. Because, if the first is true, the second is irrelevant. Another important myth is that "girls" think the best way to get back at a man who has offended them is to say-RAPE. Leal not be absurd: With the pubicity rape has had it is too incredible to believe that mos women don't know at least something about the way such influential. a charge is handled. Any othe When a judge says that a jury means would be more effective should consider as"important" in "getting back" at a man tha testimony the fact that a woman charging him with rape. accepted a dinner invitation Why does it happen? First becwith a man knowing that it would ause a deviant male has a larg be at his home, that she had population of people who (becsexual intercourse with a man ause of physique or cultural (the one who was later to rape conditioning) he can either ve her) knowing what she was doing, bally or physically threaten and tells them that "it would be into submitting to some demand very important to consider whether from him. Second because there is some action with a history this conduct is consistent with of social significance which a someone who would later not conmale can perform upon a female sent 'the judge's opinion is e even when she is fearful, nonquite clear. The jury can then responsive, or unconscious. acquit the rapist and having This action is one which socie delivered the verdict, be congsays is fine for him but immor ratulated by the judge for reachfor her. It's the perfect set would have ing "the verdict up. The deviant male can do hi: reached". The jury then can go criminal power trip(get the home satisfied that they read person to submit to him) and tl the judge's opinion correctly. perform an action upon the vic If a personpresumably chosen which "taints" her so that his assault becomes just a sex crir for a high level of integrity 171177Tonly happens to immoral is allowed to display such ignpeople). And the law hasn't orant and irresponsible behastrongvior without censure either the time or patience ly confirms the legal system's to protect "immoral" people. view of rape. So with such effective obstacles to conviction firmly imbThis is-an article based on my edded in law rapists are free personal experience about how th to continue testing their abilegal system sanctions the crimi lity to control other people. assault of rape. There is a long, long list of absurd myths and assumptions 134 BARq C 0 asl surrounding the crime of rape. want to deal with just a few. I i I PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �F A MI LY PROPERTY LAW 1. HUSBAND holds title and has made all payments,the house is his.At divorce,the house is his.At death, the house becomes part of his estate to be divided among his heirs as stated in his will or as stated by theDevolution of estates act if he has no will. 2.WIFE holds title,either through her purchase of the property or as a gift, the house is hers.At divorce,it is hers. At death it becomes part of her estate. WHAT PART IS YOURS? ONTARIO FAMILY PROPERTY LAW. What property do you share in your marriage? How do you share property? When do you share property? Do you want to share property? Who will decide--a judge or you? THINK NOW! Before and after marriage,husbands and wives purchase and acquire propertynot just real estate( buildings and parcels of land) but savings in a bank account ,furnishings for a home or apartment,electrical equipment,car, skidoo,boat and trailer,Canada savings bonds. Many people believe that property is shared as a result of marriage.Sharing to them implies 50-50 ownership unfortunately it is not so! In Ontario we have family property laws that create for and impose upon married persons a system of rights,liabilities,obligations and legal disqualifications in relation to property. Family property laws are under provincial jurisdiction and they differ from province to province. Ontario's system is entitled separation of property.Under separation of property rules,each spouse may act dependently of the other in acquiring, holding and disposing of property. Sectionl.(1) of bill 75 passed on July 10/75 states " For all purposes of the law of Ontario,a married man has a legal personality that is independant,separate and distinct from that of his wife and a married woman has a legal personality that is independant,separate and distinct from that of her husband". In the majority of marriages the entitlement to(ownership of) and the management of most of the money and property acquired during marriage is the husbands responsibility.Frequently title is pla ced in the husbands name only.lf the marriage breaks down,the assets that the couple gained during marriage are not shared.For example,the husband gets the the assets(property) and the wife appeals to the court for support and maintenance. Ownership of real and personal property is,basically determined by(who paid for it) and (who holds title) Eonsider the owner ship of the family home. 3. HUSBAND AND WIFE hold title in joint tenancy,the house is owned in equal shares by the husband and wife.At divorce,the monetary value of the house is shared equally. At death,the house becomes the property of the surviving spouse.The deceased's share is not included in his or her estate. 4.HUSBAND AND WIFE hold title in tenancy in common, the husband owns the percent age that he paid and the wife,the percentage that she contributed.For example60% paid for and owned by the husband and 40 % paid for and owned by the wife. At divorce the spouses receive their percentage value share according to their percentage contribution. At death,the surviving spouse receives his or hers percentage value share and the deceased's share becomes part of his(hers) estate. 5. ONE SPOUSE purchases the house and puts title in the other spouse's name it is presumed the spouse intended to make a gift of full ownership to the other, therefore,the recipient-spouse will be considered owner of the house( see Bill 75 -1.(3) (d)-July 10/75). 6. In common law relatioships(de facto marriage) if the title of the home is in one of the partners names,the house is entirely his(hers). Title can also be taken in joint tenancy and in tenancy in common. If A woman wishes to share the owner ship of her home,with her husband,then title of the home must be taken in joint tenancy or,in some situations,tenancy in common. Bill 75 1. (3) (D) (I) "The fact that property is placed or taken in the name of a husband or wife as joint tenants shall be prima facie proof that a joint tenancy of the beneficial interest in the property is intended". ;OWNERSHIP OF OTHER PROPERTY NEXT ISSUE AND HOW WIVES CAN SHARE MORE FULLY IN THE ASSETS OF THEIR MARRIAGE. JOAN PACKOTA, UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S THUNDER BAY. CLUB OF . THE BOOKSHOP Thunder Bay Bookshop Co -op Inc. 182 South Algoma Street Thunder Bay, Ontario REMINDER TO SISTERS: We will be setting up a booth again at the Flea Market,(May 15th) at the Fort William Gardens. Donations of baking, white elephant,plants,etc. Whatever you have,please bring to 120 IA) Amelia Street,(leave in porch) or phone 622-3989 forpick-up before the New titles at the Bookshop, of special interest to women; 1)The New Women's Resource Book-$5.75 -a '_.'whole earth catalogue" for feminists 2)Shoulder to Shoulder - $9.95 -a history of the suffragettes based on the B.B.C. television series. 3)The Thee Marias - $2.25 -originally banned in Portugal 4)A Book of Men - $5.95 -personal views of "the male experience" 15th. 5)What Have Women Done? - $2.00 -photo essay on working women in the United States We have the best selection of women writers: Lessing, Atwood, Nin, Laurence, Colette, Plath, Munroe etc. The Rape Crisis Centre will begin meeting again. Watch for further information. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I AM A LESBIAN CDEIr*11.1El'UFAS0 Sometime ago wrote a letter to The Northern Woman,some readers may remember it.lt was signed (anonymously) with "a lesbian sister".That letter was one of anger and frustration,at my situation,at some individuals.That anger emerged, in a misdirected way,by my obvious lashing out at Womans centre and the newsletter. Now over a year later.1 would like to add the second part of that letter. My purpose is three fold. want to apologize for the accusations made in that first letter and for any pain caused by the things said. want to come out andidentify myself,as couldn't do then want to talk about being a lesbian,because sharing our experiences and talking about our lives is one of our greatest sources of strengh,as Women I I I I I I lesbian or straight. wasn't born a lesbian,no woman is.I was involved in many relationshipswith men,some good some not so good.I have two child ren.I chose to be a lesbian over a year ago,around the time that first painful] letter was written up to that time my life was almost schizophrenic,I worked with women and loved them; all my positive energy went to and came from my relationships with women.I had other needs,love needs (sexual) sensual that weren't being met in those relatioships so slept wit-h,'Men.SOme of my exp eriences with men were good and positive but still felt a little uneasy,try as hard as could and as sensitive as the man may have been therewas a power imbalance that made it a struggle, for both the man and myself. then found myself wanting to express my love for a woman friend in sexual ways.This confused and frightened me but followed through on my feelings and began to discover a part of myself that had been very repressed,my own sexuality. For a time contiued relationships with men but found them to be too draining,again that imbalance of power. was quite happy then to have come to terms with my sexuality.I didn't realize,though,that feeling good about it was not enough.I was so high about my decision,I would blunder up to people with"guess what am,isn't it great",naturally it didn't evoke the kind of response was looking for. I I I I I 11 gh to break you.Apart from the occasional house-party, it was the only place to go to meet lesbians.Many of whom if they dont feel they are sick spend a lot of time lying and playing roles they dont want any part of. For a while was very self righteous,feeling superior because somehow felt was above that-I had figured it all out and wasn't afraid.I didn't want to associate with the bar dykes. Then came face to face with their oppression,which was now my oppression,also. fell in love with a woman. was high living with my lover and feeling good.I reached out to hug her in a public place and she pulled away frightened,I spoke to a college class about lesbianism; after,' touched a woman on the arm to get her attention and she jumped as though burned. These are the little incidents,all pointing out the very real situations that face the lesbian.The strengthswe find to-gether provides the balance. won't ever go back into the closet and as look at mylesbian friends more are coming out and feeling strong,we are starting to come to-gether as friends to unite with all oppressed people to fight this system that keeps us all down. I I I I I I I MALLORY NUEMAN The article titled,The image of women as object of agression by Lois Hayweiser Ph.D. must be credited to ,Newfoundland Status of women Council.We regret the oversight.It appeared in our last journal. I I I was surprised to see this issue since sometime ago wrote a long letter questioning the logic of your stand on abortion while at the same time claiming to be all for children. The reason was surprised to see this issue is that in this letter enclosed $2 in cash for a subscription, a foolish gesture for realize somebody got their sticky fingers on it, I-hope whoever it was didn't use it for a down payment on murdering a child. can't prove sent the $2 and have changed my mind about wanting the subscription, but since in the issue (Vol. 2, Issue 4) there is a reference to a Thunder Bolt that think must have referred to my letter, would like to see it. Anyway, I I I I I I I Feb.25/76 Dear friends, Enclosed find $9 for three subscriptions.Your journal is encouraging and supportive,it gives me a feeling of to-gethenness,I'm isolated here in the way of communication with other women so it's very good to hear your voice. thanks again, Betty Dondertman Emo Ontario. really did send that $2, and think you owe me the benefit of the doubt enough to send me that one issue. Consider it a If you don't challenge perhaps. have any extras you could write or type out that one item, my motive in requesting it is simpl curiousity, in any case send me no more copies. You have made it very clear the kind of reader you want, and I'm not she. You see really do believe in freedom of the press, to be born, to live my life in the way that is right for me and really do want every man, woman and child to have that freedom, you do not. You would kill and have things your way, would not. So be at peace, if you ever get get in my way will not use violence against you, you have the right to exist no matter how feel about you, you always did, from the moment of conception. My not wanting you around can't take away that right and never could. Your mother not wanting I I I I Mar,11/76 I I I I I I just pui-chased a copy of The Northern Woman, not having seen one around for awhile. looked through it, and my stomach is in quite a shock. How dare you speak (or claim to speak since you actually do not) for all women? Oh! well freedom of the press, suppose you'd say. I I wanted to explore my chosen lifestyle and it had to be with people like myself. What found was nothing to be "gay" about.I discovered the oppression of lesbians,which was stronger than the oppression of women as a whole. discovered women who were really afraid of losing their jobs,their kids, their families and their friends. The reality of lesbianism is something wasn't prepared for. Social life consists of a bar where the manager does his best to remind you that you are a queer and then charges you enou- I I I I Dear Friends, Enclosed find money for subs, for both myself and my sister in Dryden.Your journal is a real treasure to us young wives in the country,I hope you get the support you need and deserve for look forward to seeing you grow and continue to give us news on what women are doing all over the world. Beverly Sisco, Fort Frances Ont. I I I Mar,12/76 Dear Friends, just received a copy of The Northern Woman Journal and would like to add my name to your subscription list. Enclosed is a cheque for my subscription and a gift sub,1 wish to send to Linda Brown. Your, paper is something more women should read, Thanks for working so hard. Bonnie Hill. I I I I Continued on page t5 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �news frl ash Letters you could not deprive you of that right, she could have destroyed you but she would have been violating your rights as a person and as a woman, there never was a time you didn't have the right to live and you still have, even if you use your life to advocate destruction, to spew hate instead of love, to libel me as a woman, to press for the ultimate in rape, the ultimate in child battering, for abortion as a means of attaining your rights, and you will never have that right, no matter what you can get the government to say. No man (human or body of humans) can ever justify the killing of one human being. Now doubt you are still with me, but if yes, how about that Thunder Bolt. don't really think you will but no harm in asking. I I Glad not to be your sister, Ann Garret We believe the fact that there was a mail strike at the time of mailing for our last issue may be connected with its disappearance. The Thunder Bolt had nothing to do with abortion, and we are happy to forward it to you together with the cash you feel you have misspent. We believe there are many issues on which we agree. We should join forces on these, and not let this one issue divide us irrevocably. There should be no name calling among women who have so much to gain in sisterhood. You are still our sister. You have no choice, nor have we. The Editors REFLECTIONS At the heart of the Women's Movement--at least in the beginning--was a dissatisfaction with lack of opportunity. This lack derived from the inequality between the sexes. From that philosophical foundation--i.e. a quest for greater equality, the Women's Movement has proceeded to its present stage of development, at which time two important comments can be made about it: firstly, many women-and many men--feel that the Women's Movement has "arrived". Witness the cigarette commercial: "You've come a long way babyl" The fact of the matter is that the Women's Movement is still in its infancy. A recent study of high, school girls in Winnipeg indicates a total lack of consciousness and awareness of the changing roles of women. Secondly, the philosophical foundations of the Women's Movement have been completely forgotten- if in fact they were ever really comprehended by most women. The idea of equality, whith nurtured the original "Women's Liberationists" is now almost forgotten by the sole beneficiaries of the Movement to date--that is, white middle class women who now have a somewhat greater opportunity to do what the men have long done. These women, by and large, have forgotten that the soul of the Movement was the quest for equality--and that quest cannot be restricted to white middle class women. Large numbers of the officially recognized poor of this country are women- what is the Movement doing for them? At least half of the native people of Canada are women--what has the Movement done for them? Why has the Movement never realized that the quest for greater equality and dignity and justice for women in our North American society is only a part of a larger quest --for equality, dignity and justice--which must be waged for the very large minority of Canadians who do not share in the 'goodies' of our society, who do not have the opportunities which are rightfully theirs. The goal therefore is not to get more women in the board room--rather the goal is to get more women in the positions of power and have them The do different things. point of the Women's Movement is to remove the oppressor--oppressed relationship. It is NOT to substitute one The oppressor for another. woman who gains entry to the 'board room' and then perpetuates the policies of her male predecessors is not doing anything to solve the problems about which the originators of the Movement If in fact complained. we are satisfied with having women play the same games that men have always played, perpetuating the same kinds of injustices which so recently saw us as victims, then the whole Movement has missed the point and honest women must abandon it. The Women's Movement must align itself with other movements of the oppressed: where was the voice of the Women's Movement last summer when Kenora area Indians occupied Anicinabe Park? Do they not suffer the same oppression as we? Where is the voice of the Women's Movement on the whole question of poverty? Do we not feel that the fact that from 4 to 1/3 of Canada's population lives below the poverty line is injustice and inequality? And is it not injustice and inequality against which we fight? Do they not suffer from the same oppression as we? Let me just briefly summarize the two main points that am emphasizing here today. First, consider slogans like "You've come a long way baby", a patronizing insult as well as an inaccuracy. We have made some good progress, it's true, but let us not be duped into complaccency by the slick slogans of the advertising industry. We still hav a lot further to go. And second, as we continue along the path that we have started, let us not, those of us who have benefitted from the changes brought about thus far, lose sight of the original driving force behind the Women's Movement, that is, the search for justice and equality; and let us keep in mind that if women are deserving of justice and equality so are all others in our society who presently I I feel The 2468th (Special) Session of the General Assembly of the Sovereign Republic of Amnesia. Wondering what all this fuss is about the Status of Women; Recalling that the status of women was established firmly and irrevocably 6,000 years ago when the Secretary General of the Universe as an afterthought manufactured Eve out left rib of Adam thus of the giving women a sinister (Latin sinistra) secondary role on the precendence table; Snickering at the presumpand tion that a creature fashioned from a dispensable single bone of a man could be any. stretch of the imagination be considered equal to him; Hooting uproariously at the selection of Latin America, the centre of Machismo as the venue for the International Women's Year Conference; Scoffing at the notion that women should participate in decision-making except in trivial matters such as where the fam- ily should live, what food they should eat, what furniture they should have in the home, what school the kids should attend, what clothes they should wear, and what religion they should follow; Insisting on the other hand that important decisions such as whether the Amnesian Libera- tion Organization (ALO) member of the United Nations, are the special should be a prerogative of men; Determined to see that such vexatious irrelevancies are broughtto a halt forthwith; Nations to proclaim every year from 1976 International- Man's= Year in Order to restore the status established ante quo; Reaffirms the ancient law that all men are born equal and all women are born unequal; Resolves to request the Secretary General of the Uni- verse to let men go on messing up the Earth as they have been doing since the beginning of creation.Taken from the New Internationalist ....August 1975 its lack. by Leslie Silver Credited to the Winnipeg Women's Liberation Newsletter; Page 14. Rape Study Although there is much concern and discussion about rape these days, very little is actually know in terms of what the experience means to the woman herself. We are now beginning a study on the social and psychological effects of rape on women. For this study, rape means any act of sexual intercourse you are made to commit against your will whether it be by your husband, neighbour or a stranger. The results of this study will be used to help women who have been raped. Because everyone's experience is unique, we need to talk with and receive information from as many women as possible. Great care will be taken to guarantee that the name of the participants are confidential. If you have ever been raped and would be willing to fill out a questionnaire or be interviewed, please write to me at the address below or call (519) - 742-6745. Betsy Spaulding, c/o Psych. Dept., University'of Guelph, Guelph Ont. Jan. 29,.1976. CP PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �. . and just when think I my energy has run out- - that they've at last succeeded in bringing me to my knees, they've finally pushed their MISDIRECTED FRG ever important male egos I E deep into me, Right now Right now, I am angry. I like some half-hearted rape attempt, am. I run into beauty itself. The insult came, coupled oddly enough (or perhaps not odd at all) with the injury- - she comes to me in the shape of a friend the knowledge that my energies are being so misspent a sister. in anger . . . . and Misdirected energies. I We all fall victim to this ploy, to this, our REAL enemy. I regain my determination realize once again that my quest for freedom, my woman's movement will never With all the love our bodies house, die. our dreams will be realized. and they can't grind me down again. One day (alas). Paulah Edwards Of this, I'm sure . . Now just wish could do something with all my anger! I I To my first love wish could re-route it. it out in clouds of love. and hope, and confidence I Hey sister! look at me know you.I know how you feel, how you love I Send . . I . me know you so well because you are me Let it seep into you and help you make it through all the fights Aall the worries all I the pain. passed a tall stranger On the ancient stone bridge one night No fear evoked my spirits Though lacking secureness of much I But can not. I Angry as am, realize how futile how time-consuming this emotion is. I I And (perish the thought!) wish could retaliate against all those people responsible! light. I I I Dressed in black, his coat The wind did not flutter His features saw not And no sound did he utter. I But with that thought comes a new consciousness a new peace. watched him closely, my shadow and But he gazed down-The turbulant water, smashing against its banks A forbidding sound. I I The reality of my L 0 V E for those who try so hard to destroy that part of me, that threatens them-- andyou'reexciting and'beautiful and strong. Yet you choose not to be, you choose to let your strength be drained, you choose to let the man tell you not to b what you want to be. know he's good and kind and gentle, but you look at me with sad eyes and say ,I have to try to work it out, while you end the way of life you love to live the way of life he lives to become the kind of wife he loves and try to give your space to him and abandon all your dreams to him, while you look so tired and worn and sad. Hey Sister! look at me love you,I love what you feel, know your strengh,the woman you are, know you so well and I'm waiting for you. I I rhe knowing I that they see me through different eyes and feel through different hearts, and no one is right .and no one is wrong. Vld right now I'm peaceful end right now, I am. -Paulah Edwards journeyed on But afterthoughts did return. For what did that soul want? What feeling in his heart did burn. I Mall ory saw him not again But remember well that night. Something of him haunted me still Which had to put to right. I I It was a night like the past When realized with a shudder What troubled my sight and mind Of thoughts it could not utter. What had, he had not How his head, bowed as if standing on a gallow For he was indeed condemned For only the dead have no shadow! I I Doreen PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �where do we go ? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? The Weekend of March 5th, 6th and 7th was reserved for the "Where do we go from Here" Seminar at Confederation Friday night's guest College. speaker, Ruth Cunningham assessed the previous year's work (of Internation Women's Year) and set the tone of good hard thinking and commitment for the following two Workshops: 1. The morning session consisted of a panel discussion. The panel members, Liz Jobbitt, Marlene Pierre, Ruth Cunningham and Mary Gusella, were willing to put aside their differences and work together to further the position of ALL women today. The afternoon session From consisted of workshops. these workshops, the resolutions that follow, came out and were brought forth on the Sunday morning session. The resolutions follow. The body that met on Sunday morning chaired by Joan Pechota, decided that it was necessary to maintain a standing body of women to act as a committee to carry out any previous outstanding work of the,-council as well as to carry out the resolutions brought out during the weekend. Entertainment was provided on Friday night by the Oras Choir and on Saturday evening by the Kaiku Choir, Kate Parkarri, Gert Beadle, Marg Lanchok and The Mandolin Orchestra of the Association of United Ukrainians. Mary Kardash of the Manitoba Action Committee was the guest speaker for Saturday Craft night's session. displays and art displays were set up by local women's It was a very eventgroups. ful and extremely profitable weekend for all who attended. After all that talk though we need ten years of persistent action to follow-up on all that was discussed. WE RECOMMEND THAT A BODY OF WOMEN BE FORMED TO CARRY OUT THE WORK OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR COUNCIL, AND THAT THIS BODY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR CAMPAIGNING AROUND THE ISSUE OF EQUAL PAY AS OUTLINED IN THIS RESOLUTION. 2. a task force, possibly a sub-committee of a body elected today, to undertake an intensive study of the present economic situation (A.I.B., and Henderson Report), and how it affects women in Northwestern Ontario, with particular emphasis being given to key areas where women can be organized. Native Women WHEREAS, in light of social, economic and political climate of Canadian society, the issues facing native women have not been given the recognition and discussion so desired, and, WHEREAS, there has evolved a number of crucial issues identified and voiced by native women, especially in Northwestern Ontario region, i.e., - the access of Indian women to the work force and training programs, etc. THEREFORE, Be It Resolved that this assembly support and ratify that native women be appointed to the Ontario Status of Women Council to ensure the participation of native women in all aspects of Canadian society. Canada. 2) 3) THIS BRIEF REVIEW OF ACTION both in Canada and on a world scale, shows a notable advance in the struggle for women's equality. 1975 laid a solid foundation as the opening year for a Decade for Women - 1975-85 - proclaimed by the United Nations. This will form an integral part of the forces fighting against imperialism, for national liberation struggles, and the advance of the forces for world peace and socialism. Equal Pay for Substantially the same Work WHEREAS, the present economic crisis is having a brutal effect on the living standards of Canadian women; those who are the hardest hit by unemployment and low paying jobs and, WHEREAS, the possibility for equal pay has been set back by the economic control program, thus freezing women in their inequality, be it resolved that if women's rights and equality are to be guaranteed -the fight for equal pay and the fight to organize the unorganized in those areas where women are concentrated must be stepped up through such means as: an education program 1) to raise the awareness of organized and unorganized labour about the importance of the fight for equal pay and the role organized labour has Furtherin the fight. more, that a suggested list of references be compiled for use in the school system by teachers to make students more aware of the history of the Labour Movement in days. continuing to pressure the government to put into force the U.N. declaration on the elimination of discrimination against women. Be it further resolved that this resolution be sent to all the trade unions in Northwestern Ontario. 4) INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? MARCH 5,6,g 7 CONFERENCE a concerted effort to contact all unions in Northwestern Ontario, and to make them aware of the Working Woman's Conference and strongly encourage them to send Following delegates. this conference, massive programs should be launched (preferably by union organizations and councils) to provide leadership training for women, especially in the area of organizing and collective bargaining. 4c * 3. Family Property Law It Resolved that through the educational process, all the women of this province become aware of the present property laws, and how these laws can be applied to their individual situations. That through this awareness, women can strengthen their economic position and then establish their own identity. BE It Resolved also that with this knowledge and identity, women can then contemplate and fight for legal reforms that will further their position and goals towards equal rights and greater security for the family and home. Be 4. Government Cutbacks in Social Services WHEREAS the financial restraints imposed by the Provincial Government on social services are unacceptable and will create intolerable hardship Continued on page 9 PDF 8 compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �and misery for the disadvantaged and powerless members of our society, and WHEREAS, the short term financial savings will result in long-term and accumulative human suffer-' ing, and WHEREAS we, the women of the Northwestern Ontario Women's Conference, are incensed at the meagre amount of monies set aside in the provincial budget for social services, we strongly object to the 5.5% ceiling on increases in this already appallingly small allocatThe disadion of funds. vantaged and powerless members of our society, the great majority of whom are women and children, are being asked to lie down in a province where they have been guaranteed "a place to stand". Therefore, Be It Resolved that we urge the Government of the Province of Ontario to re-examine its priorities in relation We to social services. strongly urge that the allotment for social services, at the very least, cover the increased cost of existing services. These measures are necessary-to provide the continuance of progressive and humane human services in the wealthiest province of Canada. WHEREAS, we are concerned that provincial restraints may restrict the continued development of progressive social services in this community, we wish to advise the City of Thunder Bay that we have protested the provincial decision to place a 5.5% ceiling on increases in the social We encourservice budget. age the City to ensure that its existing social service programs are continued and we urge the City to make strong representation for adequate provincial funding support. WHEREAS, it is the right of all Canadians to have sufficient income to live in dignity, and, WHEREAS, the present social assistance system is fragmented, inefficient and discriminatory, and perpetuates the stigma of welfare, THEREFORE Be It Resolved that we urge the Ontario Government to vigorously pursue negotiations with the Government of Canada to ensure the early implementation of a universal, guaranteed, annual, adequate income security system. 5. Women in Distress A - Rape: WHEREAS, rape and assault is a concern of everyone, and, WHEREAS, all women of all ages are vulnerable, and, WHEREAS, the public holds many misconceptions about ing, as vehicles for reaching women working in the rape, and, home. WHEREAS, women who have been assaulted need legal and emotional help, Be It Resolved that, An adequately-funded public awareness program be instituted which would WHEREAS, we feel women working in the home have been an untapped human resource, and, WHEREAS, women working in their own homes can be an influence on legislative bodies, and, WHEREAS, we are concerned that this untapped human resource be informed and activiated, we THEREFORE Resolve that a resource body be formed to provide information and direction to women who are concerned about women's issues and who want to participate in positive action. include: 1) a public seminar to be held on the topic of rape at Confederation 2) an ongoing education program, beginning at an early age, which would include the de-mythizing of rape and the elimination of stereotypes which portray women as passive and dependent ob- College. More jects. 3) programs which examine the concept that power is acquired through conquest and humilia- 4) an awareness of the role of the media violence (both overt and subtle) with women as tion. victims. an emphasis on selfdefence courses for women which should be available both for school children and adults, and Be It Further Resolved: that this conference and its individual delegates support in all ways possible the necessity to reactivate the rape crisis organization, on a permanently funded and staffed basis in order to provide immediate help to assaulted women, and legal and emotional counselling, not only to help the individual, but to aid women to prosecute. Be It Resolved that we seek to enlarge the body of the present Citizen's Committee on Crisis Hous5) ing. Be It Further Resolved that we continue to lobby in a public way for the City to implement the original concept of a haven for beaten women and; if failing in our efforts, that we seek public support, to establish a true, independent Crisis House. 6. What Can We Do From Within Our Own Homes? WHEREAS, we are concerned with raising the consciousness of women working in their own homes concerning women's issues, we resolve that we support the existing women's groups, such as Y Neighbours, Confederation College Women's Programs and Women's Centre, to ensure that these groups continue to expand and provide leadership train- Dear Lesbian Sister. Poem to my first love-somehow the person seemed very familiar. In fact so familiar that she feels,must/needs and wants to respond to it.Why does she struggle daily to find a man who is both deserving and open to receive the incredible amount of love that she has stored up inside?Why does she continue to settle for less?.Maybe she doesn't believe there is any more.She convinces herself dailybe your find your own life own person.... trying to fake a calmness when there is turmoil inside.Maybe she is asking too much from men,maybe her love needs are neurotic and maybe...just maybe.,. she needs to see a shrink..help me doctor! Why do men run from too intense to be my love? am normal?Why so afraid of their silences.. What's he thinking when leave? Does he want me to stay? Why can't she be honest with them, God knows she often tries to convince herself that she is--but she knows her lies--she lives with them daily.But she is still trying-giving and receiving love in small hand-outs..be patient- dont hurry so,it will happen. So she continues to wait....God she hates waiting.Maybe this time-go slowly,hc by hour- day by day,try to trust him..he's a friend,he's different from other men--she tries so hard to believe it....so damn hard. She's a good woman,not bad to look at,a growing person,intellig ent,sensitive and loving,strong in so many ways. She will try one more time,slowly hour by hour,day by day and when it ends,when he tells her"maybe we shot cool it for a while" you'll be there just like always,to listen and suppc and tell her what a damn fool she think isYou'reprobably right but I'll try it onemore time. I I I ESTELLE FREIDLANDER. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Berlin ( Vaired are the possibilities In which we women command. women's and youth organizations, in trades unions, in parliamentary bodies and local government, in religious, social and ., 11:1411 11411 (111 till C111.11411 (111° Ell %Ilc=lesiltdOlfqicicne:: 4mmemommmmammor Ammmadb Disarmament, not We state: armament--more money for the legitimate rights of women. We condemn the arms monopolies who seek higher profits. APPEAL TO THE WOMEN OF THE WORLD We denounce the forces of militarism who oppose peace in order to profit from war. We have come from all continDEVELOPMENT--this word embraces ents to Berlin, the capital of for us women's contribution the German Democratic Republic, to social life, to the political to attend the World Congress for and economic independence of their International Women's Year. country, to democratic transformEquality - development-peace; ation and to social progress. this theme has brought us together. Every second woman lives in In this spirit, we direct this a country which has only recently appeal to the women of the world. broken free from the grim Humanity is how entering the shackles of colonial exploitlast quarter of the 20th century. ation and oppression. It is a time of unparalleled Development means We state: changes in all spheres of life. doing everything necessary to We are witnessing the fact that overcome the harmful legacy of more and more nations are embarkEconomic indepencolonialism. ing on the road to shaping a dence must complement and follow system of peace and social justice. on from national liberation. We perceive the historic oppor- Women should be given definite tunity, and the responsibility rights and opportunities to that our generation has, to decide Only decide their own future. with its life and its struggle a free people can guarantee what the world should be like in women's legitimate rights. the next century--a flowering We demand that no nation garden--or an atomic waste-land; anywhere in the world should --a place where peoples and states We demand suffer from hunger. strive together in peace and in that the whole of humanity be mutual respect--or a hotbed of allowed to take part in social conflict, fulLcof confrontations EQUALITY in society, progress. We shall provide and injustices. in legislation and in reality, the answers ourselves. We shall none of that just falls into shape the path into the next women's laps. millennium. We demand that women everywhere We, the women of the world, in recognition of their dignity who give life to new generations, and their achievements, be allowed have an especial right and duty fully to develop their talent to make it a secure path for us, and capacity. We oppose out-offor our children, and for our date relations of ownership This is children's children. and power which perpetuate what we aim to do as long as there discrimination against women in is life in our body. education, remuneration and social We are making ourselves, before position. the eyes of the world, the advocate We state: Equality means for all those who want to live equal rights in the family and in a world where the great proban equal right to in society , To lems of humanity are solved. work, equal pay for work of achieve this aim we call for equal value, and all-round international solidarity. promotion of women in all PEACE--for centuries it was no Equality canspheres of life. more than a longing of the not be achieved without the Today there are grounds people. active participation of women for hoping to establish lasting This is what we themselves. What prompts such optimism peace. more than anything else is the transition that has taken place from cold war to detente, the growth of the forces committed to peace and national liberation,. And yet, the danger of war has not been removed. The material preparations for war 300,000 million continue. dollars a year are put to use If the money for for armaments. these weapons, which are so dangerous to peace, were spent on social purposes, then many more women and girls could be guaranteed job security, all could benefit,from education, state welfare schemes for mother and child, schooling could be provided free of charge, and funds could be set aside for art and culture. 10 call for. Liberation of women from worry and need can only be the fruit of national and social liberation, as the destiny of women is inextricably bound up with the destiny of their Peace, democracy, nations. national independence and social progress must triumph throughout the world. These are AIMS which impose obligations on all of us and call for our full commitment. And we have the MEANS to achieve them. Women, be aware of the power Your voice is a you wield. mighty weapon, speak out loud and clear! The future of this Earth depends on the actions of each individual, of all of us. Unite for common action! inntional and world -wide organizations, wherever you are at work: Move into action to make Strengthen women's influence felt! the unity of the peace-loving forces! Women on all continents, respond to this call! Take the cause of peace, democracy, national independence, social progress and equality Fight for it into your own hands. Reflections on I.W.Y. I.W.Y. is over --- you remember, that was "International Women's Year", brought to you by the same folks that brought you "The Hippies" and "The Civil Rights Movement", in living colour with lots of But what human interest angles. was really accomplished by the United Nations' declaration of an International Women's Year? Certainly, there were no far-reaching political repercussions or legisHenry Morgentaler lative changes. is still on trial and property and marriage laws are as oppressive as always. There was a subtle difference in the atmosphere surrounding women's issues, though, in areas like the use of neutral rather The than masculine pronouns. word "chairperson" no longer evokes laughter, and a society's attitudes are reflected in its langThe increased media coveruage. age of women's groups resulted in our increased awareness of each other, and a greater feeling of solidarity within the Movement itself. I.W.Y. also promoted increased government funding for women's programs in 1975, although many such projects were forced to fold, leaving large gaps in the community services, when the end of I.W.Y. resulted in the simultaneous cutback on We must also be prespending. pared for a negative backlash, in which these offices that refuse to acknowledge women's issues will justify their negativity "You've had by comments like: your Year -- what is it that you women WANT, anyway?" On the positive side, we have achieved So, recognition, if not acceptance, and controversy will always spread. As for the rest of us, the women who have struggled for and achieved some type of liberation in various areas of our personal lives or our social, economic and political situation: we were here a long time before I.W.Y., and we'll be here a long time after. Sisterhood is POWERFUL! Sally Cozens Credit Woman's Centre review London Ont,. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �HERE SHE IStMISS CANADA The following is a press release from the women who disrupted the Miss Canada Pageant, November 3, 1975 "This statement is an explanation of the action that took place at the Miss Canada Pageant on Monday night, November 3, 1975 The disruption of the Pageant was carried out by 10 women (and supported by many others across the country) to protest the degrading and sexist nature of the Miss Canada Pageant. We were not attacking the contestants but the big business practice of making economic The wingains through the exploitation of women. ning women in the Pageant are given prizes or These gifts rewards for satisfying their judges. are then written off on the income taxes of the donors and Canadian taxpayers end up footing the Miss Canada is the product, the image of bill. womanhood which is peddled to the women of Canada by big business according to its needs and interIn IWY, especially, big business and the ests. Government of Canada have worked hard to co-opt the women's movement and to confuse women in Canada about the real issues. We protest not only the sexism of the Miss Canada Pageant but the manner in which it, too, is being used to co--opt the women's Liberation itself has become a product, movement. a fashion, yet another thing for women to live up To quote Miss Canada to, to buy, to compete for. "For the benefit of our newly-arrived guests 1975: have in the past year had an opportunity, as a woman, to express my views to thousands of people, have been able to convey to hope that and these people that the Canadian woman is intelligent, motivated, aware and very much on the move." This year's product is woman on the move--the liberated This product has been We will not buy. woman. especially d9signed to confuse and pacify us in No We protest. IWY and we will not swallow it. woman today is liberated. Working women, housewives, women on welfare, sole-support mothers, native women, black and third world women are not Intelligent, motivated, creative, liberated'. The power strong women remain oppressed today. We will not be silstructure has not changed. enced." I I I FRA M ED The following is a statement made by the editors of THE OTHER WOMAN on Beauty Contests. We are in no way, however, putting down the We are against Miss Canadas, women who participate in Miss Worlds, Miss Universes, beauty pageants. Beauty Miss Teenage Canadas, Miss queens win scholarships, Grey Cups...All these beauty prizes and an opportunity contests are a constant reto get an entry into someminder that we have a role thing that they do want. to fulfill, that we have to Feminism means all women all the time set ourselves have the right to choose. The great up to be judged. We recognize many choices majority of us do not fit women make are for survival. the physical requirements- However, under capitalism, yet delude ourselves that we are given the illusion if we only buy (and use) of choice so long as it enough of the right prodfits into the fra-mework ucts, we can look beautialready chosen for us. ful. The function of the Miss Canada Pageant is to use the her "ideal" as an example of pick woman to the ultimate good consumer--our role as houseworkers under capitalism. [ NORTHERN WOMAN CENTRE WOMEN IN NEIGHBOURHOODS THE NORTHERN WOMAN COMMUNITY ACTION CENTRE MOTHERS ON BUDGETS Ant; ?of/e1-4- GOOD NUMBERS TO 622-3989 622-8187 345-5841 345-0921 622-2863 2...Z I I 3-3 We agree with the disruption of the Miss Canada Pageant by the 10 But we women involved. question their tactics. Militancy definitely has its place within feminist struggles, but we must carefully examine its context and resort to it only under sympathetic conditions. Inevitably, splashy one-shot actions only result in press distortion which confuse and mislead the mass of women as to the real intent. Although alternatives may be a lot slower and require more work, they are a lot more effective on a long-term basis. CALL. .SOCIAL SERVICES.. .623-2711 CRISIS 1NTERVENTION...344-3571 623-9596 FAMILY COUNCILLING 345-1972 LEGAL AID 344-1192 TELECARE 6,23 .2757 cvyk\ nue. - Sm31481,Bai- 344-2431 .SMITH CLINIC 623-2711 CRISIS HOUSING HUMAN RTS COMMISSION...475-1693 EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS....475-1691 344-3922 MUNICIPAL DAY CARE 622-2450 11 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �N.W.O. INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DECADE CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL. It is the wish of this council, which was formed out of the IWY Conference, to publish the minutes of our monthly meetings in tne Northern Woman. This will be the council's means of informing womens' groups throughout N.W Ontario of the work we are doing. MEETING OF APRIL 4, 1976 PRESENT: Lynn Thornburg Eleanor Eryou Gert Beadle June Cryderman Marg Lanchok Grace Cryderman Mary Holbik Paulah Edwards Mickey Murray Thyra Digby Lisa Bengtsson Joan Farrow Leona Lang Diane Roulston Joan Packota Bernice Cain CORRECTION & ADOPTION OF MINUTES. Lynn moved minutes be adopted. Seconded by Mickey. All in favour TREASURER'S REPORT. Tabled till the meeting of May 15, because all bills due from conference were still not all received. WRAP UP OF OLD BUSINESS: I.W.DAY PROCLAMATION: Mickey confirmed the proclamation of IWD did appear in the Chronical Journal on Mar. 5. SOCIAL SERVICE CUTBACKS: Paula reported that no new PC2 meetings had been scheduled in the last two weeks. IWY CONFERENCE EVALUATION: The report on IWY Conference and evaluation of conference fund grant was not yet completed,because Lynn had not yet received all bills coming out-of the conference. N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. REPORT 1. Name of new council will be N.W.O. INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DECADE CO-ORDINATING COUNCIL. -all in favour- carried. 2.Notification of intended abscence from meeting to be sent to: Leona Lang,37 Carrie St. Thunder Bay, Ph. 344-1044. or Paulah Edwards, 53 Crown St. Ph. 345-0850. Moved by Joan -seconded by Paulah-all in favour 3.Application to Secretary of State for transportation fund. A motion was put forth for the N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. to apply for a grant to cover transportation and mailing costs.Thyra moved that Marg send a brief to Secretary of State-seconded by Eleanor NEW BUSINESS: REPORT OF AVAILABLE GRANTS: Presented by Lisa; 1. Health& Welfare; a $25,000.00 grant is available to cover costs of publishing studies or activities in the field of womens' health and social welfare, carried out during I.W. Year. 2. Secretary of State; a $10,000 grant is available for N.W. Ont. Womens' Programs This is a substantial increase over the previous years' grants. All womens groups in N.W. Ont. are eligible to apply. COMMUNITY EDUCATION CONSULTANT FOR WOMENS PROGRAMS: Colleen Hughes of Thunder Bay has been hired to fill this position. The N.W.O. I.W.D.C.C. is pleased to hear of this appointment,and look looks forward to meeting her, and forming an active liason with her -all WANTED: LIASON REPS: in Favour. IT WAS UNANIMOUSLY FELT THAT THE CONTRIBUTION OF NATIVE WOMEN TO THE N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. WOULD BE MOST VALUABLE. The N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. would like to establish liason with every community in Northwestern Ont. This duty involves attending one meeting ,a month 41,ThunderBa' for which there will be a subsidy Anyone interested in being liason representative between their community and the N.W.O.I.W.D.C.0 please contact: Leona Lang, 37 Carrie St., Thunder Bay, Ont., Phone; 344-1044. , ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR NEW COUNCIL. Mickey felt someone from the surrounding district should be on council executive to emphasize the fact this council is regional. It was decided to have an alternating chairperson, one from Thunder Bay, and one from the district. Mickey moved to nominate Bernice Cain(Atikokan) for chairperson & Paulah Edwards (Thunder Bay) as Vice-Chairperson Nominees voted in by acclamation! SECRETARY: Lynn moved nominations for secretary be closed and retain Leona as secretary. Second ed by Mickey-all in favour. TREASURER: Lynn moved to nominate Marg Lanchok. Seconded by Gert. Voted in by acclamation! REPORTS: RAPE CRISIS: Paula reported a core group had been established consisting of nine valuable resource persons. This new body was formed out of the resolution of the Rape Crisis Workshop at the conference. Weekly meetings are held every Wed evening at 8:30 P.M. at the Northern Womens' Centre. Paulah will be the liason between the NWO I.W.D.C.C. & the Rape crisis Committee. Anyone wishing to join contact Paulah at 53 Crown St., Thunder Bay.Phone 345-0f150. CRISIS HOUSING:Gert confirmed tha that Dorothy Akram has replaced Mr. Zapier, in charge of crisis housing in Thunder Bay. Gert's group will present a proposal at the next meeting of crisis housing in Thunder Bay. 12 in favour. 4. Resignation of Council Members Lynn moved that the resigning per person should help through the transitionary period. Seconded by Mickey-All in favour. 5. Publicity;Marg moved we appoint a publicity committee. Lynn and Leona volunteered. Paula will arrange for a photograph of the new council to be taken at the next meeting. This along with a new release containing or aims and objectives will be sent to all district new media in the near future. Discussion folowed re; future publicity ventures and public relations. NATIVE WOMEN: Bernice reported she sent a letter to Marlene Pierre of The Indian Friendship Centre, inviting her to join our council. It was moved by Lynn,we send a letter to Edith McLeod of the Ont. Native Womens' Assoc. & moved by Mickey we send a letter to Nancy Morrisson of the Kenora Native Womens' Assoc. inviting them both to also join our council. Seconded by Joan Farrow All ADOPTION OF PROPOSALS FROM MEETING OF MAR. 20th. ''FAMICt PROPERTY LAW: Joan Packota reported that family property law work was a project of the University Womens Club, of which she is a member. Joan has submitted a series on family property law to the "Northern Woman". 111.0 N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. MEETING: SATURDAY MAY 15th; TIME 10.15-2.15 PLACE :Confederation Conference Dining Room. Please bring a lunch. Send notification of intended abscence. : AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. As ammended from the meeting of March 20th. AGENDA. LONG TERM: 1. Act as a resource centre fo womens issues. 2. Liason for womens groups in Northwestern Ontario. 3. Help improve co-operation an communication with womens 1.Adoption of minutes of previous meeting. 2.Treasurer's report. 3. Correspondence 4. Publicity report: Lynn & Leona 5.Rape Crisis Report: Paula 6.Crisis Housing Report from Kenora:Joan Farrow 7. Crisis Housing Report; Thunder Bay: Gert groups and the work they are doing in North Western Ontario. 8. 9. NI& Marg moved the council use the Northern Woman regularly as a vehicle for communication. Leona and Gert will be council reps to the Northern Woman. Lynn moved to prepare an information package concerning the N.W.O.I.W.D.C.C. to be sent to every womens orgaization listed in the directory. The publicity committee will prepare this package. Seconded by Jaon Farrowall in favour- carried. SHORT TERM: 1.Follow up the conference resolutions. 2.Continue previous council business. 3. Campaign around womens issue! 4. Educate the public to ou tru( purpose. Next meeting; Sat. May 15th 10;15-2;15 Confederatin College Conference Dining Room. Marg moved the meeting be ad journed - seconded by Lynn-all favour. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �THE 13LUE COLLAR company employ people or machines??(slaves??) YOU'VE COME A LONG WAY BABY'. OR HAVE WE? (I)? My bladder definitely does not agree with the cold weather, and had been standing there for five hours already. Because the superintendent had intimidated me to such a point asked my partner if he had any suggestions as to where could go. I'm Wanting to work construction was always a secret fantasy I of mine. Someday, thought, could work alongside workiI I ng class men, understand them and perhaps develop a feeling of comradeship and equality. My chance came one windy, winter day when was sent by the union to the construction site of a water and sewer project. I I sure he had an answer to that one,but was too much of a gentleman. He didn't know where should go. Frustrated to the point of tears,cramped by the cold, and physically uncomfortable, urinated standing there. have never felt so humiliated, degraded and embarrassed. Being totally alienated by the men had no one to confide in,or just even laugh about it. Finally talked to the shop steward who guarded the merqs change room while utilized it. He informed me would have to find somewhere else to go and stressed how had put the superintendent in a bind. (I WOULD HAVE TO FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GO- WAS THAT MY JOB 7?) I I Although being nervous an &frightened, as everyone is beginning a new job, was somewhat excited. It became much easier however, when thought would finally be able to pay my bills on time and even be able to save money as the pay was approximately $150.00 more a week than had ever made. arrived half an hour early and the morning started out as it would for anyone. was directed to the superintendent's trailer whereupon gave him my work papers and informed him the union had sent me. was quite impressed by his composure although my presence obviously irritated him. I, I I I I I I I felt that the secretary was not too pleased when arrived in her privately carpeted trailer and tracked mud in to use the facilities. I I I I I I I was still not given definite approval of a position on the site. Each time questioned the superintendent about this,and washroom facilities, he procrastinated by saying the union still had not called.. knew was definitely not wanted, which unfortunately somewhat discourI I I He expressed how dangerous the job was and how much heavy labour was involved. The tactics he was using had no effect on I He tried to,-discourage me further but was quite persistant, so he told me to come back at ten after he contacted the union on this matter. He stressed the lack of facilities for women so suggested that could use the secretary's washroom. Nothing was said so considered that problem solved. informed him had no transportation and would remain on the site until ten, at which point he muttered something about having no car would create another problem. He directed me to the site to watch a man who presumed would eventuatually become my partner. Although ever Yother worker was provided with equipment (hard hat, oilers, gloves, etc.) was given nothing. me. The old saying, "Things get worse before they get better," certainly was true in my case. A man came out of the tunnel and stood there staring at me. He then gave me a margarine tin which was to fill with wet mud. was about tofijl it when he grabbed the tin from my hand jumped on a truck, scooped up some mud and said sarcastically "Thanks very much" He then gruffly asked my name and ordered me to help a man piling lumber. A few men around began snickering. Someone informed me he was I aged me. I I I As stood watching my partner, I a man came over to me and ordered me to do a certain job. Upon receiving a blank look, because of his use of construction work jargon, he reacted by ranting and raving about,"what the hell was the world coming to" He proc eeded to tell me in a dictatorial fashion on what to do and left me there, not even consider ing if understood him. This did not bother me; it was the fact that still didn't was hired. Amidst know whether all the confusion, managed to do the job under the stares and snickers of fellow workers?? I I I I I the foreman. My eyes were filling with tears the urine was turning to ice, and certainly did not need this obnoxious foreman (maybe they're all like that) trying to intimidate me. What angered me even more, was he was succeeding as the superintendent had. I I I I I I I At noon asked the superintendent if he'd heard from the union and about washroom facilities. Again he avoided the situation by saying the union hadn't called, adding that the secretary's washroom was off limits to me as it was private property. felt for some obscure reason she did not want me using her washroom. The superintendent generously ?? offered me his trailer to eat my lunch because was off limits to the men's change(lunch) room. His reason being the men may come in and take their clothes off (at lunch time ??,"d1PA for??) It seemed was off lirits' to everything. I was greeted by two men who introduced themselves and seemed not in the least perturbed by my presence. Throughout the whole day my partner was the only man who was considerate to me. He didn't waste any time explaining the procedure and respected him for that. The work itself did not seem difficult, but the weather certainly aggrav ated the situation. The prospect of lunch andcoffee breaks was very appealing. At ten went back to the superintendent's office to find that he had gone somewhere. After standing in the I I I I I cold for about another hour, felt defeated. No one had informed me to start working, or where the bathroom was, etc. How was to learn the ropes, or meet the men or even talk to someone?? Does this happen to new men on the job? I'm sure it does to some degree, but at least they have something in common- they're all men. I I When could went back to ask where go to the washroom. The superintendent, with no news from the union, instructed a man to take me to the secretary's office. I I returned to the site, was greeted by my partner who was eating his lunch while working. He informed me that we were not to take lunch or cofee I I breaks. The rt.tri had decided to work right through. Does this PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy I I At quitting time, went to pick up my lunch bucket in the superintendent's trailer and inquired what would be done about facilities tomorrow. He said he was calling the union in the morning about that situation. How long would this go on?? If he thought that these problems were discouraging me, and would not come back, he succeeded Perhaps this situation may seem petty to some,but certainly didn't feelthat way by the end of the day. I I I 041% et 13 Feeling defeated,discouraged and of CVISION PDFCompressor �exhausted, walked four blocks to the bus among cars of fellow workers (HA) No one offered me a ride even though some were going in the same direction. don't know why, after being alienated by them all day, expected an offer for a ride home. Arriving home in tears, had to make a decision whether to return for another day of humiliation. decided not to. I I I I I Perhaps some people feel didn't give the job a fair chance. wonder if the situation would have been better or worse if had gone back. really think it would not have changed, Putting in a washroom might cost a billion dollar company a few dollars, a week and that would definately not be appreciated. had given the job a felt damn good try and had done the could. It was under these best have just excircumstances couldn't return. pressed that Any woman interested in working on construction should try,and hope they do not become as dishave. Perhaps illusioned as will be willing to.try again; knowing now what to expect,I hope to succeed. I I I I I PEOPLE WHO DIU THIS ISSUE: GERT, DOREEN, EVE, WENDY,PAULAH, NOREEN,LESTER, LEONA, MARG. I I I *V*##V-V-V*V-VV4-VVVV-44-T4P-4-V I A WOMAN THINKS I I I began questioning my strength as a woman. Why had let these men intimidate me to the point of quitting a job knew could have done, if it had not been for them?? Although knew it would be difficult, really did not expect it to be like that. I I I I I I Because of the pressures put on me by other people, experienced feelings of guilt when had made my decision not to return. Being one of the first women in the union, had .I spoiled it for other women??1he position had taken with this company was not one of representing all women who.plan to make a career of conslructia6 work. nyself a very aggressive woman, and not easily intimidated by I I I men, realized I'm not as aggressive as thought. With other women on the job, we would have had the strength to combat the blatant chauvanism that prevailed. Unfortunately, was sent alone, and couldn't fight them myself. I I I I Losing my feelings of guilt and frustratration, was asked by the union if cared to return to the job. Maybe the company was feeling a bit guilty, because even though it sounds incredible, they wanted to give me another chance. Me, a woman. Would they have done the same for a man?? Did they not consider my pride(or what was left of it after the ordeal lad been put through??) Would the men not resent me even more because got this second I I I I :hance? Mine is a northern mind,it knows about endurance and survival and it knows about the gut strength that can live in the laughter that sees the ridiculous even in itself,Whether it lays easy in the sun or rushes about in some public cause,this mind of mine has done it's own thinking. One of the things it has thought a lot about is the folly of fragmentation,that human dimension to wall ourselves off in specialized units and pin badges on ourselves.We are moose and elk and beaver.We are institute and aide and auxilliary.We are catholic.methodist and penticostal.We are native and ethnic and wasp and franco phone.I could go on and on but when separate the wheat from the chaff find it increasingly easy to see us as we are,fueled by the same energies, driven by the same desires,moved by the same instincts,reaching out or turning in,hungry for love and approbation, victim and prey and always vulnerable as the pawns and pets of a. 0 0 N -- 0 V) Cu B n07(1) . I Co:0 I -0 fortune. rt This mind of mine knows the snow that sifts through ill-fitting windows in a primative setting,remembers the cold holes in a rural outhouse,waited for the hunter to return with the kill and cared for a sick child in utter isolation.I am native to my bones,the same desire to protect the forest,the stream and the simple life,the same amusement at mans committment to the ant. This mind has memorized the face of poverty,the dogged making do of the bare cupboard,the making over, the cutting down the patching up,the pride that will not ask or bend to receive.lf have escaped the cage have not removed myself from the family. This mind has been present at both bii-th and death and knows that joy and despair attends them both according to circumstance,in hospital or in a home for the aged it has seen that priveledge and power count for nothing,only the pain is relevant.Whether it is physical or mental or emotional it is real and devastating,responding in every case to the hand that cares,the heart that understands. This northern climate calls for accentuated thought,day breaks,night falls ,summers burst and winter attacks,the early settlers clung to-gether for warmth and support,they were not ashamed to say they needed each other.We who are caught in an industrialized society are as free wheeling as the exhaust it creates, without personal committment we are without substance. No-where is this lack of cohesion as critical as between women,this failure to see themselves as part of a whole,this great temptation to imagine we are more or less than we are. Does it need to be said that a rape charge should send us to the court in droves to say by our very presence that who degrades this victim offends every one of us,does it need to be said that the wife who is physically abused deserves the common defence of us all,does it need to be said the battered child is our business.Does it need terte said that part of us went out on a picket line last year,their cause was just,in failing them we were false to our selves. yes sadly enough it needs to be Said till we realize how intertwined our lives and our common goals are. I I Geo I% 0 MUST BE A MUSHROOM; BECAUSE EVERYONE KEEPS ME IN THE DARK AND FEEDS ME BULLSHIT i. c-, o0 v, rn rn tn > D H O 70 m rrn >z c-) > -I 3 m -I -rl c z O z -I Co 77 - r--I -< m cm (-) 7700 M cp c-) m co -0 0 MM 41 I . . PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �DON'T COMPROMISE ORGA NI ZE REPORT FROM JEAN HOLYK DELEGATE TO THE SEMINAR OF WOMEN FROM CANADIAN MINORITIES AND CULTURAL GROUPS WHICH WAS SPONSORED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE "WOMEN'S" PROGRAMS" held on Sept. 8, 9, and 10th, in Ottawa. There were 24 participants from different sectors of Canada - Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Quebec, Sask., Man., Ont%, B.C. and Alberta. Unfortunately, we participants did not receive a brochure of the agenda before the seminar. received mine on arrival back It poses a question of just home. how sincere our Government has been in helping Women achieve their rights and aims in this year of International Women. The seminar had 5 workshops: Visible minority Women. 1. Women in fam)lies. 2. The working Woman. 3. Services to Immigrant Women. 4. The women in black, dealing 5. with stereotypes. The study involved 5 stages: assessment of present sitA. I uation. B. identification of changes C. needed. Identification of barriers to change. Problem Solving (overcoming barriers). Formulating Strategies and E. proposals. There were at least five women in the working Woman's workshop I'd like took part. in which belong to to point out that Service E. Union and also to the Association of United Ukrainians, Canada, but the other women worked in positions of Social Work and Government employees. This posed a question at Are working women least to me. having the opportunity to participate and voice their opinions and to change their status in This was the working force. one problem presented in the working women's workshop. A Montreal delegate working with immigrants spoke on immigrant women on temporary visas who were brought to the country to work in factories, restaurants, agriculture, etc. They are being incredibly ex-. ploitedby the owners because of language difficulties, therefore not knowing their rights. They also work in jobs where there are no unions. Some average only 60 an hour at Panels recommended piece work. that minimum wage per hour be Note, paid to piece workers. these immigrant and minority work. ers are threated with deportation! Day Care was another important need for immigrant and minority and other working women. This need of subsidized day care was brought up in all workshops. Questions are now around the controls of government spending introduced in December, cutting back on monies for day care. This again questions the sincerity of the government in helping women enter the labour force. We women in Thunder Bay must continue the struggle with other like minded people across this country after the IWY has ended. We must strive to educate and organize men and women in our respective clubs, organizations, associations, and especially unions, and we must strive especially to help the unorganized The domestic, restaurant, worker. hotel, motel, baby sitting services which need better conditions and a decent work wage. We must pressure governments to change their bureaucratic ways to move us in the direction of Justice, Peace, and Freedom recognizing economic freedom as the basis for all three. We must actively work for a change in Government if the present Government fails to meet our expectations. The solution is as above, - Organization, Education and Solidarity. D. I I Jean Holyk is a member of the United UKR Canadians, A.U.U.C., a representative on the NorthWestern I.W.Y. council, a member of the Service Employees Union 268, a hospital worker with four childShe particpates in the ren. A.U.U.C. mandolin orchestra and She is also singing ensemble. treasurer of the Thunder Bay Peace Council. "Lady Dentist" In the past few years the number of women practising dentistry in Manitoba has more than doubled - from two to Most of these women are graduate; fivel of the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Manitoba where the number of female students has increased from How has five to twenty since 1970. society and the profession reacted? Female dental students encounter many I can only relate different attitudes. Going to univermy own experiences. sity had always been an ambition for me But I was a very serious teenager; I couldn't afford a B.A. or B.Sc. with no job afterwards. So I decided to be This silenced the people a dentist. who always expected me to be a teacher or home economist. My pre-dentistry science year was a joy - lots of freedom - new people to meet - new Dentistry was a things to learn. shock - as late as 1970 the dental student was a 23-year old male with top-of-the-ear length hair, a tie, and a sports jacket or white lab coat. Many of my colleagues in first year had at least one 'friend' who hadn't been accepted into dentistry. They felt that I had taken the place of this After all, I was serious student. probably not going to 'stick it' for four years of school. Even if I did, it was unlikely that I would practise It was for more than a few years. unfortunate that society should pay for my four years in school when a man could have had this. It took two years of working along side these men to get them to accept me - a serious student who could really do the work. By third year I had become 'one of the guys' and was roundly praised as like a man. As a dentist I find that many of my colleagues are jealous of me. They feel that I have no responsibilities for family (which is true) and, once I find out how rough practise is, Even if I do marry and I'll quit. continue to practise, I'll never have If I ever do to support a family. support a family, I must have done something wrong or stupid to get myself into such a position. As far as my patients are concerned, there has been little or no problem. Apparently to the general public I'm sure a dentist is a dentist. there are exceptions to this but I have not met them in two years of Generally, people private practise. express surprise and friendly interest. Undoubtedly the attitude of the dental school is changing and will continue to change as mcre and more girls study The attitudes of the professior there. can only change as more and more of us live and work within the community. As with all the battles we wage for sexual equality, patience and persistat work. Elizabeth Birks (D.M.I rr o. our ccifo% policy ladies I / 44ps/- * The article entitled Lady Dentist by Elizabeth Birks(D.M.D.) is taken from,HER_SELF a news-letter of the YWCA Womans Centre,Winnipeg PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CRISIS HOUSING REPORT February 24, 1976, the Crisis Housing Committee met with Ed Zappier, the coordinator of the three Tarbutt Street residences. The meeting was organized by our committee amid rumour and speculation that Crisis Housing may be terminated because of social services cut backs. As we sat around the table informally with Mr. Zappier we discussed our concerns with policy as it exists in comparison to our original proposal. Mr. Zappier, well meaning but inexperienced, dealt with our inquiries as best he could considering he was ill-at-ease and obviously hesitant in answering terHe admitted tian questions. being unprepared but as far as we could ascertain he hesitated without the blessings of his supervisors. At times he appeared extremely uncomfortable and unaware. Mr. Zappier admitted that because of the social services cut-backs Crisis Housing's existence was threatened to the extent that it would have to be utilized in a different way. The city decided the Coach House (a city operated residence accomodating ten to twelve single troubled young women) which may close, would be incorporated with Negotiations Crisis Housing. to obtain a fourth house beside the Tarbutt Street This homes is in progress. house is owned by the city but rented to a government It was noted by agency. the committee that problems may arise because of this situation, i.e., overcrowding, priorities given to the single women and disharmony between troubled single women and women in crisis who have children. POLICY OF CRISIS HOUSING In practice Crisis Housing is a 24 hr. service (phone number 623-2711 ext. 430) with emphasis on local families. Transient families are sent to the Salvation Army or put up in substandard hotels. Single persons (without children) are not allowed the use of Crisis Housing but they are given consideration by Mr. Zappier and his supervisor, Betty Chalmers. Mr. Zappier expressed that the majority of women who utilize CrisiHousing are already separated or divorced and the minority are beaten and It was pointed abused women. out by one of our members that this report of minimal usage by abused women was contrary to experiences of Transition houses in other cities. Why is Thunder Bay so unique? According to by DOREEN WINKO AND EVE PYKERMAN its Vkowse- AtoAse, 411, documentation by the Northern Women's Centre and Community Action Centre (Human and Welfare Rights) many calls were received from beaten Is it perhaps that women. Crisis Housing has not been advertised sufficiently and are dependent on agencies to refer people to the homes. What does a woman threatened by a husband do in the middle of the night when she is not aware of an existing Crisis Mr. Zappier emphasized House? that they do not encourage women to leave their husbands or discourage for that matter but they stress the use of Crisis Housing as the very the lack of day-care facilities. There is no childcare provisions so that the mother or father is free to seek actomodations, employment or attend appointments. There is no opportunity for parents to escape from the responsibi ity of children for even a short while. Even if an outle was available, a 10:00 o'clock weekdays and 11:00 p.m. (Fridays) curfew is imposed. Also transportation for the children to attend their school is not provided causing a further disruption from the prior pattern of their lives. There is no follow-up of women after leaving the homes which according to Mr. Zappier is often the next day. What happens to these women after they leave? Where do they go? There are no recreational outlets; the basements are too cold and damp to be used for these purposes in the winter months. A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN??? We were taken on a tour of the homes, aware that the homes were occupied at that moment andfelt that we had intruded on the residents' last resort. privacy. According to Mr. Zappier 28 families (80 people) have used Crisis Housing since its opening in October. The fluctuation of families was termed "feast or famine". had Most of these been referred by other agenPeople are asked to cies. contribute to their stay in Crisis Housing if they are able to afford it. Mr. Zappier is considered director and counsellor but it appears that his main task is seeking alternative accomodations for clients. Because of the housing shortage in Thunder Bay, Mr. Zappier's time is probably consumed by Additionally this problem. Mr. Zappier's endeavours are divided between the welfare office and the Crisis homes. Therefore we feel the priority of counselling might be House mothers neglected. do not counsel according to the director but are available to talk to the residents. Their exact duties were not accounted for. The rooms were spacious but furnished sparsely, often with only one or two single Every room, including beds. kitchens in the two homes used for residents, had beds. There were no curtains, the roll-down blinds were often torn and there was no other furniture, except for The only decoration beds. on the wails were typewritten sheets spelling out rules that were placed next to Pictures light switches. were non-existent. One note, signed by Mr. Zappier that caught our attention was in the dining This is not a meeting area. place, it is an eating place:! Temphasis ours). This generally established the atmosphere of the homes. PROBLEMS Welfare assistance is not given to persons until they have acquired accomodations outside Crisis Housing. This created financial burdens whereby they must depend on other resources, i.e., Family Allowances, donations from family members or Provincial Welfare (if they're Those who have lucky). little or no savings have nothing for extras (cigarettes, toiletries, entertainment) that should be available to any person. Another problem area is 16compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of PDF SUMMARY: The general feeling shared by committee members was one of disillusionment and We did not regard depression. the homes as a supportive and congenial place and definitely lacking a homelike We found the home atmosphere. restricting and not conducive to emotional growth. Following are some comments made by Crisis Committee members: "Depressing..." "I'm sure glad our money was not invested..." "Isolated and treated like children..." "Certainly does not promote independence..." "We didn't have anything before but..." Further follow-up and action will be taken by the Crisis Housing Committee and shall be reported in CVISION PDFCompressor The Northern Woman. �THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay, "P" Ontario. return postage guaranteed RETURN TO: Poet Postes Canada P tape oa, Pr, Dave Bulk En hombre *Canada third troisieme class classe 220 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Rape Family Property Law Where Do We Go Berlin Conference N.W.O.I.W.D.C.0 Blue Collar Blues Don't Compr6mise Crisis Housing 4 10 12 14 Donna Shaw 627 S.High Street 15 Thunder Bay P,Ontario. 17 18 CZ3YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IS DUE CI THIS IS YOUR LAST COPY PLEASE SUPPORT US! #30z2, o 532 acb'lif. 4C; #04,7 Nso% cA§) 24f]v 4Ngv d ate' (six ISSuS) *3 93 2 YEAR sIQ BUSINESS OR TNST t TLITION Cfr7 4;=7 NAME GIFT ADDRESS 001.1AT-101\J 5 C.; CZ. EAT FU LLy' ACCEPTED WANT 70 GET A/Vol_ VED CALL 345.5241 ANY WED. oR SUN. ilFTR I:30 1 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 2 No 5 Description An account of the resource Vol. 2, No. 5 (1976) Title: Northern Woman: Women’s New Regional Journal Topics include: Rape legislation Editorial policy Poetry Family property law Rape crisis centre Letters to the editor Lesbian experience International Women’s Year news Rape study (University of Guelph) Art Where do we go from here conference (Confederation College) Equal pay for equal work Native women Government cutbacks to social services Women in distress Solidarity among women Feminist work at home World Conference for International Women’s Year Berlin Miss Canada Pageant Beauty contest critique Northwestern Ontario Women’s Decade Co-ordinating Council update Blue collar work Seminar of women from Canadian minorities and cultural groups Female dentist practices & students Crisis housing report Authors/Contributors: Gert Beadle Noreen Lavoie Barbara Coom Joan Packota Mallory Nueman Betty Dondertman Bonnie Hill Leslie Silver Estelle Freidlander Sally Cozens Eve Pykerman Elizabeth Birks Doreen Winko Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1975 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2741/1975_Vol_2_No._4_CV01.pdf 63263aca527a97351634d7c0aeb21860 PDF Text Text NORTHERN Volume 2 Issue 4 V9MAN Womeirs 71.e.e. -) A-ey4.0174( jookiN( PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �'Dear readers: This journal with you, and hopefully you will respond with your interest The theme of this issue is "Women in Distress' We have eviewed issues and Areas which are particularly stressful to women. The abortion issue is still hotly debated, and the utcome will help to determine for many women and children he quality of life they will experience. We have looked at the problem of alcoholism as it relates to women. We have talked about the struggles of welfare women, working women and union women. We have looked at the area of health care and its nadequacies as they relate to women. are merely symptomatic of a social system which fails to recognize and basic human rights - the right to adequate food, shelter medical care - the right of each child to grow in peace. Too often, we focus on the "freedoms' we enjoy - the reedom to buy a white or a green dishwasher, the freedom to have one or two cars. We talk of the freedom of free speech, he freedom of the press, the freedom to belong to any political at our party, the freedom of choice. But when we look freedoms, we find they are often illusions of freedom. It is the talk time. Why people with money who get the press and the else must we form an altenative press? Our provincial government attempted to eradicate all political parties except the three largest. How great is our freedom of choice? Women who wish to choose whether to work inside or outside the home, find the choice less than free. We have to take into account the fact that we have very little day care at prices we are unable to afford on salaries that are far from adequate. and valuable If we, as women, wish to make lasting changes, we will have to address the underlying causes and not merely the symptoms. We will have to establish priorities and policies which grant each of us the very basic rights to which we should be entitled. and support. There is no way we can continue to keep unpaid subscribers on our mailing list. This journal must in the final analysis support itself or die. With the ,ailing of this issue we will therefore revise our list but not without regret for we truly believe we are POLICY he newsletter group, a separate yet supportve group of the Northern Women's Centre, eflects the complexity of the maxeuppf the orthern Women's Centre as a whole. an instrument of growth that you should respond to. PUT A CHEQUE IN THE MAIL, BE A SISTER: .."4" Irdsor.a....r.r.....vr.e.-T-..r.T.C.V.A...41. ear Editor; On behalf of the NorthwesInternational Ontario ern Year Co-ordinating omen's would like to indiCouncil, cate our feelings on crisis housing in Thunder Bay. During 1975, our Co-ordinating Council has on its list of priority projects - crisis housing. To this end, a grant was obtainI ed for assistance in setting up such a place in Thunder Bay. Our hope is that the purpose of such a refuge would be to assist "women in transition", who are in need of advice, job J.- V' .0 Dear Sisters: Abortion is one of the fundamental issues of woman's a right to choose, however in the where system rignt the to choose is governed only by the amount of capital one control5 one has at her disposal. There are women in this world, in this 'country who cannot conceive of women fighting for abortion. These women are poor, black, they have had forced Indian abortions, preventing them from having the children - they've wanted. In focusing our energies on counselling, encouragement, and roof over their a temporary this single "issue" women are need and want comfort, guid- great number of women in England, Canada, U.S.A., and heads. Women in this position ance, reassurance and relevant information and such interval housing should serve this purpose. EDITORIAL mailing list of over 700. With the a exception of exchanges most names have at one time been a paid up subscription. Into this office flows the life of the movement, an ongoing record of the hopes and thought and the creative talents of women to whom sisterhood has become a reality. We volunteer our time and energy to share this harves EDITORIAL Almost without exception, the problems we face is has Certainly the facilities should be well maintained and guidelines rules and drawn appropriate house up, but the top priority should be for the welfare and future of the women in the homes. Trained (women) counsellors should be available to talk to these women, try to 'build up their confidence, and inform them of their rights, and then help to direct them in the alienating and not speaking to Thirfd World countries, who are struggling for the basic right to have children without forced abortion. the only The only issue possible strategy to which we - one should apply ourselves which asks for capital for the money we so desperately need to take control over our work our minds our bodies. Wages for Housework S$. Then we can choose if we want children or abortions, marriage, to type, to serve, to smile, to screw, to be a lesbian, to be straight, to cook, to do whatever we want PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked eing a smaller, unified group, the editorial way in which they want to go. will attempt, This is not the time in their oard of THE NORTHERN WOMAN is - - bI .." Dear Sisters: Just read your latest issue and thought it was terrific. haven't seen one for quite I a Here's my cheque for $3.00, and keep up the good while. work! Anita Lange Dear Friends, Have received The Northern Woman regional journal in the mail. Your newletter has been sorely missed here for its information and contact but if this paper is the result of receiving no newsletters then - we rejoice! Marvellous, good work! Your first issue in newsprint looks really fine. Please do not take us off your mailing list. Do you have time to write us how the transition came about and why? want to also applaud your wages for housework content in the issue. Stand by for oui I special issue being put out by the Toronto WFH Comittee. Every distinct region in Canada should have a "regional journal". Perhaps, in your letter to us, you could write it so that other newsletters could learn from your experience so that we could print it as we evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �SOCIAL WORKERS DILEMMA The high cost of being a professional social worker is not something the average person you know food is hard to come by but pills are in plentiful thinks about. That the cost is less for those motivated by supply. What do you do she asks, if you are a single parent mother, economic status, professional recognition and other power trips is evident, but for the possibly you are parture of your last child and truly committed, those with a you realize with its leaving your basic source of income and security is gone. Would it be to desire real meet human have to jettison needs, who many an ideal for, a computerized formula, the price is exor- strange case in the cold light of reason, so the social worker can expect with you. What can you do if the you to move among the victimized portions of society system, that in has many been touched by the desperation thay have presumed to have all the answers never cases for. case- a worker asks when you see a woman under the care cf a psychiatrist with countless bottles of pills on her table, counter top, fridge and wherever else you could imagine. When her total income is $179 and her is you evicted if you live in low'. rental housing. Your mothers allowance may be cut off, you may have to pay back a suitable amouni: retroactive to your been down it, what can you do when you see what, for the Grace of God could have broken you, has broken her. When fall from Grace or endure the humiliation of signing an official document stating that you testimonials included here cannot convey the sense of The woman I asks fitted me with a diaphram. why? why? why? why? was I I became pregnant while wearing the diaphram. The same doctor treated this way.? confirmed my pregnancy and to pursuade me to go through with the pregnancy as tried My husband and had one fights in which he physically abusive in front of our child. I convinced he said I would be sorry later. I explained I was not prepared to marry the man by whom I became pregnant, that I had locked him out as I was been unemployed and had just obtained a job; and that felt I of many became him to cool off by c ng for a walk. I very frightened. Het ed to get back in by breakin j the door locked down with an axe. myself in the bedroom and I I I should be the one to decide whether to go through with the pregnancy or not. The doctor phoned the operator who called agreed to refer me to a psychiatrist. had a brief conversation the O.P.P. The police arrived with the psychiatrist which did and took him away. My eight year old and I managed to get a I not deal with my being pregnant, however I did tell him little rest. My husband arrived home at 8:30 a.m. and informed me the O.P.P. had checked about the birth control meth- motel down the for an abortion. My doctor said if had $250., (which don't), him into a road for 'his' own good and left him at his word not to , was using. have since been informed I am not eligible ods I I I I I could go to Minneapolis. I 5 points 5 points inadequate bathroom facilities . 5 points . I for other unsatisfactory conditions. 2 points (must be specified) Receiving the maximum points for the above can total 30 points. for waiting: points. 1 year 2 years Other ways to gain points: Residency in Thunder Bay (up 3 -years 1 point 2 points 4 points 6 points 8 points 4 years 5 years 10 points. 6years The good and caring social worker must challenge the system. When she ceases to question she has become a robot and hence a liability to human progress. We can help if we are informed as to the role plays and the things that trouble her about that role. If .she you are a social worker in Northwestern Ontario, if your area of concern is people, you have-something to contribute to this dialogue. woman wheliglititatinfalliers There Was an old With ail this red tape, what else could she do am a mother. have three children. left them eight years ago. It all happened while I was separated from my husband. At I I kids. My husband paid the rent, his way of keeping tabs on me and at the same this was time seeing the children once a week. The tell her the same thing, she'd phone me quite upset, I'd feel worse. He was so pSychotic felt he might carry out this I threat. refused to let him in the I house to see the kids if he was by himself as I was very frightened of him. He has sent me to the hospital before with injuries requiring stitches. One morning he came to the house around 6 o'clock. The kids were sleeping. He broke the lock on the door and came in. He jumped on me in bed. struggled, but was trying not to make any noise because I didn't I want to wake the kids. So I lying there. Afterwards when he let me up I was bleeding so I got dressed and used a pad. My babysitter came about ended up just I here Two days later when I went home Vic wouldn't leave. That night after supper still he wouldn't leave so I walked out. My friend tried to get me to go back because of the kids but I was too scared to do it while he was still there. For two nights I stayed with a friend. Then moved into a hotel.... The only time went back to that house was to get my I I separation was quite strained at the time. One of the reasons being he kept telling me he was going to kill himself. Then he'd call his mother and' I help me. 3C . lack of recreation space 2 points years, 2 points, etc) Notice to vacate other than was open and honest with both doctors believing would b( left the kids able to have an abortion. an this time and now angry and desperate anc with her. My husband was still looking for an illegal abortion there. Instead of going to school I went to a friend's The Women's Centre wa: sympathetic but not able tc house and broke down. From I received no protection but was left to the mercy of this maniac who could have returned to carry out his threat to kill me. bother me. overcrowding disrepair to 10 year), (1 year, 1 point; 2 the time I was going to school and supporting myself and the My doctor recommended an I.U.D. and not the pill for birth control as I am prone to possible side effects of the pill. infected from the became I.U.D. and the same doctor frustration, anger, distress and in some cases acceptance that were expressed during the relating of these events. Without each HOUSING: following criteria used to estab- I testimonies drunkne Percent of income spent maxi- of a recipient of mother's allowance is a matter of grave concern. Straying from the straight and narrow may get not even aware of her being points. The big computer is also the keeper of virtue it seems, and what goes on in the bedroom financial predicament. When the road sne has travelled has been so bitter and cruel and so familiar to you for you have exception rent: 0 to 25% no point: 26% to 29% 3 points 30% to 34% 5 points 35% to 39% 10 points 40% to 49% 15 points 50% or over 20 points Abnormal financial commit. tments 15 points Separated families because (21 lack of accomodation . . .15 points Aggravated health factors because of present accomodation 15 points The waiting period can be used to gain points if there has been no offer for accomodation-extra the (cause parties, damage, etc - rent is $170, when her psychic= Grist viewer you are to eat she must find a place for not more that $75. If she is unable to do this, she must consult the big computer and it will tell her to be object. ive in other words, forget it. right to their do, cause PRESENT CONDITIONS OF I place you deserve. She's a little handicapped, of course, since if own individuality. What do you acquire an OHC housing unit. (the numbers listed represent the maximum number of points. Judgement of the interdetermines mum or less.) though understand theres a half-assed promise of one laying round somewhere. Information which is not generally made public is the case worker is looking for this the case-worker a in common law hanky panky. Although this machine is impervious to sentiment of any kind, gossip and innuendo will light up all its buttons and send it vomitting out eviction notices without having to justify its actions. Unfortunately we are not sufficiently civilized to have an appeal board that will hear your defence alengage society thinks you deserve. The own impotence, a system mat OHC's Point System Upon acquiring enough one can will not will find you the kind of place gle with a system mired in its neither nor the case if you're you hands of the social worker. She The good and caring social worker doesn't last, she burns out, not from a.heavy case load but from the day to day struggives can't work, swear a shade too young for the pen- lish elegibility for tenancy in sion, if your disability allow- Thunder Bay low rental housance is $130 and you have a ing. We believe it should be notice of eviction? Where can public knowledge, and perhaps you take the furniture you have it will be of interest to our lovingly cared for, because it's readers. the only thing you have ever owned. The answer lies in the without questioning the criteria that has been formulated by a hierarchy if you felt panic, fear, resentment for the years you played the role of mother? Could you be excused if you played sick to keep your child bitant. As the young nurse is conditioned to examine every to be programmed to fit handicapped, when faced with the de- solemnly it was a short trip to the was nineteen when had my second child. The doctor I I was too young to have my tubes tied. He prescribed said I the "pill". I got pregnant again. learned after, the "pill" is not reliable during the first month. The doctor did not tell me I that. I should have used a- nother means of birth control during this period. clothes. I had went off the pill. When missed my period the doctor informed me this was "normal". Later, was told by a second doctor this was "normal" A third doctor said I had an infection. Finally after weeks of worry the fouth doctor informed me I was in fact I I By my calculation pregnant. approx 16 weeks. This fourth doctor and one other arranged for me to have a therapeutic abortion. I entered the hospital and was prepared for a hystotomy, then at the last minute the fifth docor said the board had refused my case. I was sent home. By this late date I had to either go though with the pregnancy or go over to the States. I went to the States. More TESTIMONIES FROM WOMEN in the next issue doctor's and then the hospital. 3 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �MOTHER was a DYKE by Reva WHAT DOES IT MEAN to be a mother? What does it mean to be a lesbian mother? These two questions are fully related as motherhood itself is a large and unending task and being a lesbian just adds that much more pressure to the issue. As the mother of an 8-year-old daughter and as a lesbian who shares her life with a lover, I feel prepared to make a few comments on the subject of lesbians as mothers related and prob- lems. My own personal ex- perience has been positive so far but, dire consequences could have resulted from a of incidents. The main problem, I find, is trynumber the people she has felt free with have not freaked out or reacted badly. am waiting I for the axe to fall one day, or have we really reached the age of enlightenment? requests many get I from my daughter. "Bring me a. father." "Why don't you get married?" "I want a sister or a brother." Any divorced or widowed mother must get the same requests, but do they feel the impossibility of fulfilling such demands? I do not plan to create such an environment for her and must repeat time am happy and again that being gay and with my woman. As she gets older, I pleas these more become happiness and rightness versus the "don't tell people" infrequent. As a matter of fact, I do believe she has accepted us as a couple and loves us both as parent fig- attitude one must adopt with children. If it is so good and mother and her lover are so still the attitude of "you are cheating me out of a father, to balance the fact of ing happy, why can't my child speak freely of this to any and averyone she feels like telling about it? Obviously we know the answer but how does one make it sensible to a child? I haven't fully solved this problem so far and my daughter's; pronouncements could have created havoc on a number of occasions. It is only with a bit of luck that ures. Occasionally there, is sister, brother, a normal life" but we can cope with it. AS with any adoptive parent, there is always the problem of acceptance on both sides. The lover must accept the fact that she, too, constitues an authoritative figure, must be prepared to mete out punishment when needed, when love and to respect this new authority and if possible, to love her as well. In our home, both aspects have come to maturity and there is a good balance of war and peace and a lot of loving for everyone. How do feel about my child choosing a gay lifedon't bestyle? Personally lieve we have any control over the sexual identification I I of our children. Weren't our straight? parents want I many things for my child: a strong sense of self worth, an ability to give and receive love, an inner peace, the ability to cope with whatever life happens to dish up. If she can incorporate all these ideals then where she sleeps, or with whom will make little difference to me. are many other There problems related to being a lesbian mother but since they aren't my present problems I have decided not to go into them. Being a mother is no easy task. Being gay comes with its own set of problems. Being a mother gay is combination of both. being a mother and I I a like like being a dyke, too. reprinted from Nov. 1975. times, gay needed. The child naust learn "111111111Iliwonloolll A HITCH TO THE HOOTCH alcohol Though has beer associated, at Ieasttraditionally, with strong male sit around the pub holding their liquor types, this is proving to be quite misleading. Women dig holding their liquor too - though many Some researchers feel that women don't constitute enough of a statistic to even be included in most studies, whereas, women are in fairly isolated situations, and studies would have to be taken to the en- for different (vis-a-vis men) reasons and not with the vironment familiar to them, e.g. same glossy social approval men have developed for themselves. As more information starts haven't been done sufficiently times to drip out of the male dominated poll taking world we start to hear of a higher occurrence of female alcoholism, and we start to believe that awareness and support should be developed (along with a little understanding of cause and effect.) Femininity has generally meant the home. As these studies yet, we can't really say what of alcoholics are percentage women though indications are that there are more than the LCB and/or government would like to be held responsible for. indicated, information As is regarding women vs. liquor Limited but here are a feW generalizations made which might be valid. It seems women these broad generalizations we understand that anyone addicted to anything in this society has a massive chore to up enough motivation to change. The forces working against us push us toward self destruction and addiction and until the roots of these forces muster are dug up, and good health doesn't seem like an anti-social disease, cannot we expect sweeping strides toward mental and physical well being. It has been difficult for so many of us being isolated and unsure of ourselves. Women that have come from situations such as broken homes, poverty, alcoholic parents have had a hard struggle to stay on top of it all. The Women's Liberation Movement hopefully will, or has, begun the establishment of being neat, pretty and most of all in control. Now Alcohol just doesn't fit into that definition - do not start drinking to excess until relatively latiz20's - 40's when the oppression of therefore women have not been womans' role appears most stark, children are grown, the future seems too predictable. a healthy woman image. Now we're becoming stronger and hpefully can eventually Generally a large group turns to drink as an anti-depressant, a non prescription drug showing, possibly that there was a deeper emotional need before the alcohol replaced it as the oversymptorn. It is a fairly well known fact that women out number Bonnie Beckwoman taken from Pedestal, Jan. 1974 to expose any of their drink or drug habits without able suffering the most abrupt conflict of image. We tend to hide out, slipping out to the liquor store before anyone catches us and slipping before anyone home knows we're gone. Women tend to be so secretive that the back woman next door may be an alcoholic and no one will ever find out. Alcoholism has been among women so extremely unac- socially that many have gone for years without consulting a physician for general medical reasons, in fear ceptable she tion. might disclose the addic- men radically in mental hospitals and psychiatric outpatient turn to each other for support instead of the laundry hamper. CI OP ° clinics. Women respond best to indi- vidual attention and treatment for alcohol addiction. This is in very sharp contrast to the pattern of effective treatment for men, where-group indulgence A WOMAN'S CREDITisUNION common and group -treatment most positive. Though make that in We have justwe learned the city of Toronto a Credit union for women has just been formed. If we are persuaded Something to, think about and we will have further informa- tion in later issues as we cor- respond with this credit union and see how it works and is working. IN that freedom begins and is being on weighted heavily responsible in and capable money matters we will think soberly about the implications this new venture coud have on us as women who are about to THE IMAGE OF WOMEN AS OBJECT OF AGRESSION new independance consider PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor Every day women are prefor ourselves and hopefully for a our sisters. sented as being appropriate �TriblidAN For 16 weeks, during the past year four women in Thunder Bay undertool( a "Women and Stress" probe, with a grant from the Dept. of Nat'l Health and Welfare. The following information is from the detailed report, compiled in Sept. 1975. The complete report is on file at the office of The Northern Woman. and STRESS ceive as stressors of everyday living. Once these are identified approaches to deal with them can be suggested, alternatives offered, preparation and internalization and socialization of these means presented. Individuals then have the options to activily integrate their lives in a more comfortable Respondents judgements of their own physical health, mental and emotional health, and physical fitness is totally subjective. Interviewers often felt the women responding were either unaware or unable to admit or recognize her own image. The most common was being overweight. Table 2 is the respondents self rating. way. The concept of stress has to this time been almost exclusively applied to those life events of a crisis or occassional nature in terms of available research. The concept that ongoing types of stress could and do lead to physical and psychological illness and breakdown has since been widely introduced by Dr. Hans Selye, currently of the University of Montreal. Discussions with the Northern Women's Centre, the Laxehead Social Planning Council Daycare Committee, the Director of the Family Life program at Laxehead University, as well as other resource persons, led us to address the research to the problems faced by non-working mothers, with children under the age of fourteen. It was our impression that many factors combine to create stress for these women: lacx of adequate daycare; absence of spouse through death, divorce, or temporary absence in the case of bush worxers, trucx drivers, salesmen, lack of supportive groups such as family, close friends, or women's groups; inadequate housing situations; socioeconomic status; mobility and access to transportation; perception The inherent difficulty of measuring the physiological effects of everyday stress situations over a period of time, caused the reliance for stress information to be the self-disclosure of the respondent "feeling upset". The incidence of headaches, increased heartbeat, mood change, depression, seems to indicate an accurate subjective reporting of physiological effect. Respondents often used the terminology "My nerves are bad when.... happens", "I don't seem to have enough energy", as well as reports of itching, hives, sxin eruptions, or scratching and stomach aches. Women reported when they felt a case of "nerve" coming on they did such and such. The respondents seemed to want to change or make more effective ways of reducing A common exstressful situations. ample was "Yelling" at their children which may have resolved the immediate situation with the children, but created stressful feeling about themselves. The criteria for development of the stress profile will be concerned with the negative stress. The interviewers explained to the women that a response of "never" meant the situation caused no noticeable effect on their A response of "seldom" meant mood. that when the situation occurred there was a noticeable but small change in mood, physical activity or behavior. A response of "sometimes" meant the situation caused very noticA eable effect on-their mood, etc. response of often meant a disturbing change in mood, etc. Data collection was done through A total the interviewing process. of 352 valid interviews were ob- median of all scores for that particular situation. It is the intent of this study to make a plea for more research to be directed to the everyday situations that women deal with and perceive as stressful in negative or troublesome ways. It is our hypothesis that daily distress situations may not have the magnitude of "life change" or "life crisis" events, but are of significant importance in the illness behavior and health behavior of women. There is also the suggesstion that daily stress may have a greater and more intense cumulative effect than crisis stress. The popularization of Transcendental Medition, Bio-feedback, Yaga, Massage, health foods, physical fitness and many other approaches to the more relaxed, healthy approach to living, all seemed aimed at reducing the stresses (distresses) of living. Any or all approaches may be useful to individuals, however it is the intention of this study to identify It would have been more useful to have recorded the number, type and frequency of illness and visits to a doctor over the past year than the broad rating used in this questionaire The raw data reveals the details of each situation in raw score terms. For the development of the profile a mean was determined from the scores of all those that responded with some stress to that particular situation. The intensity score is the Table 3. tained. of role and self-concept; isolation and climate peculiar to Thunder Bay. Our objectives in developing a research design in this area was then to obtain descriptive data on what conditions presently exist with women who have children in Thunder Bay, and to determine the nature of any stressful situations. In addition we felt that it would be useful to attempt to evaluate the function and effectiveness of community agencies dealing with these women, and discover what services, if any, existed to aid with stress reduction. a probe Table 2 Mental and emotional health Physical fitness Physical health Table 3 POOR FAIR 12 23 36 55 13 7 GOOD AVERAGE VERY GOOD 132 82 115 108 138 92 69 34 119 * STRESS PROFILE Ranxing of stressors as per Women and Stress Questionaire Stressor Mean frequency Children quarreling Disciplining of children Children's bedtime Daily homemaking and child care Preparing supper Preparing for special occassions (Christmas, birthdays etc.) Supper time Winter Facing another day (getting up) Changes in the weather Spouse late for supper Obligations to family Child's-children's relationship with school or teacher Discussion about money Lack of privacy Fear of being alone Children returning from school Obligations to self Keeping supper waiting for spouse Median intensity 2.39 2.10 1.68 1.72 1.62 1.78 2.88 2.47 2.47 2.39 2.35 2.22 1.61 1.79 1.32 1.41 2.09 1.46 1.71 2.19 2.17 2.16 2.13 2.13 2.07 2.04 3.12 1.78 1.64 1.24 1.61 2.08 2.03 1.99 1.99 1.98 1.97 1.96 * out of a total of 38 CONTINUED on page g 5 th.L.,ugh examining what women per- PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �WOMEN AND STRESS MCia01065 I HATe &noz ne B05 GDR< I hATe. TO tOORIc I continued Daily stress events listed on the questionaire were gathered from conversations with women's groups in the community and a small pretest sample conducted. The collected data appears to suggest that although the stressors frequency of impact on the respondents lives is relatively small the occurrence of the stressors is on an ongoing or daily basis. These stressors continually demand adaptive behavior in order to mainLORA? A SOMETIMES THIIJK... tain some sembelence of order in ESCAP_Ati, I1H1, ie2. otr 1-1 living processes. From this observation it can be inferred that daily stress may have an acumulative effect on the individuals ability to adapt and thus lead to a breakdown in physical or mental health. Unfortunately conversations with resp. were not recorded in detail, however there was agreement among the interviewers that the probability of at least 50% of the respondents have at someI AM MARRIP2 .}D:7101) time sought help (usually their docKtmeWeR tor) for depression or frustration in coping with their lives. That most of these women had received either tranquilizers or "pep" pills as a crutch to help them cope. The women expressed to us their dislike of using pills and voluntarily stopped taking them. It is interesting to note that taking prescribed medication is the least used stress reducing behaviour. TABLE 4 * The ranking of stress reducing mechTARIA 5 anisms appears in Table 4. Stress Reducing Behaviors Profile Many women gave their own other beRespondents self disclosed haviours they observed about thembehaviors for reducing stress Behavior Mean frequency selves or ways they reacted to stress. A complete list is in Table 5 Talk with spouse 3.24 # of women 2.96 Yell at children The control of the stress situation 26 Be alone to thinK, daydream 2.95 Become depressed in a passive response is usually Religious readings, church, 7 2.88 Cry The external to the individual. dial-a-message 2.87 Headaches stressor may not be recognized or 4 Watch soap operas 2.8'7 Drink coffee accepted, being in some instances Listen or play music 5 2.65 Talk with someone other than an awareness of "something is both8 Visit with friends family member Everyering me" Kind of feeling. Meditate or do yoga 5 2.61 Smoke cigarettes day psycho-social stressors may 4 Run away 2.57 Talk with children be perceived as too unimportant or 4 Bite finger nails 2.57 Yell at spouse threatening to admit to onesself 5 Lose temper, scream 2.55 Take a bath or shower or persons one interacts with. 2.50 Do housework *out of a total. of 17During the interviews this was men2.41 Sleeplessness tioned innumerable times, "I can't 2.35 Heart beat quickens, nervous tell my husband I hate supper "Who can I tell I sometimes hate my kids, husband, parents, in laws etc." "How can I tell my husband the demands of taking care of the house and Kids is too much for me to handle sometimes." The Kids are always fighting, I must not be a very good mother." From the stress reducing mechanisms it appears that "talking things over with spouse" is the most frequent stress reducing respons, it may not Legitimization be the most useful. of daily psycho-social stressors needs further research. The mean number of stressors for all respondents is 19.0. The mean number of stress reducing behaviors is 19.8. No inference or correlations are made between the two scores. One male houseperson insisted he was a mother and wanted to fill out the questionaire. His wish was complied with and the data kept separate. It is interesting to note that his perceived stress is almost identical to the stress profile developed from women respondents. His total number of stressors is 19.0 and the total number of stress reducing behaviors is 17. Men who were at home during the interviews did also mention their own feeling of being left out because "I have stress too." time" Eat Read Watch TV * out of a total of 32 2.26 2.26 2019 In the process of doing the interviews, the interviewers were often admitted into the home with "you sure came to the right house," or it's about time someone was concerned about housewives,". An anecdote that seems to reveal a gross lack of self awareness was reported. The respondent willingly and quickly responded to the questionaire, little seemed to bother or upset the women according to her responses, everything was fine, no upsets over anything in her life. She was extremely obese and after the questionaire was completed, the woman consumed an entire bag of cookies. During the cooky eating the resp. gave an intense self-disclosure of all the things that really upset her. The interviewer was in conversation with the resp. for two hours. The questionaire for this woman was not included in the data as it was obviously meaningless after the intense disclosure. The women in this survey were asked to indicate whether any of a presented list of services would be useful in assisting them in coping or reducing stress in their lives. Table 7. An observation that the top four stressors on the stress profile relate to interactions with children, yet the desire for parent education courses is wanted by less than half of the 352 resp. Is this a reflection on the supposed thought that women are supposed to know how to "mother" and admitting difficulty in relating with their children and seeking assistence is to reinforcing of feelingsof inadequacy. The women surveyed appear to be generally satisfied with their role It should be noted that in life. disstress is not necessarily an indicator of unhappiness or dissatWomen know and expect isfaction. stress in their lives, the problem seems to be to learn to accomadate the stress so it can be lived with in a responsible manner. fiT'D it 6 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �POETRY ous core issue. MY CHILD The destruction of my chihk was gradual. At one she was a flower Blooming, snuliitg, guiless At two She danced when she walked if we try At three. to write Already I had built a wall be what we thin you want tween us At four us to write, I and the withers took: turns doesn't that At fire she was closed, get us The into wall had been built, Our work- was. complete this whole She was socialized mind-readin J She was thing, and open up a can of worms AV from E AND MOVE 11111W ire CLASSI FIED 30 Words free for Women's Publications, Services/Jobs, Place to live. Sent to the NorthernWoman 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay "P" or phone 345-5841. women with carpentry skills phone 345-5841 or 622-4637. Wanted Our sisters stand outside the warm with lips and lingers blue no-chance it seems for justice now they bend &live sacred cow that holds our health at ransome. Our sisters cry into a wind that shatters human silence and ponder well a spirit call to violence. Break them, smash them to the- wall these idols of our ages give thew over to the wind they are unwritten pages. for flesh aitd blood are pilloried upon the cross of need when even sacred cows hare leave to ride a horse of greed. Gert Woman's Every THE CLINIC STRIKE / Almanac 1976 -- Appointment calendar and handbook available from the Women's Press 305, 280 Bloor St. W. Toronto. A List of their publications is TO A PEACE ROSE One day when I was feeling available on request. blue (there vvasn't one thing I could do gestetner operator, that didn't end up wrong) needed to work on I.W.Y. 'Twas years ago, the kids were Herstory Project, starting small, Jan. 16, 1976. Phone Liz For heaven's sake, how they could Jobbitt, 939-2057. Typist - bawl. The house looked like a wind went The IWY Council is publish- through And scattered each thing which ing a directory of women's organizations in N.W.O.was Anyto. Then in my garden I did see groups wishing to be listed A miracle just meant for me. Liz Jobbitt, RR 1, A Rose in bloom - a perfect Thunder Bay "F" contact Sight 'nand Like God had whispered, 71's Toronto Women's Bookstore, alright." 85 Harbord St., Toronto, has books, has books for, byLong and after leaves and petals went about Women, non-sexist children's records, books, posters, I remembered beauty, heaven women's Sent buttons. Write enclosing a stamp for the mail order catalogue. Dorothy Redford 7 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �had been our major concern; women had burned out and left the meanwhile ABOUT US In the last issue, a history of NORTHERN the WOMEN'S CENTRE, what has been happening, and possibly where the centre is headed, was promised. There are three separate parts of N.W.C. being: it's past, dat- ing back to a three day conference in the spring of 1973 at which time approximately 50 women decided on the last day, that they saw the need and Were willing to put energy into the formation of a women's centre. The second part of the centre's being happened when a about meetings in Wesley Church. It was to be a space for women to learn, share, give and receive support in a non-competitive phere. atmos- A full time co-ordinator was hired; a library of books and pamphlets, supplemented by a from the Brodie St. Library, was set up. A separate space for children, collection special later became a Child Care Co-operative, was made available. The centre became which the meeting place for the newsletter, general and business meetings, counseling, and socializing. Funding from Secretary of State was received, however, we continued our own fund raising buttons, posters, raffles and flea market participation. The money we raised ourselves was rewarding, by selling books, but in no way could we have functioned without money from the government. We were already in high gear with workshops, speakers etc., when in Dec. 1974, six people were hired to co-ordinate different activities, through L.I.P. The community and existing social service agencies were al- ready aware of our willingness to give support to any and all women needing it and now more than ever women turned or were referred to us in increasing numbers. We had in effect become another social service agency, albeit underpaid, unrecognized and frustrated that the existing agencies used but did not take us very us, seriously when we tried to take a more compassionate role towards women in a crisis situation. In spite of warnings from women who could see how we were being taken advantage of, we continued to "never say no" to a woman in a crisis situation. After all we were being paid, taxpayers money at that, and v+,e had to prove ourselves, to ourselves and the community. Cidn't we? Problems during this time were many. Unequal work loads, particularily for the Crisis Co-ordinator,- and at times all the staff, were discussed and re-discussed manently and seldom perresolved. Our con- tinual efforts to encourage new women to become involved (in spite of sacrificing principles') met with little success. Volunteers away and the collective' fell leaving the work and decision making to the "paid" staff. What had happened to our original aims and objectives for the centre? Or had we really any? "Support for women" was such a generalized interpretation of a women's centre, easy to agree to but -iifficult to implement because ing alization the most, ourselves. As part of the women's movement we seemed to be draining vacuum, this period on L.I.P. in energy an replenished. The demands made on the centre- left little time nor energy to support the very women who needed revit- However, in spite of opera- public speaking innumerable engagements; speakers came to growing intellectually, emotionally and politically, (rape and housework are political) in a direction seldom compatible to relationships with friends, hus- talk to us and meetings, meet- bands, was a were busy one. There workshops, film nights, very lovers and employers. So, on the one hand we were the format meetings; ings, changing from general to busi- dealing with the frustration, desperation and hopelessness of women's lives, lobbying to change oppressive legislation, ness to policy. They were "all women are welcome meetings", however, it has taken us up to the present time to realize that and on the other hand strug- tight money policy, it is doubtfull women's programs will be considered as worthy of funding, so we will make do with without a phone for three weeks. This time gave the few still actively involved a of relief, a breathing space, a time to re-evaluate priorities, not just for the centre but for ourselves. This re-evaluating process is of us sense what we have for as long as we can. The location of the centre - westfort area - does not make us as accessible for dropping in still happening and to date no committments to programs or as did the "Y", however, June there 1 a4 s 4. a.ys and Fri. 10-3 and welcomes anyone who cares to come around. Meetings are still every second Thur., is activities involving the centre as a whole has happened. Instead personal committments to the newsletter, IWY council, CABAL, free from the pressure Jan. 22, Feb. 5, Mar. 4, 18 etc. They are still "all women welcome" meetings. Could be a rap of being representativee of a body of women, are given. Most importantly, for the core group involved, is the session, film speaker, or a game of charades. Hope to see you. centre's function as a place to have some fun, laughter, long relaxation. Does the woman's movement really have no sense of humour? overdue NORTHERN WOMEN'S CE NTRE YMCA became available, after year of and committment was not be- ideologies. "place" the 2nd floor of the a centre as their personal energy it does not define goals nor ting leadership no matter what you call it, it is not a good introduction --for a Important, gling to direct and control our own changing lives. Many women had, as a r cult new member and also that most people do not necessarily want -= to share in the responsibilit the group. Most women t it/ I/ ch other, share and our lives. y the centre will be return. We hosted a national ference of women's cen for "education" and n who have moved seminar that led to formation of the I.W.Y. ordinating council, recogr the housing for women. International Women's ,o small sons needing brought with it more directtion a school was committments, butA copy of'the Public this time we had already slit was obtained and more ourselves too thin. The nd necessary steps crisis ceni.ie functioned fby one. An Unorgan- few months, then due to I Section was formed of support from volunteersa public meeting of enforcment agencies, held at Mrs. Holmes had to be Mrs. Neill served the continued. a CARAL groumonths as Treasurer Thunder Bay had been staff Years as Chairman. separate from W.C. with )ard was interdenomcontinuing to dispense ith Roman Catholics, control, VD, and abortion iple and Presbyterians physicians, ssor was appointed In June 1975 L.I.P. fun roll drawn up with the centre notices sent out and not. The phone continued realised the Board ring the mail arrived in bun There were letters to an petitions to circulate, rec for speakers and work s or fill, appointments to but in Women continued to phonesociety come to the centre, mainly us disinformation or to encouniat longs sympathetic listener. Mosil as a the staff had to look for of blood work to support themslfor that but remained committed, cy when what they could when mys becould, in fact many of how far core group remiirection centrally involved. Most oThat we organizational and world ended sponsibility was carried bylves and original women and most were lit for, is to wonder where :e of be- ning were going and why. Thst core. community Bay's wt women of had not taken the centre lye with, own. We puzzled overt honest apathy of women. We knq to find, were good women, compE on both ate and caring, compromis without in order not to al times women in the communit to the majority of womi were still those "wome bers". The women's centre h; limits he and proved the need for finished, the accommodate the new women , were given credit for initii was of the some solve it duction to the centre did mation. the is ?.elings and gut react- of type this ceiving also centre's function as a nurturing, energizing place, where we can ther and be in touch the educating children. ' se not to apply to By this tine. St. Arrhy this past fall, feel Presbyterian Cht.lrch pay the rent . Main St. was dosedOilould sundry expenses out sentable for, a class.,roorn.nainin7 Secretary of italic and books wereand have a volunbanegdanatitehachte8r (3'41person on limited a the government's soon the Presbyterian pi.a.sn was overcrowded and that pervasive philosopy that believe women's primary socia tion and is to provide ten compassion...the in notion that the needs o should the moment. process, more women will gain experience in setting up manageable priorities, and so lessen the sense of frustration in seeming always to be in a position of trying to destroy a brick wall when your only tool is a darning needle. Jane Taylor in one year. Then foilov e that door or put hat is plainly now gredient, and for the good of world, we must find it. There is a new chicken coming out of the egg these days, still prepared to love and forgive but not regardless. We who were born to believe we must wear the mask of deceit to acceptable in this man's world, will cling to the trappings that hide us from ourselves and others; but the us we saw in Landfor's presentation cannot be broken without be knowing how much we are sponsible for our own chains. re- the whole person. is open ended and sublimits, and I Vim-net-is liberation i5.. is not the end of - it should concern eginning of a larger ch is beginning to eye. We r minds vision to see beyond our differgoal that is yet to will be won by the take the women's the -iously and have in iught us inch by m a position of ie. these reasons 'the more the merrier I the IWY council will hold another 3rly spring, where t to discuss what Women's liberation . done for us and to -capture those fine iur founding semtalk freely about that were too s that were unrealat were too heavy ecommit ourselves j a logical deter- ourselves and our trap": Movement at Through this change from a Public Scht a Continuation School eventually a High School. "comi the more so, than any other type of evaluation for the Women's In 1937. a Public Schoi built and enlarged to c the size from 4 to 8 class' to raise the con- calls le Self-evaluation on the part of centres is as important if not buildings pressed into sen come a part of what M Adams TD MYSELF class rooms. bloodshed will take more love than either sex has shown thus far, yet that is the magic in- the of -he safe, the known, till need their sisters ice that the risk and was ready for te bu.siall worthwhile. I AM Awom AN GIVING BIRTH !ver I . and euert.Nne daneinq 4.o9other whoever am petitioning iers to phone me the office on Bay me if you would I seminar. be woman's m not exclusive concern". The needs of others In Sisterhood Gert Beadle 8 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Although the pros and cons of abortion are of vital importance to every woman, they are, in fact, only one of many areas where the rights of women are being infringed upon Dear Sisters: Letters Your new format and broader scope is most appealing and just what we need to provide communication between all women in our area, no matter what their role or philosophy. So often we bask in the fellowship of sisters who share our ideals and cease to make the effort to understand or reach out to those with whom we disagree. man's right to choose). We are all sisters, but it is obvious that women on both sides of this issue believe most strong, ly that they are right. As in any situation where strong commitments have been made and compromise is virtually impossible, the credibility of the individual involved is threatened and little else they have to say is taken seriously because it is overshadowed by the monstrous core issue. Over the past couple of years I have become increasingly distressed over the polarization that has taken place between women involved in the 'right to life' movement and those who uphold the ideal of 'a wo- and where supportive and constructive dialogue is needed to Keep us united and working for similar goals. This issue needs to be discussed and there are many vehicles through which it can be brought to the attention of the public. It is my fear, however, that the Northern Woman will polarize so many of its readers that the many other areas of concern to women which also need discussion will lose credibility. if we try to write what we thin you want us to write, doesn't that get us into this whole mind-readin thing, and open up a can of worms We worked on this issue: Lynne Robin Maureen Catherine Bev Ruth Estelle Sharon Laurie Doreen Noreen CLASSI FIED 30 Words free for Women's Se rvices/Jobs, Publications, Place to I ive. Sent to the NorthernWoman 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay "P" or phone SUGGESTED READING To Deliver Me of My Dreams Elizabeth Avakian 345-5841. women with carpentry skills phone 345-5841 or 622-4637. Wanted Every 1976 Woman's Almanac and Cassandra Wilson Appointment calendar and handbook available from the Women's Press 305, 280 Bloor St. W. Toronto. A Law Is Not For Women - June List of their publications available on request. Rape: The For Women First Sourcebook Noreen Connell - -- is Caldwell You Can Go From There from Here Shirley Maclean Women and Madness Phyllis - operator, needed to work on I.W.Y. starting Project, Herstory Jan. J6, 1976. Phone Liz Jobbitt, 939-2057. - gestetner Chester It's my Yours in positiveness, Janet Owen Those of us that formed the collective for this journal recognized the trap the issue of abortion could set and hoped to avoid it.Any notion that we were cool and impartial viewers of the human scene would be hypocricy in the truest sense,the very nature of t our level of consciousness compells us to a biased approach.eur commitment to the concept of sister hood demands this journal to bleed with and for all women regardless of their point of view.To question the motive of bias is to question conviction and conviction is the stuff of the soul and needs no apology.It follows therefor that all bias has it's roots in well intentioned soil and must be viewed in the context of healthy exchange. An ancient Chinese philosopher said (there was a time when men knew, before men told him what he ought to xnow) perhaps that is the blessed state we wish for women,to have the surety that removes them from all biased manipulation so that personal choices are made between them and their own conscience.. We value your letters and if they are written without rancour,with the same respect we intend to show you your difference of opinion is noWebarrier will not to however mutual understanding. play the game of confrontation with anyone,our position is well Known.We are in good company with ' status of women council and other progressive thinkers. If we are to use Women In Distress as our central theme we cannot skirt the issue,we can however not lend ourselves to the bitterness the subject provokes,The point in Janet Owens'letter is well made,we have taken it seriously and hope that you our readers will do the same. To Mary Kay of Brandon you are quite righttto take a shot at a sister because she took a shot at her sisters is not good but it only goes to show we are not above the self-righteous_ ness we deplore in others,Hang in there Mary Kay we progress. EDITORS ? Typist Now guing. Dear Readers Do you want us to write what we thinx,or what we think you want us to write Gert AB I said earlier, your paper reaches out to all women and I low( forward to reading about and hearing from women who share my views as well as those with whom I would differ. I sincerely hope, however, that the cool refreshing waters of this excellent publication will not be muddied by becoming the forum for destructive and fruitless haran- Turn - Joyce - Robin Beaton Sisterhood is Powerful Morgan MORE SUGGESTED READING Future of Motherhood Jessie Bernard When Morning Breaks B. Aptheeker Canadian Establishment The IWY Council is publishing a directory of women's organizations in N.W.O. Any groups wishing to be listed contact Liz Jobbitt, RR 1, Thunder Bay "F" Toronto Women's Bookstore, 85 Harbord St., Toronto, has books, has books for, by and about Women, non-sexist children's books, women's posters, records, buttons. Write enclosing a stamp for the mail order catalogue. 9 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �r.rary Profile on Pioneer Women During the 1940's it. was hi ought to Mrs. Neil I 's atten7 Lion that a Public Library would be an asset to. the community. A copy of the Library Act was obtained and studied and step by step the A profile of a pioneer woman, submitted by Ginger Ball of instructions were followed rlead- ing to the opening of a Library. in 1947. To get per misSrbn to start a Library one must I-ave a petition signed by the people of Geraldton., d.,eicontio 4.ezildr.ftwe, Mrs. Dorothea Neill the community and present said Mrs. Neill arrived in Getald- petition to the elected officials. ton in 1935 and took up residence in a small three roomed This was done in December 1945. The First Library operated log cabin down the train tracks from town. from the High School Annex, She was fortunate that she had a log cabin with a floor in January 1947; Later it moved to it, many people didn't. She also had a water pump in the kitchen which produced a pint of water at a time before it needed a rest. Wash water was car' ried from the creek and heated on the large wood cook stove. A gas lantern provided the only light for the small home. ing. Music Festival The Music Festival Committee had Mrs. Dorothea Neill as the first Chairman. The first Festival was conducted in the Ukranian Hall, at the corner of Hogarth Avenue and First St. W. The Rotary Club later took Second St. W. This home also pump in the kitchen which served until the water main was laid along Fourth ave. It was in 1937 that electricity was available and Mrs. Neill was able to make use of her perfectly good washing machine which over wash board. Running water finally came to that area and a great wash day was observed with no water to carry. the With two small sons needing School studied St. and and loving, hated and That we should want to he Marilyn Monroe when the math. woman of Challot is so near our natural bend, is the mystery of our generation; that we necessary was appointed a tax roll &awn up with some funds realised the Board should want to mince about in the chain mail that society has fashioned, to make us disavow that spirit in us that longs to stride as purposeful as a panther with the smell of blood all in the wind, to settle for that our innermost core. That men find honest women almost impossible to live with, this By time St. Andrew's Presbyterian .Church,ottg2 on Main St. was closed!, presentable for a class room. Furn- iture and books were ordered. and a teacher hired. Geraldton. School The Educational Institutions, too the Presbyterian Church, the Public Library and the Music soon the Presbyterian Church was overcrowded and other Festival, are all living testimony buildings pressed into service as class rooms. to the efforts of Mrs. Dorothea, fn 1937. a Public School was built and enlarged to double the size from 4 to 8 classrooms grown and she is many times a in one year. Then followed Neill. Mrs. Neill's children have grandmother. She enjoys her retirement years spending the- a change from a Public School to a Continuation School and eventually a High School. summers in Geraldton and the cold winter months in warmer, climates. There is a new chicken coming out of the egg these days, still prepared to love and forgive be up hating both our selves and those we think we did it for, is the natural consequence of be- educating children. gredient, and for the good of the world, we must find it. neath our skin, shows how far we have gone in the direction of peace at any price. That we have done it for love and ended torium was later used for the Festival and most recently' the Auditorium of B.A. Parker Public School. For 28 years the Music Festival has played an important part in the lives of young people in the Town of was ready for the business of bloodshed will take more love but and the than either sex has shown thus far, yet that is the magic in- sleeping beauty mentality when Dianna the huntress bays be- traying steps assessment notices sent out and to the situation. hating, tormented and tormenting, and always underneath it all stuck with the knowing. and as members. An assessor worked out their own remedy loved Act was obtained and The first board was interdenominational with Roman Catholics, Jewish people and Presbyterians Government recognised that fact. The people within the community met each need as it occured and passion that hangs us high and good we saw ourselves bought and sold, used and discarded, was first four months as Treasurer and then 7 years as Chairman. Provincial did not see herself in the presentation, fills me with despair at the extent of our self deception. From innocence to the school taken one by one. An Unorganized School Section was formed following a public meeting of 25 people held at Mrs. Holmes restaurant. Mrs. Neill served the Andrew's Presbyterian Church. The beginning of the Public Library and the Music Festival. Geraldton was a thriving Community long before the painful A beautiful, hour of self realization. To even consider the possibility that one woman in the viewing audience a necessary. A copy of the Public community. She worked for the establishment of the education- magic, education- an Mrs. Neill was instrumental in many projects within the T.V. REVUE Vivaca Land fors, I am a woman of used for years for the Festival. The High School Audi- she washed the families clothing system, the building of sponsorship was to the lack of electricity while al the Festival. The Curling Rink Hall had sat idle for some time due on the the Centennial Library opened in the permanent build- By 1936, the family moved a building at .when to the present home at the corner of Fourth Ave. S.W. and had small a corner of Main St. and .FOurth Ave. S. Still later; it operated from the upstairs of the Post Office (during the 50's) followed by the last move in 1967, not regardless. We who were born to believe we must wear the mask of deceit to acceptable in this man's world, will cling to the trappings that hide us from ourselves and others; but the us we saw in Landfor's presentation cannot be broken without knowing how much we are responsible for our own chains. SCFPORT SUSAN SAXE! T-shirts and posters, "Sometimes It's Ver., Hard for a Woman to Make Herself Heard"; shirts for adults in blue or gold, S,M,L,XL; children, S,M,L, gold only--S4 postpaid; posters, red, blue, black on yellow, $3 postpaid or 3 for $8. Photo-poster, "I intend to keep on fighting .," black on red, S3 or 3 for $8. Snxe poem, "Self Defense," 75c, 3 for Free leaflet about Susan on requeFt. ,47r der from: Susan Saxe DFense Fund, c/o N.L.G., 1427 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19102. Additional contributions for her Boston defense gratefully received! . . that women find honest men almost impossible to find, calls for new thinking on both without sides. To do it s Vert >e) c) 4) C, eet c., h*e hersa hear PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �it di )11' it as to what scenario, yoUr came next in friend: infc,.r.ted you of tile specifics of the next escalation. And sometimes, if that wasn't possible, the female you were with (embarrassingly -enough) we have dealt with so far that isn't normally seen or even partly exposed. Also because you knew that when this was liked really girl unhooked and off would not be far away. Maybe as soon as next week. When older,. the night. And you also same sensed that you were getting closer to the core of sexuality the at a swim patty when she only had on the bottom part of a two-piece suit, or was she wearing jeans, or .did she have a skirt on? Whatever the case, you usually ended, up rubbing crotch getting your hand her (as one variation of the phrase in her pants. Then you goes) sort of played around above or on top of her slit and eventual7 ly got .a finger in it, and by accident on your,;,,p:evious intelligence briefings) - found the "magic': button" And soon (usually), all hell broke loose and more than Women in Neighhourhoods 622-8197 the agenda. There were, in retrospect, many funny occasions that cropped up in this initiation Community Action Centre 545-0921 Mother's on Budgets 622-2863 I don't really need to And that pretty much covers the pre-coital scenario. Except it was described in a semi humorous male, were Family Counselling Agency 623-9596 I vi tiA Li hi r r ,L r. In conclusion the study gives a picture of the daily situations that women with children are dealThe magnitude of the ing with. stressors does not appear large. The impact of stress on lives doesn't appear to be very intense. However, the realm of daily stress situations that are perceived or reacted to as stressful need to be explored in greater detail. There is an implication that the known relationship of major life events or life crisis to impaired psychosocial functioning and/or phypical health may also be 4elevant to daily stressors. Legal Aid 345-1972 Telecare 344-1192 I Smith CLINIC (alcohol & drugn) Crisis Housing Human Rights Commission manner and, many of these events terrifying. You, most often had to take the first step. And you could be rejected. Refused. Denied. Cold and flat. And that could hurt. Hurt bad. In your own eyes and in your 344 -2431 623-2711 I 475-1693 . TABLE 7 Would any of the following services be useful to you in coping with stre Yes Employment Standards Act 475-1691 Municipal Day Care Special interest courses 231 187 Opportunity to continue education 173 Parent education groups 157 Neighborhood recreation groups 99 Credit counselling 93 Women's Centre Marriage education courses 75 Drug or alcohol counselling47 gm. rustra{-mod. stave et. No 91 126 3441-3922 622-2450 ? Pr 0 1>t t hot colibz.ct tk yet- in the scri pt. 344-5571 Crisis Intervention Continued next issue before, you didn't quite know what to do with yourself fucking wasn't Social Services (City) 623-2711 cess of sociali-zed sexuality. ever if I energy clearly from that pro- vide the girl s with a topic of trance 4 inches higher than you found it to be?). Now here there are many variables: was it --number of subtle (or not-sosubtle I ways what, was next. on What stuns me now is that originS of the tragedy of sex ressed her hip, worked around to her ass, pulled her close to announze if :t 'hadn't already been discovered-) the existence of your penis and give it some pleasurable friction (and pro- of you had imagined the en- 622-3999 probably have your own to tell. battle of the breast. You car- the vaginal entrance (how many 1 talk about them because you mixed metaphOr). Then began the assault on the crotch, in steps similar to those of the you slowly plogressed toward 345-5841 The Northern Woman Northern Women's Centre process. geographically gossip Wei ?if you were erect). They yOu worked down to the side of her leg. Then the front of her thigh. Then with a deep breath, and microscopic steps, 1 I to call 1 let you know in any one of a you, and that getting the bra (excuse numbers good be were ever tION r. the might with another lime. And if you THE SOCIALIZED PENIS achieved, you female which) COMMUNITY 134 149 ACTION CENTRE 201 204 216 247 345_0D02. cri..31-15-O90Z.1 male friends' eyes. Being scared to try and therefore not trying could just as easily become the subject of psychological selfpunishment and social Canadian Association for Repeal of the Abortion law ostra- cism. So there was always this elementary duality: while apparently the aggressor and con- queror, you were captive to a judgment by the female who "The purpose of CARAL is to ensure that no woman in Canada is denied access to safe, legal abortion. Our aim is the repeal of all sections of the Criminal Code dealing with abortion, and the establishment of comprehensive contraceptive and abortion services, including appropriate counselling, across the country. We regard the right to safe, legal abortion as a fundamental human right:' would accept or reject you. Also imortant to remember is how mese events were reported to/discussed with ." male friends after the party or date. Or gone over in your own I WANT TO JOIN CARAL! mind, again and again, detail by detail. How every step along Phone NAME (Print) the initiation ronte was stimu- lating and could/did cause an erection (remember the 4-hour erections and blue balls?). How we compared notes, made tact- ADDRESS ical sJggestions, commented on important signs -heavier breathing, torso writhing, aggressive hands, a more daring Name of Federal Riding or Member involvement of teeth, goose bumps, erected nipples, and when menstruation occurred or was expected to occur. Which girls like what since in those days "relationships" were short-lived and you never knew Street City Pf61:Mae*" OCCUPATION Enclosed is my financial contribution of S..... tongue, (Be as generous as possible--programs like this are costly. Minumums - individual $5.00 - family $10.00 - groups $50.00 31.00 minimum) Students, senior citizens, unemployed I AGREE WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF CARAL. _ 1 Signature Please return application & cheque to: CARAL, Box 424 (0_ Cambridge, Ont. 11 1! PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �HOW TO SAY NO TO STORASKA In Oct. 1975 the Arthur St. Public Library showed the film "How to Say No to a Rapist--and Survive" by Frederic Storaska, author of the book by the same name. Only about 20 people viewed it--requests being made that the film be shown again with resource people present. The film was brought back and was to be shown again in Dec. with a panel member present from the Northern Women's Centre. In the meantime, the centre had received information, directed to Colleges and Universities in the States, warning women of the "Lecture-entertainment" of Storaska, who styles himself as "the nation's authority on rape" and too there was a warning that a film and a book were also being distributed. The Feminist Alliance Against Rape Newsletter suggests that "Storaska's organization is nothing more than his booking agency. No feminists belong to or support Storaska's National Organization for the Prevention of Rape. The National Organization of Women condemns Storaska, and describes protests organized by women attending his performances on campus. Four women from the Northern Women's Centre were allowed to preview the film before its scheduled showing. The public showing was cancelled due to inclimate weather. In the opinion of the women this cancelation was fortunate as the advice offered is dangerous. Storaska advises women not to scream or resist, but to be humble to the rapist; this is contrary to the findings of the majority of police and psychological researchers. Rapists seek out and expect vulnerable women, and often flee when they discover that their victim is not. It ignores the effectiveness of an initial, aggressive reaction which transfers the element of surprise from the victim to the rapist. Storaska on film, was seen as that of a "performer", attractive in appearance and presentation but condesending and patronizing in attitude. To advise women never to resist the most violent, humiliating form of male aggression against women, is to ask them to return to their traditionally passive, accepting role in our society. These are the very roles from which women presently struggle to free themselves. In this sense, Storaska's film represents just one more technique of male oppression, which we as women can do without. This film is being boycotted in other cities in Canada, and should the Library intend to show it again in Thunder Bay, we would do the same. Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape by Susan Brownmiller, Simon and Schuster, N.Y. 510.95 Against Our Will has been described as "long awaited", "lusted after'', (Time, October 13, 1975); "monumental" and "chilling" (New York Times Book Review, October 13, 1975). Since feminists working in anti-rape organizing, and other interested persons have indeed waited a long time and somewhat impatiently for Brownmiller's book, it may be valuable for us to examine why this hook at(Jt rape is being recieved with such interrest and acclaim. BrownmilliT7 stated puronse in writing this work has been to give rape its history, in order that it may he denied a future; and this is where the value of the book lies. One facet of the work of the feminist movement has been to reclaim women's history. Forgotten women figures who played key roles in documented history, writers, artists, activists, researchers, etc., have been revealed to us by feminist historians. More important, though, than the achievements of individual women, is the hisf.ory of social, religious, and political movements of women which existed in the past. Further, through the study of archeology, mythology and folklore, women are beginning to unearth something of our unwritten history. Feminist writers, filmmakers, and distribution companies have attempted to disseminate knowledge of this history to contemporary women. But why? It seems that firm grounding in an historical perspective provides us with the sense of continuity and sisterhood often absent in our , lives. This is the key to the impact of Brownmiller's work. By exhaustive research and documentation, Susan Brownmiller has'provided a vindication of our ideas ahsmt rape, ideas which origionally stemmed for the most part from individual pain and anguish. In the past, rape and the threat of rape was percieved with terror an individual level. The pain felt by individual women who have been raped has grown in the last five years into a mass confrontation with sexism on all levels. Brownmillers book documents the idea that rape is a political act, used by men as a tool of oppression against women. This is not to say that Against Our Will should be accepted with unqualified praise. The main body of the work, with its extensive documentation is extremely valuable. However contradictions are apparent and must be resolved. One of the most obvious difficulties occurs with Brownmiller's wholesale acceptance of the present criminal justice system. The idea that 50-50- integration of the criminal justice system on all levels could reverse male domination of that system is, quite simply, unrealistic. Brownmiller does not recognize the necessity of women gaining actual power, as opposed to numerical parity with men. She does not see a total restructuring of the male-dominated power structure as a concrete goal, muchless a definite possibility. Furthermore, an important function of rape crisis centers is omitted by Brownmiller in her description of anti-rape organizing in Chapter 1?, "Women Fight Back". The idea of crisis centers functioning as agents of change, as i.,ressure groups confronting existing institutions, as political groups, is omitted, "any crisis centers which have been operative for a period of years have come to the realization that it is necessary to be much more than a "crisis" center, dealing with rape primarily after-the-fact. Constant contact with women who have been raoed only reinforces the need for work in basic organizing for all women to eliminate the threat of rape from their lives. Since this chapter is in part a description of actions women can take to regain some measure of control over their lives, the inclusion of this concept would have been valuable for Brownmiller's readers. In light of Brownmiller's research, it seems inexcusable that the few suggestions of concrete actions she does make are so ineffectual and out of touch with reality. Brownmiller's analysis of prostitution and rape, and her subsequent denunciation of legalized prostitution as a deterrent to rape, is accurate as it stands. However, she does not approach prostitution as a means of survival necessary to some women. She fails to make the connection between an oppressive, capitalistic economic system and the reality of women selling their bodies in order to survive. In general, the issue of class is dealt with inconsistently throughout the book. It is necessary to read the entire work carefully in order to piece together Brownmiller's overall perspective. For example, in Chapter 6, The Police-Blotter Rapist," she uses police statistics of convicted rapists to present a profile of a rapist as primarily lower class. It is not until the last paragraph of this chapter that Brownmiller even alludes to the fact that rapists come from other than lower class backgrounds. Then she does so in an indirect fashion with references to Greek mythology. The concept of the rapist as a product of a "subculture" of violence is also put forth in this chapter. The term subculture is in itself extremely misleading, as it implies a culture distinct from the main, or dominant culture. Rapists are a product of the dominant culture, and Brownmiller herself provides extensive evidence for this, in her discussions of movies, songs, pornography and other elements of our culture which degrade woman. Against Our Will is Jndoubtably a work of major importance, and should be read with care by all women who are working now to eliminate rape from our society. Also, this book has the potential to challenge those entrenched attitudes in our society which have nurtured the commission of rape as an act of power. As such, Against Our Will goes a long way towards Brownmiller's goal: to deny rape its future". FG-veLiinx.it by Nancy McDonald M DA, Thunder Bay has not had a Rape Crisis Centre for some time now. Regretfully it closed after being operational only a few months. Money commitment from volunteers, lack of support from police, phycicians, etc. contributed to its demise. However, Thunder Bay has a real need for a centre and any interested individuals or groups that would like to put time and energy into initiating one are asked to call N.W.C. tot -4.9)00.,04. cam Iv' 622-3989. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �ABORTION ? I N CANADA and expose the main question: do Canadians want issues an autocratic society, which attempts to impose a com- A BRIEF ON THE mon morality by ABORTION QUESTION fect probably is the motivation behind the move- the by Prepared Humanist Association of OttaWa, June 1975. Our purpose here is to evidence briefly examine available on some aspects of abortion on the world scene, and to bring out two facts which we Canadians feel need to face squarely before there can be any resolution to this ongoing national con troversy. The first type of evidence has to do with the prevalence of abortions. One can go to a number of places for reasonable evidence concerning numbers, we shall use the most dire t, a survey by International Planned Parenthood Federation 1973. in This survey provides the first fact: in most countries of the world the abortion ratio lies 1:8 about between (one abortion for 8 live births) and 2:1, .whether legal or illegal, with a world average of 1:2. To-day 60% of the world's population lives in countries where abortion is allowed for reasons. In medico-social the remaining countries the fact that abortion is illegal has not pro duced a low abortion ratio: it is often very high, about in 1:1 Italy and Latin America parts of example. also useful to recognize that the prevalence of abortion is not new. For example, a ratio of 1:2 was quoted for the state of Michigan in the last century, and abortion was unregulated in from about Britain 1300:1800. It is What are the conse- quences of this world pattern for Canada to-day? Obviously the frequently heard argu- ment that abortion amounts to murder must be considered unrealistic, because a large proportion of the women on earth would then have to be murderers (the average family has two to three children, so that each woman on the average must have one abortion). Secondly, the concern often expressed about the increase in the abortion ratio since 1970, as revealed by Statistics Canada (1:8 in 1973), is misplaced. These statistics refer to therapeutic (legal) abortions only there - are no firm statistics for illegal abortions in Canada. The evidence we have suggests that the number of illegal abortions in Canada is decreasing to balance the increase in legal ones. This behaviour is consistent with the world patterngiven above. Most important, howthe consequences concerning legislation. The data from Italy and Latin ever, to ment IN CANA. DA are America, for example, shows that restrictive legislation repeal conscience of its members to enemies major democratic societies with which we are most the closely France Britain, United patient. cap- members of to respond appropriately to the challenge of International Women's Year by supporting the We urge Parliament to determine whether this relationship observed in pre-industrial societies is relevant to contemporary society, a personality profile was constructed in a recent sociologithe associated, and the States, have made the latter choice, and left abortion to the discretion of doctor and tured in warfare. In an effort cal repeal of Section 251 of the Criminal abortion Code, Canada's law, and that expansion of gevernment birth control programs in order to attain a lower abortion ratio study of 96 students at University of California. Here again a strong correlation was found between sup- humanely port for the statement "abortion should be punished and effectively. The government position that the the present law is a suit- by society" and statements able which two extremes is not correct. Firstly, it does not work equitably, but, secondly, characterize a disrespect for life, such as ''violence is really necessary to our problems" and solve good for children who disobey a lot". Even more relevant to us is an analysis of the voting pattern of the 98 of our compromise between repeal of this law does not represent an extreme position. Repeal represents a moderate one which leaves "hard physical punishment is members woman, between the ex- tremes of pro and anti abortion. This middle position is backed by many responsible Canadian 1968-69 session, which included reform of the abor- Canadian institutions such as tion law, and also on the bill Women and the Commission, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Federation of University Women, the United Church Women, the National Council of Jewish women, etc. The reason for their support is that repeal of the law is connected with valid empirical evidence regarding consequences; as illustrated earlier. Usually this middle position is mistakenly called Status Roayl to abolish capital punishment. Here 80t voted for both reform bills or against both reform bills, a social pattern in agreement with the two other studies. (it should be noted that correlations give the trend in a society but do not apply to any individual, given who may support a particular issue for reasons quite differfrom the ent trend. It is important for the individual to recognize, however, trend in society he/she is also supporting). repeal of the law who are also urging more effective What then are the consequences of this second fact birth control programs which would reduce the need for abortion. for the abortion question in Canada to-day? Virtually the only argument put forward by those who are against that abortion is morally wrong because it shows dis respect for human life (slogans "pro-life", "right-tolife", etc.). This is an understandable instinctive response to the always unpleasant problem of abortion. However, the above scientific zeal, but if net consequences of the two facts developed above is to de-emphasize side does not lead to a low abortion ratio. It appears that "... every normal woman seems to assume the right emotionally to achieve motherhood and to renounce motherhood, whether it is legal. or not". The effect of restrictive public media have this king of legislation, a cruel access to way, by refusing proper medical care. This af- present Woman As..f rom pg. We have begun to realize that influence and are properly concerned about extensive exoosure, especially of children, to violence on television. We no longer believe' is appropriate to black people or any minority group in such a way for Repeal of the Abortion taw (CARAL) visited Association Thunder Bay CM November 6, in connection with her nation-and n tour. CABAL the city arranged for her to do two T.V. interviews and one for radio for the purpose of outlining CARALS aims and objectives. From all reports these interviews went very well indeed. During the evening she spoke to about 20-25 women at an infor'mal meeting at the Northern Women's Centre. the a Only one third of "approv- relatively un- view of Canadian opinion is desired we recom- ed" hospitals have set up therepeutic abortion committees which makes it impossible for mend the 1974 Gallup Poll (62% in favour of repeal) or the Chatelaine Poll (over 70% contradicted by the evidence. These studies in fact support The discriminates Jean Forden, Vice-president of The Canadian biased studies show that this argument is not merely misleading, but is actually directly between a safe, legal abortion and an unwanted child. the law to be applied equitably with the result being that it VISIT 'HY CANAL tiFliiESENTATIVE Jean explained that CARAL government position leans toward the was established in November, right wind extremist groups 1974 as an "Umbrella" organizformed especially to influ- ation to give individuals and ence opinion on this issue. interest groups working toward The enormous petition de- removal- of the abortion laws livered recently to parliament from the Criminal code, a is certainly a tribute to their national voice. Thus legalizing abortion has been permitting women to choose of pro abortion in the media. In fact everyone normally feels a revulsion for abortion-, but it is the groups who support the the view that the quality of Available from all fine bookstores. the Advisory Council on the in the 1967-68 session which either MORGENTALER The Doctor Wbo Couldn 't Turn .4 way by Eleanor Wright Pelrine $9.95 the choice to the individual parliament who voted on the omnibus reform bill in the proposed 77w Doctor Who Couldn't 77 rill Away the maximum lextent possible? It is no accident that the practice of slavery, and the killing, torturing and of MORGENTALER society, where reliance is plated on the individual Canada's present abortion law. The second fact we wish to establish comes from studies in anthropology and sociology. A study of 23 primitive cultures shows that a strong correlation exists between punishment of abortion and disrespect for life, as evidenced by, for example, mutilating repressive legislation, or do they want a humanistic, multi-cultural main in favour of repeal in 1974). I hat states or implies thay are appropriate objects for derision, exploitation or violence. If the sort of magazine I have described consistently showed a Newfoundland fisher- man, and Indian or a Black person in such a manner, there would be an outrage protest. Members of these groups would quite properly see this sort of thing as being unacceptable. As a female and a Psychologist, I say that current presentation of women as objects of aggression is just as inappropriate. The fact that women are assaulted and raped in our culture is not a reason for such 1 presentations. Newfoundland Indians and Black fishermen, people are also exploited and assaulted physically and psycho- logically. The fact that this is inappropriate is why we don't present such images in public media as models any more. It is time to get such images of women at least out of the easy access of children. This could be quite simple accomplished by not putting these view. Any adults who wish to buy them magazines can out on perfectly easily ask for them. Lois Hayweiser,Ph.D., Psychology Department poor against women, and women in isolated and outlying areas. Also the definition of "bealth" is left up to the individual committees - some committees take the narrowest definition, that is, the physical well-being of the woman while others may go to the broader definition and take in the psychological well -being of the woman. An important point to remember is that abortion is a fact of life and will remain so fail-proof contraceptives available. CARAL regards the right to a safe legal aboruntil are tion as a fundamental right. The key words are "freedom of choice". If we can get abortion out of the criminal code, it can be treated as any other medical matter a Private concern of patient and doctor. Jean went on to say that the second consideration of - CARAL is to press for better sex education and the establishment of comprehensive contraceptive and abortion services. A discussion took place re- garding the situation locally and one woman passed on the information that there -may be only one hospital in Thunder Bay performing abortions. It became apparent that we need to bring the information for this area up to date. We should also set up a "watchdog" committee to ensure that we do not lose some of the rights now granted under the present con- fusing law. In order for CARAL to be effective it requires the finan- cial as well as moral support of everyone. Those more restrictive working for laws which would send desperate women to street butchers are well organized and heavily funded. back You will find a clip -out membership form in this paper please join CARAL now! 13 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �the insufficiency often resulted in By Jack Litewka This is to a certain degree, a personal story. I felt the need to make it public because have sensed for a long time, and now see more clearly every day, the disaster of sexuality in its present forms. Some women I have been struggling with this reality. They have attempted to expose the male/female myth in the hope of creating a healthier reality. But most men have been (at best) silent of (at worst) dishonest-and often ignorant and defensive. This essay is an attempt to help men begin talking among themselves and hopefully with women. The people who should have initiated the dialogue are psychoanalysts and psychiatrists: the pscho-healers. But they have failed us. And themselves. By and large, they have concentrated their energies on helping people adapt to realities of the social system rather than examining the foundations of that system. But, like the rest of us, these people are damaged. And being damaged, they incapable of dealing with are their own experience. Have you seen much written or spoken about masturbation? I haven't. The psycho-healers, most of whom are men, always talk about the phenomenon of masturbation as if it was "other," "out there". Have you ever heard- psycho-healer a say, "When I masturbate(d)...?" Of course not. They are incapable or terrified of dealing with their own experience. So I am attempting to deal with mine, with those of men know, in I an effort to help us begin- to deal more honestly with one aspect of male socialization. Like the psycho-healers, like everyone, I am also damaged. I may be incapable of asking the right questions. I know I'm not able now to supply the "answers" that are needed. Desperately needed. But I'm going to try, and I hope that other will trying. Through persistence and honmen begin also esty and perhaps by accident, we'll end up asking the right questions and be better able to answer them. I'm very grateful to a few close friends, male and female, .who are involved in this strug- gle and who have given me support and encouragement and criticism and chunks of their own lives in the writing of this essorr I'm also very happy the Women's Movement exists and that many women are com- :nitted to undoing the damage done to all of us. I am not going to re-discuss what women writers have already explored. The sexual socialization of men in this century is what I want to deal with. More specifically, socialized sexual response. Still more specifically, the socialized penis. My penis, not just those of other men out there. * I * * was raised in America and learned - as did many other boys in my chilhood and men I know now - to perform sexually on desire or request. This performance I think can be considered the norm, an ability that most males wanted to develop or maintain. The males who didn't conform to this norm usually felt incomplete, unskilled, or unmanly. And this self-damning fear and anxiety, while other "healthy" males who automatically or easily conformed to the norm just cruised along, dropping anchor in this or that port when entertainment's hunger urged. I think I am typical of most American males when I say that getting aroused, getting an erection, was not a major problem in If there adolescence. was a major problem, it was in not knowing what to do, or not being allowed to do anything, with an erection. So you had to learn how to hide it or deal with the embarrassment of its discovery. don't know when I I the past week on vacation just reading, resting, doing odd jobs - not masturbating- and enjoying the absence of tension. Again, it wasn't a hassl because the woman knew me and I knew her and we both knew people the other had slept with, so it was chalked off as a freak with of us to blame. We touched along the whole length of our bodies and discussed basketball, politics, and our social/sexual histories. She fell neither asleep. couldn't, my brain I me, having scary thoughts about a present (temporary) or impending impotency, and resolving to do something but not knowing what. gnawing at began to be annoyed with the way I a ance. And for that reason, too, it may actually have been the only way could start the examination.) also read a lot of feminist writings, and continued to have many and long I I talks with a few close friends, all of whom are intensely involved with the liberation of people. I learned much during this time (a lot of which I already knew but couldn't make cohere), not all of- which lends itself to this essay. But it ,all fed into an increasingly less diffuse puzzle. Incident 3. This occasion was similar in almost all respects to Incidents 1 & 2, occuring about 18 months after the first in- women and men relate. Like most men, I think, only dealt with a relationship when I had experienced enough and was troubled enough to look back at that to look at "other" sexuality, to learn from second-hand experience, was a safer path and one of less resistand previous relationship. But by the time one seriously be- second made me decide to seriously analyze the way I had been I sexually socialized. now understand that the incidents occurred because I was already grappling with the origins of my sexuality. Ilncident 1. A woman I like (and who liked me - "love" may be a mythic word so it is not being used, especially since it has nothing to do with erection) and I were in bed together for the first time. We talked and hugged and played. To my surprise and dismay, didn't get an erection. At least not at the propitious moment (I did I erections now and then throughout the night). And have I didn't know why. Maybe was just too tired or had been fucking and masturbating too much (though that had never been a I problem before). But it didn't disturb me too much because the woman was supportive and we both knew there would be other nights. So we rolled together, smelled other, each heard our breathing, and had a lovely night despite absence of coitus. assumption: it had to be me or the woman was with. But since it had happened with two different women, figured it was me (though there might have been similarities between the women and the situations). I I But since I had performed sexually in a normal way many times in the year between these incidents, assumed that it had to be something about these °articular women in combination with me. I My immediate concern was my own fright. The "no erection at the right time" syndrome had happened to me twice. I was scared, very scared. Images of impotence hung in the air and wouldn't disappear. So I got in touch with an old love who I still spend a loving night or two with every five or six months and with whom I had always had good sexual chemistry. We got together two nights 'later and history prevailed: my penis had its timing back and perI formed like the stud was always meant to be. Which was a tremendous relief. But still had no answer to I I my question: why didn't get an erection at the right time on I Again, I didn't know why. But I knew it wasn't from being too tired or fucking or masturbating too much, since I hadn't slept with a woman in about a month and since had spent I two different occasions when was with women wanted to be with and who wanted to be with me, when there was mutual attraction and social/political/intellectual compatibility? had a few clues, a few hunches, a few theories. But at best they were very partial answers. So I I started to do a lot of thinking and isolated myself from old I Also, there was some hope because perceptions were begin- ning to clump together. It became increasingly clear to me that to find in order answers to. my emerging quest- would have to go back and retrace the steps that were parts of my sexual history. Simultaneously, was thinking that if my socialized sexuality was in way similar to that of °vier -nen, then my formulaions, I I realize now and then over her throat. Then the face an outer ea' of the waist above th ( ma ybe-not-yet) hip bone: Here let us take a deep breat before the great leap upward t the breast, which is a bold ac broken into a number of ritua istic steps. First the hand ove one breast, with blase and br between your hand and th female's flesh. This is a mov that took special courag (balls?) and was very excitin for it seemed a new level c sensuality (which it was for th female, but for the male? nc tions wouldn't be idosyncratic only a -,ew level of expects tion). Tien came a kind c figure-eight roving over th to my experience. And as clues found me, remembered old chest from one breast to th other (if your position allowe talks with young male friends and checked them against re- - how many right-handed lover out there?). Then a sneakin between buttons (later unbu . I cent talks with adult male friends. It seemed that we had all gone through a basically similar process (with countless variations). Even those males who had not conformed to the norm, who didn't perform sexually according to the book, were affected by the norm process (sometimes resulting in a devastating social and sexual isolation). So I thought it would be worth the effort to construct a norm, however flawed, to determine what shape that image took. And to see if that image could teach. * * toned) so your hand is on th breast with only the bra sepal ating you from flesh. (or if th procedure was too uncouth too visible to others in dusky room or impossible th br of a no-button sweater you worked underneath th garment from a fleshy bell cause right up to the bra.) Then, b of gradually develope finger dexteity, you begin t means attack the flesh of the brew itself, working down from th top of the bra into the cut And if you hadn't yet picke up any signs of female corn; licity in your previous exper * ence, it was often clear heft% The Initiation of a Young Male: in looking back on my she sat and breathed normalh your fingers didn't stand sexual experiences and those of male friends, a very definite and sequential pattern was evident. I'm talking about actual (overt) sexual events, not subliminal or imagined or representational sexual experience. chance I'm thinking of adolescent time did (I the neck, and run your finger Then the belly. And after, th upper belly and the rib cage determined repeated patterns (and there were) of male/female sexual activities that I could learn that this was a cop-out, a refusal or inability to look at my finger sides was in adolescent terms when males begin to experiment and devlop something from. your and someone who had gone though many things with over the years: this was just going to be another thing that I loves and potential new ones. decided to read a lot of 19th-century porno literature, hoping that there might be I with Again, the woman was support- that I I sponds to your hands. First yo enough to maybe, just maybe, it through to solution. see I In the following year, I had a few relation ships and my penis was its old arrogant self, so that one night seemed an unexplained oddity and was pretty much forgotten. My sexual life had the same sexual dynamic as my previous sexual history, so things were back to normal. But then came round two. Incident 2. Similar in all respects to Incident 1. No erection at the right time. Again, did have erections now and then throughout the night. young (lobes especially). And middl ear. Then lower back (at whic point your tongue might COVE the ear as a stand-in for th absent hand). Then the tend we would have to deal with. an learn more as th female (hopefully) n and seek, through her hair (music, please wasn't as fright- I ive made being th me). ance I of course, instrument made to respond t the musician). You, as a your male, are told(or figure °IT what sensitive spots you shout Then you go for the back c going on and had the reassur- Simplistically, complex harmonies (with th woman, shoulders the Between instead of dealing with male/ In the last year and a half, something happened to me on three separate occasions that process you learn to use yoi hands to round out the orche tration, at first with simpl clumsy Chords and later wit and third incidents, my sexual life had again been normal (for ened because I had already begun to figure out what was and lai,g)- s at the absurdity. Or tragedi. You kiss a girl. You kiss girl a number of times. Yo kiss a girl continuously (make out). You kiss a girl contii uously and get your tongs into the act. All though th second. This time represses wiat one knows, or stands under it intellectually lows. just hug and grasp. The- yo make little circles on he to examine male/female relationships, it is usually too late. Because one has already been thoroughly socialized. So or refuses to examine them, or I cident and 6 months after the gins female relationships, one is incapable of examining them, ha% among the many men known and talked with, th sequence runs roughly as fo their knowledge and expertise. I'm thinking about things you sequentially as you got older. With a few total exceptions and an odd irregularity or two (like fucking a "whore" before you'd kissed a "girl") self, my own sexual experience; cerniki on page 11 14 (bras were worn yen tightly in my junior high schoo so that nipples were alway pointing up at your eyes). I she wanted to be helpful, shy would deeply exhale and mov her shoulder forward so then was space between the bra an( the breast. (Women's coopera tion during all these events i interesting topic and mall, should be written about by an woman.) And here came th rainbow's gold - the assault or the nipple. While a kiss wa exciting, and cupping a breas breath-taking, the conquest o the nipple was transendent Partly because it was the only part of a female's anatomy tha PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �News Br iefs PEARL WARMAN - SISTER women. The Biggest complai-t. London women Three working as waitresses and bartenders have been award- ed a total of $1,633 in back pay. Janet Baillie, Rose Jackand son Paula Hill, employees of the Ramada Inn in London, were receiving the minimum wage. They worked in the upstairs lounge of the motel, drinks and pouring serving patrons both at the bar nd at tables. Male bartenders pouring and serving drinks in a comparable area downstairs were being raid three dollars per hour. No male bartenders were employed upstairs. The employer felt that the wage difference was justified because the upstairs lounge was quieter and more pleasant place to work, and because the women had more to earn tips there. However, Mr. Samuel Lerner, Q.C., who presided at opportunity hearing at the London Court House in October 20th, ruled that the work the performed by the waiters and waitresses was substantially the same and that under Section 33 (1) of the Employment Standards Act a wage differential was not justified. Complaints under this section of the Act have resulted in assessments against eleven employers during the first ten months of this year. A total of 76 employees have received back pay amounting against stereotyping or demeaning the female rote, was which accounted for 30 percent, and ads showing women as sex objects or obsessed with their own physical attractive- ness accounted for 22 percent. The Council advises the public to help eliminate offensive ads in the following Ways: Tune in to the underlying message and try to recognize what the ad is implying about the role and behavior of wom- en; Complain to the product manufacturer, the TV or radio station or publication carrying the ad, the advertising agency, if you know it, and to the Canadian Advertising Advisory - Board, 1240 STreet, Bay Toronto; If possible, put your com- plaint in writing rather than by phone, and make it clear that unless you get a satisfactory reply, you will stop buying the advertised product; Carry through with the threat, even if the substitute you buy is less satisfying; Tell friends, neighbors and - - workmates what you are doing and encourage them to follow your example; - Keep the Ontario Status of Council informed of interest. The address is Women your 801 Bay ST., 3rd floor, Toronto. NOTE: 'About Face' is avail able from The Northern Warr. en's Centre. ,FORT FRANCES WOMEN to S33,907. GOING PLACES A COMPLAINT THAT GOT Mrs. Edna Avis -was named chairman of the board of gov- SOMEHWERE ernors A spokeswoman for the VanStatus of Women in Vancouver; British .Columbia recently wrote the following couver letter to the Vancouver Calendar Magazine: "Dear Sir: May I draw attentiona to the ad in your March issue showing two hardhats in a manhole gawking up at a naked pair of legs with the caption "The Longer Better"... The the sexist female equivalent to this ad would be picture of a group of secretaries staring at the boss' crotch with the same title... On behalf of the 1400 affiliated members of the Vancouver of Status Women, would appreciate a prompt reply." I She the letter from marketing director of the received this of Confederation Cc' lege, which serves the largest geographic area in Ontario. There are 12 other members of the board,including one other woman, Mrs. Thunder Bay. A. Powell of Christine Johanson has been ?warded a Canada - U.S.S.R. exchange scholarship for studies at Leningrad State University. She will also research in Moscow. Governor-General of Canada, Jules Leger, was presented with a beaded jacket, designed and hand made by Nancy Jones. Nancy was the first woman to win the Canadian open beaver handling contest in 1969 and has since received considerable praise and publicity for both her pelting and designing. B&H Cigaretter Co. in response: "Based on your letter and several others, we are withdrawing the "Longer the Better" ad from the campaign mix as quickly as possible, and are Dorothy Redford STRIKER The story of Pearl Wardman, battle scarred survivor of the Fort Frances Clinic strike is not the story of cut and dried statistics. Beyond the reasons for the strike and the outcome of it, we find a woman who loved her job, and if members of the public are to be believed, was very good at it. It is also the story of members of the medical profession who once had her affection and trust, losing all semblance of both for reasons that do no credit to either their profession or themselves as human beings. "I am not bitter", she Said, "I am sad, for I have to consider, if they are capable of such smallness, such petty viciousness, as they displayed when their position of power was challenged, how safe in their hands is the patient whose very life may depend-on them?" Pearl, who won the gold medal in her-class for theory, believes she is black listed in so far as her profession is concerned. More than a year later, as a volunteer in a blood clinic, the doctor present treated her as a pariah. It is ironic that first consideration of the advantages of a union in the nic was sparked by staff being summarily dismissed without just cause, it is further evidence of_their naivete that they began in high hopes confident the years they had served the clinic, the loyalty they had shown the doctors would serve them well in their struggle for job security. Approximately 18 months without a contract, poorly paid, some of the service staff under $2.00 an hour, they decided to go CLINIC STRIKEand all hell theTHE union toute, broke loose. Peirl thought They say thiswas week-end will and wrap it up. The clinic strike will her position valued be over. David Suzuki on discussing a racial incident said "what Talkingmetois her, one Secure. really depresses the people who watched without canprotest". see why she became the I guess thats where I'm at, this horrible feeling that leader and lightening we have lostthe the capacity to carerod enough to protest. That we justify and alibi and evade the forwillthe doctors' wrath. Shetruth of what happened in midst. That once moreperson right is might and arrogance does'nt is our a strong positive need to apologize to anyone. The Port Arthur clinic will ramain whoa running doesn't soremince on the words. conscience of all the thinking citizenry of Where once she washopefully comlimented this community and will manifest itself in a real from it's andexodus trusted, sheservices. becameTothe have invested any faith in it's capacity for human response only possible to the simple (expletive deleted) that iswill minded. lick my boots. taking down the outdoor ads front across Southwestern Ontario. We apologize for personally offending you with this ad health clinic. her and others b have allowed a h egotistical stra flaunt power tha earned or deserv Pearl hopes a brief at the I in Thunder Bay, hopes to meet th Arthur Clinic st also have reason the ethics of th profession. "Ah l Let consi us that is sheathed ed in ha a ours. Strangely shaft may be jus for a fron F Driest' as the e for survival. Whe and taken advan cuse times by people gling to maintain we must protest death. What is limits our protes rhetoric, that thi hopes in our some seed of con take root and wit a relationship, a be lifted from us against the bare our teeth enough already.. back or I'll bre are Then having done the most heroic a thing we have eve mired in the guilt lived up to our ow ing image. hav we mourn, have I I have lost (dare husband. On clos may find our loss compared to the compatriot who compulsive, funct a handy little ga tool kit. MOTHERS ON BUDGE Mothers on Budge group of low-inco For the most par single parents s children. We hold get toge second and fourt of the month. For Feb. 25th me having a lawyer talk about Women the area of sepe divorce, custody credit etc. We meet every se night at 7p.m. a Cal ing Street. further informati Maureen and hope that since we are trying to be socially consicious that you will support us... GETTING THE MESSAGE majority of advertisers oroducing ads which are objectionable or offensive to The are women, the Ontario Advisory on the of Status Women has found. In a recently pub i shied report, "About Council Face", the Council examined 4. the results of a media-monitoring experiment whi tamed a random sample of ha confuse the targ with the knowl though our moti the only blood o Ontario PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �SPEAKING OUT ON PROSTITUTION ' The following paper was presented at an all-day fillibuster of a New York State Legislature hearing on Prostitution as a victimless crime. by Susan Brownmiller As with most other issues of women's liberation, the problem of prostitution is unbelievable complex, resting as it does on economics, psychology, sexuality and the male power principle. There are some who say that the male power principle embodies the first three points. To be perfectly honest, that's what I'd say. One fact about prostitution I'm sure has not escaped your notice: the buyers, the ones who hold the cash in their hand, the ones who create the market by their demand, they are all men, gentlemen, the same sex as yourselves. In the 1940's, the Kinsey Report-which was probably the last really documented report on sexuality--stated that two-thirds of all American men have some experience with a prostitute. In 1964 R.E.L. Masters estimated that the figure was closer to 80%. Now the stock your sex is buying with dollar bills is human flesh, for the most part, but not always, the same sex as myself. I say "not always", because in this city you can go any evening to the corner of 53rd St. and Third Ave. and see men buying other men for This is seldom talked about sex. Again the buybut it is relevant. ers are always men. Now the myth has it that the female prostitute is the seller of her own flesh, that she is a free participant in her act, that she has made a conscious choice to sell her This is a male myth, one that body. your sex has rather successfully popularized for your own self intIt has not only absolved you erest. of your responsibility in this terrible crime of buying another human beings body, it has conveniently shifted your guilt onto our shouldThe law in this city is appers. lied to punish the woman and let the man go scotfree. Now there is something else that the male sex has always tried to do to cover up its crime: it has tried to seperate the women engaged in prostitution from the rest of the women in the culture. It calls her "the other", it marks her the bad woman, it sends her to jail, and it tells the rest of us that we are very good and virtuous and we have nothing in common with her. Well, gentlemen, I have good news for you. We have seen through that little myth; the feminist movement identifies itself with the female victim of the male created institution known as prostitution. Now, I am white, and middle class and ambitious; and I have no trouble identifying with either the call girl or the street hustI've ler, and I can explain why: been working to support myself in the city for fifteen years, and I've had more offers to sell my body for money than I have had to Now when I see a be an executive. young women hustling on the street, I see a young woman like myself who has ambition. But she has no opI mean, what else could tions. She could be a waitress, she be? she could be a secretary, she could be a welfare mother, she could be somebody's wife. There was a time when I was working to support myself as a waitress and a file cleric, The disparity between my reality situation and my ambition to be an actress, was so great that I gave serious thought to the social pressure to And that is do a little hustling. something, gentlemen, that I really don't think you comprehend, I don't think that anyone has ever asked you to sell your body, or presumed that your body was for sale. I wonder if a cab driver has ever turned to you and remarked, "I see you're little short of change. Perhaps we could I could steer some work together. customers your way." I wonder if a man has ever walked up to you in a hotel lobby and muttered. "What's I wonder if you've ever your price? applied for work in a bar and the owner, or manager, looked you up and down and said, "Are you sure you're over eighteen? Why don't you come downstairs with me and prove it?" Now these were all experiences that happened to me at a time when perhaps I looked more vulnerable than I am today, and when I was certainly So now perhaps you more desperate. can understand why I identify with the prostitute, and why, when I see a front page headline in the New York "Mayor Stepping Up Drive on Time, Prostitutes and Smut", I know in a very real sense that it is me and my entire sex that the mayor and the Times are talking about. And when this mayor appoints a task force of six men and no women to study the problems of pimps, porn, and prostitution, giving equal moral weight to each category, I know that his fad.lure to appoint even one woman is not an oversight, it's ,just that the boys have decided they've got to get together and do a little superficial something to preserve their fun. Now I am worried that your hearing today is to open the doo to the legalization of prostitut Gentlemen, if you extend th definition of government-inspect meat to the sale of human flesh, you will do it over our dead bod ies. The women's movement will tolerate the legalization of sex slavery in this state. Yes, the is a prostitution problem. It i expressed by Judge..., who has w ten: "Most men who visit prosti utes would be considered normal. It was expressed by Judge.., who began to hold prostitutes in his court without bail after he got some complaints from friends of who were in town for a Bar Assoc, iation hearing. They claimed th were actually being harassed by men on the street. Well, if Jud, Schwalb were to put on a skirt a walk down 42nd St., or even Fin: Ave., any afternoon, despite his hairy legs, I think he would beg to understand what street harass. ment is all about. It is women are being harassed, day and nigh . and they are being harassed by and not the reverse. There is a serious problem in our society, when women with bition must sell their bodies be ause there is no other way they earn $15,000 a year. There is a serious problem when men think a ess to the female body is, if no a divine right, at least a money, right. Prostitution will not end ii this country until men see And man will not see as equals. women as equals until there is So it seen end to prostitution. we will have to work for the ful equality of women and the end tc prostitution side by side. In the meantime it seems to me, it' foolish to prosecute a woman for a crime in which she is the vicBut it is equally repreher tim. Bible to let a man go free for t criminal act of purchasing anotler's body. Now that concludes the fors part of my testimony. I had a great deal of difficulty writing these words down because, as the poet Adrienne Rich said in anot} er context, "this is the oppress ors language," And it's very clo when you start to write about pi stitution that you're using the oppressor's language, which is the male language. The institu tion is defined by the woman: prostitution; but it is the man There is who does the buying. formal word to describe that maJ we have just a couple of slang words like "john," "trick," th. the prostitute uses. Perhaps that's because it's all men and men have never felt the need fo a specific word in the language that defines something which is Anyway, I've h their province. trouble, and because of that I feel that other women from the movement must speak now.... taken from The Other Woman June 1972 16 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN Cam& Poole. Post Canada Po.0.0.3 316 :Ray Street Thunder Bay P, Ontario Return postage guaranteed Bulk third owe En nondxs bckilikti, clams chime 220 0111% wt. 9.rt-tERty t'll° 'c, .2% P. 17 1), wOlik Ira am, ...M. Alm. glib ma. vle - - -- -- 4, BAY S TAPE.°47 pr? 8,9),..PAv2. 0 0 7. ,t. (Six r ss ucs) .3 4.° Ycatt 7 ?.° ausiNos oR rtusTirurtow PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 2 No 4 Description An account of the resource Vol. 2, No, 4 (1975) Title: The Northern Woman: Women’s New Regional Journal Topics include: Women in Distress Editorial Policy Quality of Life Letters Social Work Social Workers Burnout Violence Against Women (Testimonial) Lesbianism & Motherhood Alcoholism Woman’s Credit Union Violence in the Media Woman & Stress Research Lakehead Social Planning Council Daycare Committee Comics Poetry Art About Northern Woman Journal About Northern Women’s Centre Suggested Readings Pioneer Women Media Representation of Women Abortion Law Repeal Male Socialization Book Reviews Rape Crisis Centre Dr. Henry Morgentaler Access to Abortion Media Representation of Black People Feminist News Port Arthur Clinic Strike Mothers on Budgets Prostitution & Patriarchy Prostitution & Victimization Authors/Contributors: M. Gibbons Bernice Cain Ruth Pat Leslie Mary Kay Burch Jacqueline Hétu Mallory Reva Bonnie Beckwoman Dorothy Redford Gert Beadle Ginger Ball Vivacia Landfors Dr. Lois Hayweiser Jack Litewka Susan Brownmiller Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1975 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English https://digitalcollections.lakeheadu.ca/files/original/16/2740/1975_Vol_2_No._3_CV01.pdf 7db820adf7342c5da7235378f154c8ee PDF Text Text Cv) LU Cn PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �EDITORIAL For most of us involved in the Feminist Movement, instant recognition of our oppression was very unlikely. It is more probable to assume that although we were exposed This issue, therefore, is an effort to further assist women to inequalities and sexism very early in our girlhood, this recognition of our oppression did not occur, or was not acknowledged as being a problem of being born a female. However, if it was recognized at all, it was likely to be in their climb to a higher awareness, hopefully causing them to examine the power structure in the family, viewed as a personal Rot a universal oppression. question whether we are indeed full and participating citizens of Canada, and with the realization of the inequalities that are accepted and utilized to restrict The growing stages of our awareness (raising of our consciousness) can be compared to the rungs of a ladder. We all began on the bottom rung. Conscidusness-raising is the first step up from the bottom rung. Our educational system and our day-to-day living does not usually provide us with the perceptions and knowledge that allow us to effectively discern areas of discontent and oppression. External influences such as women's conferences, women's centres, feminist literature, rap sessions with our friends, women's studies, films, conscious ness-raising (CR) groups, do contribute to internal recognition Of our oppression. Click, click. government, education, law, and refuse to accept any longer, their oppression. It is hoped women will begin to women's full participation, will direct their energies and activities to eliminating the barriers that prevent women and men, from realizing their full potential in our society. The rate at which our consciousness' are raised is different for each person. Unfortunately some people, because of fear or ignorance will never acknowledge or recognize women are oppressed. However, for those of us concerned with personal growth, development and independence, for all women, we'll continue our climb, confident that growing numbers of women are joining us. ********************************************************* LETTERS EDITORIAL POLICY The newsletter group, a separate yet supportive group of the Northern Women's Centre, reflects the complexity of the makeup of the Northern Women's Centre as a whole. Being a smaller, unified group, the editorial board of THE NORTHERN WOMAN will attempt, through collective, creative and thought provoking comments, to respond to, and express (through a concensus of opinion) their reactions to, various articles, letters, and timely topics of interest. Through such a policy it is hoped that THE NORTHERN WOMAN will become a tool for women to develop an increased understanding of their situation and forces affecting their lives. Dear Everyone: What a marvelous Newsletter! I'm referring to your "Working Woman" issue. It was really well done. Please add my name to your subscription list. Ms. Jean Elioff - - Mississauga, Ont. Dear Newsletter People: ...I'm enclosing my two dollars. If I have already renewed mrsubscrip ion, please put the money towards your expenses - I feel a great sense of pleasure when I read each issue and would like to continue to support your efforts. Keep up the terrific job! Best always Heather Kibzey--Thunder Bay. Editorial Policy addition: We are the collective who publish the material that you contribute and read in The Northern Woman, We etc. so A great for the work together, reading, discussing, typing, printing, distributing that all of us will have a satisfying and thought-provoking journal. deal of time and work and personal commitment are the prerequisites product that you are reading. The Collective appreciates contributions that indicate a concern for women and enthusiasm for the tabloids role in education and provocation. Nevertheless, as feminists, we will not publish in this paper material that is offensive and opposed to basic premises of the Women's Movement. As workers on this paper, we assume the responsibility of edit on behalf of the ideals of feminism. This issue, then, is NOT publishing a lengthy letter that disputes a women's right to choose to have an abortion. In the future, The Northern Woman will not be a vehicle for destructive bias or organizational propagand We wish to thank the many contributors for their good response to our requests for articles, poems and reports. The material that could not be included in this issue will be in the next. Our apologies to those who submitted reports which In Sisterhood Linda Helen Lynne became obsolete before Gert being printed. Doreen As it took us so long to Georgina get this issue out, all Noreen subscribers are guaranteed 6 issues, before renewtheir subscription. Special thanks to some very nice people on the ARGUS and to Dawn Hassett, for their help. Dear Women: Just had my first encounter with the Northern Woman. Had never heard of youpeople before. Read it cover to Was really impressed. Such cover. a lot of 'food for thought'. Do you have back copies? Sincerely, Donna Williams--Thunder (Sorry Donna, no back copies) Bay. Dear Jacqui, Helen, Lynne, and someone who's name I can't read: Many thanks for sending the reports of the National Women's Centres Conferences. What got me even more exited was the newsletter - a really great collection. It has evoked admiring comments galore, and the cartoons have given us joy. The idea of focussing on one theme at a time is being much discussed as a result. Also... I appreciated getting the reports and newsletter, not only did I get a lot out of them, but so have many others. In sisterhood and struggle, Suita Cordell -- Hemingford Road, London England. letters cont'd page (13) the northern woman page (2) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �PORT ARTHUR CLINIC Unfair To Women In light of the fact that the OM A is seeking a 35% to 50% pay increase for doctors, a review of the Port Arthur Clinic strike is timely. The following letter was sent by the Strike Committee of the Service Employees Union, Local 268, to every Women 's Centre in Canada. Sisters, we ask for your support in our efforts to negotiate with the Port Arthur Clinic Administration, for decent wages, adequate benefits and Union Security. Attached is a summary of our union demands, also, a history of our negotiations. We have approached you as a potential ally because of your expressed concern in women's issues. The Port Arthur Clinic strike illustrates many of the injustices encountered by women workers in general. Too often, women's wages are viewed as supplemental, not essential, yet 50% of the strikers are either single or heads of family. Their wages mean survival, for themselves and their families. The fact that there is a constantly available labour pool from which to draw cheap female labour, makes it easy for the Administration to hold out and break the women who are striking. Too many women need jobs and too few opportunities exist'for women workers. Women, out of necessity, accept low pay and unsatisfactory working conditions. Before the strike, Clinic Administration defined working conditions and set wages without the workers' participation. Salaries and benefits were markedly less than those enjoyed by male workers. No union protected the women from being fired without just cause. When the women agreed to strike, there was little respect for their picket lines. Even the police worked to make it possible for the doctors to transport scabs to work. The public has not,been vocal in its support of the strikers, and trade unions could be much stronger in their support. The strikers haveAharrassed and ignored on occassion, and have felt it is a sign of their sex. They feel men's picket lines are treated with much greater respect. Please help us in our struggle to set a pattern for all Clinics to follow so that female support staff across the Province, and across Canada, can bargain more effectively for better wages and working conditions. In sisterhood and struggle. The strikers have asked of their employers a 15% wage increase, 50% OH IP payed by the Clinic and union security. The public and press have criticized them for withdrawing their vital health services, yet the doctors even now are threatening withdrawal of their services. Some doctors have already done so. It is interesting to note that a 40% increase will mean to the average doctor, $17,200 and a 15% increase will mean to the average clinic striker, $800. North Bay Women's Centre Dear People from Local 268: The North Bay Women's Centre supports you in your efforts to obtain partial hospital coverage, wages comparable to those earned by others doing similar work, and complete union security. We deplore the methods being used to break your morale. Nurses recently received large increases in pay and certainly did not ge: rally get disrespect and ha'rassment even though they u>ed the male "strike weapon". We hope, through united female effort, you can secure what is still less than reasonable in this inflationary period. I. Nickerson LES PAM 80 Rue Church Moncton, N.B. co Northern Women: Following is the letter we sent to both the SEIU local 268, and the Port Arthur Clinic. "We strongly support the demands of striking Service Employees International Union, local 268 in Thunder Bay. We feel that if it were a "Men's strike" things would be very different. The owners are medical doctors earning a substantial salary off public funds and we are astonished that they are not paying their employees adequately. It is clearly evident that, even in our day, women in the medical profession earn substandard salaries. Let it be known that LES FAMS a feminist association oppose the treatment being imposed on these employees. cause scabs PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation the northern woman page (3)copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I'm not a women's Why Men Should Be The following bits and pieces are quotes made by notable individuals, all on the subject of women. The quotes themselves are notable in that each one puts women down. Often, when we identify such anti-woman sentiments as the ones. which follow, we are met with great anger and hostility. What is most surprising is that we are the objects of this anger. We are labelled paranoid and overly sensitive. No anger is directed toward the men who have made the statements which put women down! If we are not met with hostility, we are asked, "So what?What is the point in drawing attention to something as unsavory as what has been said about women? Well, there is a point, and we hope it emerges for all who read this article. Largely, we wish to draw attention to the fact that each man who said something unpleasant about women, believed he described all women. That few, if any, felt it necessary to qualify his opinion, and to suggest in anyway that even some women did not fit his description. Until just recently, I really believed that these things applied to other women--that I was the exception, and that a man who could say horrible things about women in general, could say only good things about me in particular. I only needed the opportunity to prove myself as that 'exceptional woman'. But now I see that I am not an exceptional woman. I see all around me sisters who could also be considered exceptional women. As an exceptional woman, I am lost in a sea of exceptional women. If such is the case, let us all work to destroy the inappropriate attitudes regartling women. Let's work to shake off the unattractive stereotypes which effectively keep us from recognizing our true value. We must first recognize that any No ovaries are good enough to work to save, no testes are bad enough to remove. Physican at a National Health Conference. We must start with the realization that, as much as women want to be good scientists or engineers, they want first and foremost to be womanly companions of men and to be mothers. Bruno Bettelheim (Psychiatrist) Men in every conceivable walk of life have made their feelings public. good reason to. We fully envision, however, that in the near future we will fly women into space and use them the same way we use them on earth--for the same purpose. Astronaut James Lovell Churchmen have said some pretty unpleasant things about women in general, hence, pretty unpleasant things about you and me. It is not good to marry. What else is woman but a foe to friendship, an of us once prefaced our own remarks with this handy little statement. The speaker then goes on to outline all Not the issues that she believes in that do, however, coincide with Women's Liberation. What does she think Women's Liberation means? Who does she think makes up the Women's Movement? One thing the movement is NOT, is a collection of women who agree on every Heard issue affecting women today, or stand behind every woman who voices an opinion on women's issues. It is NOT a club (contrary to what the Chronicle Journal might believe), or a group or society which has a finite membership, so that you must identify with all its members, or that their actions reflect on Henry Kissinger you. It IS a movement--a d efinite force Some of the words in current usage within society moving towards a certain goal-the right to free ourselves from all stereotyped roles which no longer fit or which describe you and me include: Whore satisfy us. Honeypot Old Hag Hot Pants Hot Pants To one woman, this may be the right to be considered for any job she wants to do. Another may emphasize the need for adequate day care centres to care for her children, while she alone supports her family. Others concern themselves Hussy Slut Piece of Ass Snatch Cockteaser Maneater Ball- buster Box Bitch Cunt Douche Bag Old Maid Easy Lay Blow Job Quotes, Most on a hobby. titudes and the individuals who espouse them. We must create a unity among "I'm not a Women's Libber, but..." For me, women are only amusing, a hobby. No one spends too much time Piece of tail Loose twat Butt Bouncer Dry Humper Little Woman women which will make it necessary for men to revise their opinions. libber but.. Countless conversations begin this way. Well, we've never sent any women into space because we haven't had a anti-woman statement is meant to apply to each of us, and to each of the women we love and respect--our mothers, our daughters. We must have the courage to speak out against these at- CD CD Good Fuck with the protection of the rights of a Atlantis, The first edition of Atlantis will be published in the fall of 1975, and we are now soliciting subscriptions and donations. Any scholarly articles concerning `women's issues' or creative writing by women authors should be sent to: Donna E. Smyth, Co-ordinating Editor, ATLANTIS, c/o English Department, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Sco- tia. rape victim. Still others may work towards receiving wages for housework. Some women demand abortion law reform, malcipg abortion an issue between a woman and her doctors. Professional women fight for equality and respect /77 their work. Stewardesses and secretaries demand better wages for their skills. To housewives, it may mean the desire to be respected, and considered, while they provide support to the entire family, or simply, the need to have one day a week to themselves. No one is asking you to burn your bra, have an abortion, speak in public, denounce all males as chauvinists, or for any other Pussy Cream Machine Nympho bear the responsibility Thoroughbred Libber, but..." is hollow. It woman's deeds or words. The statement, "I'm not a Woman's has no meaning if you are actively working for changes in your own life that will open the way for other women. Even if you are coasting along on the wave of change that others are creating, then you are part of this movement. inescapable punishment, a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable cal- amity, a delectable detriment, an evil of nature, painted with fair colours. St. John Chrysostom wt) an rx-N Every woman ought to be overcome with shame at the thought that she is a woman...Nothing is improper for man who is endowed with reason; much less for women to whom it brings shame even to reflect of what nature she is. St. Clement of Alexandria quotes continued, The voice of a woman is an invitation to lust and, therefore, must not be heard in the church. St. Thomas Aquinas Even political activitists, who fight for the weary and downtrodden, have failed to recognize the value of women, or the oppression of women. The position of women in the movement is prone. Stokely Carmichael Doctors and psychiatrists have a par- ticular view of woman which is inaccurate to say the least. With psychiatrists, it is dangerous, for it says something of their concepts of normal (for women) and healthy (for women). the northern woman page (4) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING MEETINGS- what goes on What is consciousness raising, and just what goes on in a consciousness raising group? CR is a process through which women come to their own conclusions about themselves and society. We work from the concrete experience of being women. When more than two people have suffered the same oppression, the problem is no longer personal, but political (meaning the consequence of a power structure--law, education, etc.). Avoid possible distractions and interruptions. CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING In :C R we go around in a circle, speaking in turn. This is very helpful in Week 1: Parents: Discuss your parents and their relationship to you as a girl (daughter). Were what aboutgiving men? each member a chance to compose Talking herself over theand sensation of being her thoughts. It also helps us trapped, or to being worthless, or demandlisten to each other and it breaks down treated of with respect (as Women a ing to be feelings competitiveness. who person) with a man not productive. have beenisleaders, when coming to CR, Often, menhave do not take women's thouto wrestle with their old ways and ghts and feelings So women end to speak. give seriously. other women a chance up doubly Women frustrated. whoAlso, havetheieelings always followed have related under discussion those to to push are themselves speak to up. being female. It is important to stay on the topic and As Bonnie writes book, CR does getKreps as much out ofinither as possible. "Guide to not thework Women's in abstractly, whenMovement people talk CR is not group therapy, although for some it may replace the need for psychiatric help. The basic assumption of the therapy situation is that there is an ideal feminine nature and psychology, and that unhappy women are sick. We say our personal problems are political and should have political solutions. We discover in CR that our personal problems (that many of us feel inadequate, 'neurotic' or fearful) are shared with all women. As we progress through discussions, we realize the problems are not us at all. We go from 'me' to 'us'--the particular to the general, the individual to society. In CR, women begin to wean themselves from masculine values, or at least look at them more critically. The male dominated world, especially the media has a lot to say about how we should look and what we should be -mother, wife, sex object. Therefore, movies, commercials and even pop songs may now make you angry, as you continually find yourself being viewed as an object (or caricature) and not as 14 WEEK OUTLINE FOR than 20 years. a person. Catcalls and wolf whistles on the street turn out to be universal agonies. In CR, we can expect friendship from women and their honesty and support, and goodbye to the old myth that women don't like each other and can't work together. ("I'm a man's woman " will sound very silly.) We begin to identify with more women. Our feelings about women become more generous. We care about the women on welfare, waitresses, our own mothers and daughters. Through CR, we begin to clerks, nurses, recognize that our private humiliations are universal and part of a larger pattern. In a society where all the major institutions protect male perogatives, women have only themselves to turn to. Conditioned to view males as our protectors, and every other woman as a potential rival, the act of communication among Canada", men badlyor need get on with We do not theorize, talktoabout others. their own liberation. a (male) sociolo-experience. challengeAs another woman's gist has said, the experience male sex role No one's has tois fit into a representedpreconceived by two strong, silent have types:gone all arpattern express hishas spoken, John Wayne, can't and-everyone oundwho the circle-, feelings toward women, and James should the group talk Bond, about what has who doesn'tbeen havesaid any.and Thedraw consequences conclusions:about its says Dr. Charles Peek, are tragedy -relevance-Ito the aposition of of women. our society. Dr. Peekyour isn't group puttinglose theits sense of rfoirtiet blame on cowboys andevolve playboys, purpose and into howa therapy group, ever. He puts it oncollective the waydecisions males areas to what is making socialized. Growing up male means being problem. the best way to solve a personal groomed toAnother be a real tendency man, and aisreal toman view the doesn't show his emotions. group and the supportive relationships This uglythat 'stereotype is aclearly somedevelop as final goal of CR. Often, thing menclose will have to understand in and the friendships are formed themselves,weekly and something ought to meetingstheycan become social fight if theyevents. want to become human When the real group is not together, beings. Men will have to analyze when it is fragmented, it isthe sensed fairly fundamentals of The theirgroup sex role thenable to help soon. thenand is not destroy it as we women destroying others, becauseare it cannot meet the needs ours. Meanwhile, men $houlcl of Nothing of the women in its stay ownout -group. our movement. They don't know what it moves. Under these circumstances, intermeans to grow up female in ourleading society, minable discussions nowhere can any more than know what itcan means tohere. takewe place. Nothing grow grow up male. Besides, insofar as they While One", of the purposes of CR is to need their male egowarmth butteredand up, acceptance and have among create been led towomen, believe the it isCR their right,should who isnot become group there to doait? Us, right? we don't closed circleAnd wherein the sense of a need that kind of feminist burden incommunity the middleisoflost. And it larger our own consciousness-raising. must be remembered that our ideas can I hope men withand it, because it through onlyget be on tested expanded certainly would be nicer to deal action. CR is a method of with communication them if they a bitit,more liberated. andwere through women have discovered They mighttheir evencommon stop fighting us whenbut the disoppression, we try to liberate covery ofourselves. our oppression is only an initial stage in ending our oppression. It is not a clOs and don't from personal experiences solution. start with friends or strangers who number is between 8 and 10. Expect to You have to live with you the rest of your life. Joe may run off to Indonesia with belly dancer. Your kids (if and when) may go to Mars or Afghanistan or take up organic farming You'll still be with you, and if all you had in life was Joe and the kids, what's tett for you won't be worth talking about. or were boys? friends who Week 2: Family: Discuss your relationship with women in your family. Week 3: Childhood: Discuss problems of growing up as a girl, who were your heroines? What were your favourite games? How did you feel about your body changing at puberty? Week 4: Men: relationship with lovers, bosses, as Have you noticed patterns? (It's the terns you always for) Discuss your men, friends, they evolved. any recurring recurring pat- want to look Week 5: Marital Status: How do or did you feel about being single, married, divorced? What have been the pressures, family or social on you? Week 6: Motherhood: Did you consider having children a matter or choice? Discuss the social and personal pressures, family or social on you? Week 7: Sex: Have you ever felt that men have pressured you into having sexual relationships? Have you ever lied about orgasm? Week 8: Sex objects: When do you feel like one? Why do you want to be beautiful? Do you ever feel invisible? Week 9: Women: Discuss your relations with other women. Have you ever felt competitive Givin' It Back Have you ever felt attracted to lose a couple in the first few weeks. Do not start unless you are prepared to commit yourself for 10 to 11 weeks. Our another women? first group stopped fiir the summer and Now feminists have published some you have been called selfish. Have you ever felt that you never got started again. answers to male chauvinist suggested Meet once a week at list each others'is designed putdowns. The of retorts homes, or to even better, a community disarm andatraise the consciousness of centre suchunliberated as a Church or school. This men. hypocrisy of male protection in all its will keep the element of competition For the man who asks,out "If you're so forms, from chivalry to 'special' legislatof the meetings, by making itare impossible liberated, when you going to take ion, but also to discover that a common to show offme housekeeping/entertaining out?", the woman should reply, bond exists between all women. We also skills. "When 1 get to take home a cheque the' find emotional After strength. the first week admit no new size of yours". CR doeswomen not break up marriages or find your or 'guests', or you will For .the male who whistles or makes families; it group gives you the tools to work backtracking to the comfortable catcalls on the street, tell him his pants with on yourfirst own.topic If anything, bringsof the new for theCR benefit are unzipped. a marriage, as you stop strength tomember. When asked, "How about a little blaming yourself everything. The ruts Tryfor very hardfor good attendance, as smile?", a feminist could say, "How that we have fallen into are not just CR is a continuing process whereby about a little respect'? individual mistakes Theyare are removed or feelingsorofaccidents. vulnerability If a mate says he does not feel like the inevitable results of as a socialization broken down the feelings of friendship helping his wife clean up she could say, process which geared to keeping womandistrust grow. It is very important that "Help? You're not helping, you're just en in their place. The strongest for within the this growth remainforce constant doing your share." perpetuatinggroup. this system Asto skip the It is isa isolation. good idea Since prospective employers often ask long as wemeeting stay apart, each woman all together when two or more a female, regardless of her qualifications, isolated in her home andit.the facade of a cannot make whether she can type, she can reply, "I perfect marriage, and continue to blame Have a diverse group (married, single, don't type or stereotype."--especially if ourselves, wedivorced, will remain oppressed. CRwithout is those with and childshe doesn't want the job. a powerful means for building the bonds If a male should say, "I'm a male of sisterhood. Sisterhood can should truly benot be more chauviniM and Fin proud of it.", the ren). The age span powerful, and it need not be to the female could say, "I bet you're proud of detriment of relationships with men. being a racist, too." Question: "How can you, a mother, go out to a daily job? Answer 'My , your brother with other women for men? have expressed an interest in CR. A good women allows us to discover not only the Consider yourself first you treated differently from children are addicted to eating." Question: "How come a nice girl like you isn't married? Answer: "Sheer luck", or, "I haven't asked anyone yet." Week 10: Behavior: What is a `Nice girl'? Discuss the times were expected to smile even when you didn't feel like it? Week 11: feel about Age: How do you getting old? And your mother getting old? What do you fear most? What aspects of aging do you look forward to? Do you think the problems are different for men? General: What are some of the things that got you interested in the women's movement? 'If we women are ever able to pull ourselves out of the morass of self-pity, self--destruction and impotence which has been heritage for so long as we can remember, then it is perhaps even more important that we be supportive of each other's achievements and successes and strengths, than it is for us to be compassionate and understanding of each other's failures and weaknesses.' Ansel ma dell'Olio. the northern woman page (5) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �SHIFTING GEARS by Nena& George O'Neil the time of the death of a -loved one. Book review by Freda Kamstra, However, with the rapid changes occurr- The following book review by Freda Kamstra is particularly relevant to this issue. The book deals with changes, and how we learn to adjust to changes. One of the greatest changes some women exper- our modern lives, we do not provide rituals to take care of all the ing in coping stages in all the human crises. Some of Dr. Karl Menninger's coping devices from his book 'Vital Balance' are mentioned in Shifting Gears: I) physical assurance, like eating, drinking, smoking, drugs, sleeping, exercise, work. 2) venting emotions, like blaming, taking it out on loved ones, psychosomatic illness, crying, cursing, laughing it off. 3) substitutes for action, rationalization, talking it over ience comes through consciousness raising. o* e of us can see in the description of Shifting Gears, the very process we underwent. The book could be very useful as an extension of actual CR group. an Shifting Gears is such a great title for this book about dealing with crises, eg., with friends and family, watching TV, going to movies, going on a buying spree. The O'Neills also mention the common one of running in panic in any direction, death of a loved one, end of a friendship or marriage, end of a job or career, birth eg., extra-marital affairs. Once we have allowed ourselves some of a baby, leaving home, or any of the hundreds of major changes that we, being human, may face in our lifetime. The O'Neills point out that we all face of these coping steps and can accept and appreciate ourselves, imperfect though that may be, then we can start looking at the crisis, head on. We can begin to solve it. If we stay in the coping stage too lone, we avoid the crisis and prolong it. Our gears are stuck in the eating or drinking or chasing or whatever the coping device may be, and it takes us over. We become a slave to tin coping device. Psychosomatic illness, or rationalization, or blaming, or smoking, or any of the other devices may become our director, and we and go through similar steps in getting through them. It is in knowing and understanding these steps as we go into them, that eventually we are able to get ourselves into high gear again. Like shifting gears, one, two, three--we say `Y_ah, yah, that's how it goes! I'm into crises the pain or confusion or nausea, or whatever. I'm human and I'm getting through this in the human way. Hurray for me!' We can then get over the hill or through the mud with a great new feeling of our own worth--a re-birth into the life journey with spontaneity and hope. Nena and George O'Neill suggest that most of us seldom get into high gear. We let ourselves get stuck in the second last gear of coping. Coping is a very important never really become fully alive and in charge of our choices again. a crisis, when the The O'Neills describe two major categories of crisis: the Catalytic Crisis happens as a result of events outside of us. For example, an apartment building is torn down, husband leaves, job is over. It happens suddenly out of nowhere. 2) The Crises happen when the basic assump- emotional and psychological earthquake tions we live by are suddenly changed. We stage in coming throw is too devastating to figure out what is happening. Like being thrown overboard into unknown waters, we must hang onto something that will allow us to float until we can get our wind and see Clearly what to do. We cannot swim right away. We have to let ourselves have a coping stage. Society's rituals have taken care of this in the past for some of the major changes, eg., we know and understand the necessity of rituals and caring and sympathy at cannot go back to the way it was before the earthquake. We must go on with the pieces that are left and some new ones. The word for crisis in Chinese writing, the O'Neills point out, is made of two equal symbols, one stands for danger and one for opportunity. Shifting Gears spells out three crisis phases we will go through: 1) Physical and psychological turmoil--upset stomachs, sleeplessness, heart palpitations. You feel lousy and cannot think straight? 2) Painful pre-occupation with the past. "I've wasted all those years in that d----d job", or "on that d----d Period of person", "If I'd only "; remobilization of our resources, with an action step in some direction. This is the point where we begin to shift gears. In order to deal with crisis and have it work for us instead of destroy us, we must `go into the crisis', experience it fully. The O'Neills suggest that we face up to not only what we feel, but also ask ourselves these difficult questions. "Is there anything about my personality that makes rue feel the way I do? What past events in my life have a bearing on what I am feeling now? Is my attitude preventing me from seeing the problem clearly?'What is need of me .to change In what ways can change By asking these, and finding answers, we will discover the true nature of our crisis and who we really are and who we want to be. This is the "WOW" point, the "Hallelujah" exper- ience of re-birth. I think Shifting Gears is an ideal group study book. When two or three people share crisis experiences in relation to the O'Neills' objective crisis steps, they will discover how to help each other get into high gear. One of the most important necessities for me in shifting gears, was one friend, who could listen and not give advice. I hope you read the book. There is so much more that I didn't touch on, that may be just the bit you are looking for--like this, "a creatively mature person knows that finding herself is an on-going process throughout life, ,and for her, doing is more important than having, experiencing more important that possessing." ************ REVIEW 4-4Part 3 - Our Nature, All women are housewives - Part I In - Beginnings, that we hold together, both materially and emotionally. the lives of the men Welfare mothers are women who have already won some money from the government for their work in the home. But welfare money is not nearly enough, it is hardly enough for a woman to live on. But it is money she gets independently from any man. If all women demand money for housework, we will have the power to refuse supervision by addition to all our homemaking skills, our 'natural' woman's role demands All Women with whom we live and work We are told we're goo a managers, of the tedious--family budgeting, day to day conflicts, maintenance of our homes. lazy, and that they get money for no Whatever our status at the workplace, whether we are secretaries or executives, we are expected to bring with us these `womanly' skills. We bolster our bosses' egos, and keep things running smoothly. We are responsible for both the physical (is there coffee? is the office neat and cheerful?) and spiritual environment in Welfare mothers and all mothers is Wel- home. case workers or inspectors. The government tries to make us believe that women should be ashamed to be on Welfare; they say these women are our work both inside and ouside the work. But the only difference between Yes, we care about our families, our mates, our bosses. What we fight are the expectations, and guilt we feel when we put ourselves first. Our role cuts our own throats. When we are good-natured and loving, we are manipulated. When we act upon our own impulses-- admit we are tired, display our dissatisfaction--we are mothers have no husband. The money which the government gives a woman on Welfare is not just for her fare children, it is so she can and will do the work to raise her children. Housework is a full-time job for all of us, and whether we are married or have children, or work outside the home, or not, we all want to be paid for this job. Part 2 - Our Work, Housework is a full-time job; we can't punch in or punch out. We are on call from the time we get up in the morning till we go to bed at night. Because our work is unpaid, it is stretched out to cover the entire day. Our time is not our own; we are always cooking, cleaning, fixing, babysitting, shopping, comforting, fighting to make ends meet. In 1975, women are still using a rag to dust the furniture; we are still sweeping our houses with a broom! But because we don't get paid for the work we do, since it is `natural' to us, nobody cares how long it takes. When we go out to work because we need money, we are forced to do a AC7,411t11ilv Al %di 41 11' el'IC 4411111 IR! Fro, Are double shift. We work two jobs for half the price of one! Because women are used to working without wages, the bosses can pay us less and get away with it. We work in jobs that are extensions of housework, as secretaries, nurses, teachers, waitresses, social workers. On the job we are expected to smile, be sexy, be good listeners, make coffee for our bosses. And condemned as selfish. Part 4 - Getting Together, As housewives we are separated from each other in our many individual homes. Even if we work outside the home we have no time for meetings or just socializing with other workers because we have to rush home to fix dinner or pick up the kids. But as women, we all share the same frustrations because we all work as housewives. By finding the time to get together and talk we can explore our common experiences and our differences. We can discover strengths in our various situations; whether we are at home, at an outside job, married or single, mothers or childless, we can use our power in these various make situations--together--to changes for all of us. We may have to gin by demanding time off from home or office or free daycare for our children ust so we can all meet together. Each step is a struggle but each struggle builds our power to refuse that work we have een doing all our lives for free. When we demand .Wages for Housework, every step e take together will make us stronger! at night, we go home to more work, to PDF compression, OCR, web optimization CVISION PDFCompressor our ull-time job inusing the home.a watermarked evaluation copy of the northern woman page (6) �Thunder Bay Anishinabequek, The Thunder Bay Anishinabequek, our local chapter of the Ontario Native Womens' Association ( O.N.W.A.) was formed October II, 1972. It is not incorporated but is investigating the possiblity. It is one of the 37 locals in Ontario - quite a compliment for a new Thunder Bay is a Mothers on Budgets, self-help group composed of volunteers in the executive and in the membership. Our most recent election occurred at Our On June 16th, our group hosted a luncheon for two single parent groups.: Native Womens' Festival (to be described later). The new executive consists of: Mrs. Priscilla Simard, President: Ms. Anna Spuzak, Vice-President: Ms. Christine Rochette, Secretary; and Ms. Beverly Sabourin, Treasurer. Our aims and objectives are simple and Budgeting viable as we try and incorporate them into all proposed projects and activities. These are as follows: a) To enlist and organize the energies and efforts of all members and associate members in promoting the aims of the O.N.W.A. and in particular the aims and objectives of the local chapter. b) Take advantage of government pro that will improve and will advance the ambitions of the organization. c) Visitation programs in homes, hospigrams tals, jails, etc. d) Interpret the problems of Native people to agencies, etc. e) Promote job placement f) Social care for Native children in local homes. g) Education h) Develop awareness of government legislation i) Promoting the use of Native language in homes, schools, etc. j) Setting up information in bus depots, etc. for Native people. We sponsored an Indiin Awareness Workshop, March 2, 1974 at the Indian Friendship Centre for the benefit of the foreign student at Lakehead University. Her Native people from the community met with students and discussed various topics, such as adjustment to city life, culture, employment, education, etc. and shared life experiences. Special attractions include dancing Indian and an Indian Food Banquet. It was very interesting and very beneficial to all involved. Our local does several fund raising projects. These inclu d e coffee houses, penny auctions bingos (held at the Indian Friendship Centre), hockey pools, bake sales, bazaars, etc. Various members of our club perform speaking engagements, seminars and workshops upon request from various agencies, institutions, clubs, etc. Our local Anisishinabequek has sponsored several social activities for the community ranging from the annual Chirstmas Banquet and Dance (at the Friendship Centre) the annual Native Children's Mothers and Single Parents. The groupsNipigon from were and Geraldton, with a couple of members from Red Rock. They came down by Grey Goose on the morning bus and went back that evening. The Ministry took care of their transportation to and from the bus depot. There were 10 women here. We spent the afternoon talking about what MOB was, and our current activities. They were quite interested to hear of our experiences. MOB has a pilot project going called 'Freedom Week'. We received a grant for special camping from the Cambrian Presbytery of $1,000. The United Church is renting their camp at East Loon to us from July 18-25th. What makes this camp unique is that it's set up for mothers only--those on FBA and Welfare, and single parents. Word just came back today from the city that they working, would contribute $50 per mother toward babysitting fees. The balance needed would come from the funds we have for camp, after the food is bought. A student, Bates, was hired Marilyn through the Secretary of State program to co- ordinate the camp and set, up activities and crafts. This camp is now closed to further applicants. Hop9fully this can be done again next year. `Sanity House' is an idea where single parents, mothers or fathers, can leave their child or children for a period of from 1 to 3 days while they have the time to recuperate and gain strength to handle their children and themselves again. Right now a survey is being put together to show the need for this Northern Woman of any future action. Have a nice summer, and see you down at MOB sometime. We are open Monday A joint report on where we are at with the city Social Service dept, in regard to the TarbuttCrisis Houses, sparked a discussion on ways and means to make the public more aware that Northwestern Ont. has more than it's share of physically abused women, a fact we are reluctant to speak of above a whisper. The service directory for women is proceeding as planned, thanks to the efforts of Liz Jobbitt, She has been the driving force behind much of the Councils activities in this year of the woman. Sarah Weber who has been selected to co-ordinate the Herstory project made a presentation of her progress to date and stunned us all with her organizational skills and energy. She will be about the area very soon. We suggest anyone with a skeleton in their closet should nail the door shut. A small discussion on a suitable fate for mardee, Lakehead Living's gutsy sister, took place. Like a sliver under a fingernail, she is not above stooping to nit-picking to expose like trivia. Witty enough for fun and games but hardly one you would like to walk a mile with. On the off chance she may have done us a favour, an affectionate back of the hand to mizz Edelstien, The Ms. here being macho sister. to Friday from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m., and our phone number is 623-2863. Our clothing depot is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 1 to 4. Maureen Nan MacDonald, The Nortern Woman congratulates Nan MacDonald for fine campaign as a Communist candidate in the her Nan was the only woman in the Thunder Bay area to run. Those of us who met her Provincial elections. recognized in her a personal commitment to the ideals of democracy and justice. Good luck to Nan in future ventures. support. is still not in sight. However, I'll let readers know via The organized a Fashion Show for the General Assembly of O.N.W.A. We also pride ourselves in having helped draw up various recommendations made by O.N.W.A. on behalf of all Native VI/o- ourselves, our brothers. The council met to-day Sept. 18th at Confederation College, for our monthly session, with a representation from Kenora, Red Lake, Atikokan, Fort Frances and Kaministiqua, as well as local members. The year moves on and this councT1 must consider what has been done and wherethe impetus will take us from here. The report on the tri meeting of representitives from Con, College, the Northern Women's Centre and IWY Council accentuated a growing awareness of how similar are the goals we move toward. It was suggested we channel our energies through the Northern Women's Centre as our year winds up. A motion to make the Centre a gift of all documentation our office has collected at our years end was passed without dissent. A decision to hold the Oct. meeting on the 25th, so that we may attend the Magnus Theatre's production of a Doll's House in a block was unanimous. Further news of theatre activity was the planning of a non-sexist childrens play, which this council will help finance. A discussion on a press release in support of the women workers in their dispute with the Port Arthur Clinic, enforced our original determination that we must come out strongly in our support and that we must be seen publically with that facility. NIP is working on this with us. It's been a lot of work already and the end Christmas Party and various others. We mens' Groups and presented to various relevant cabinet Minister. We pride ourselves in cooperating with other Native arid Non-Native _organizations and in promotes harmony and unity amongst INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR CO- ORDINATING COUNCIL provincial organization. Our local Anishinabequek has a membership of 175 out of approximately 250 Native Women in Thunder Bay. We are pleased to outline the various projects and activities of our local over the past three years. We are proud of our organization which REPORT FROM THE NORTHWESTERN ONT. moved 0+4 see page 12 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor the northern woman page (7) �HOUSEWIVES OF THE WORLD ARE ASKING FOR WAGES FROM THE STATE. THAT COULD BE ONE ANSWER, BUT UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG BETTER DIVY UP FELLOWS. Marriage & Money I consider my credentials for the following observations indisputable, 40 years of continuous engagement in a power struggle over a priority list, is in itself a fair record for endurance of not intellect. That it has taken me so long to discover the answer lies in a solution where everyone wins and nobody loses, only makes me a product of the myth of my times--Man is wiser, Man is stronger, only a Man's hand can keep the ship on course. To even question the direction showed a lack of trust that even you could find hard to forgive yourself for. In choosing a mate we have made what well may be our last free choice Every choice we make now will be made in the light of what is possible in someone elses judgement. We will consider children, circumstance and propriety. We will consider the ego and pride of our mates. But if we consider our own desires we will know immediately that our whole moral fibre has begun to rot. What to do! It is here the priority list begins to get fuzzy. Marriage has presented us with a list duly sanctified by church and state, all others are perverse, self-serving and non productive. It happens to all of us men and women alike; it is the root of all our discontent, perhaps the solution to our dilemma. I wonder how many of us are prepared to admit that our lives are suffocating with superfluity, not because it represents a true priority but rather because we have settled once more for the possible, knowing what we really want is beyond our grasp; cultivating an appetite for possessions to fill up the hole and smother the sound of what cries in us for free expression. The young mother who finds the entire burden of the emotional health of her children has been laid at her feet, will suddenly have a burning desire for housing beyond their needs. She puts his nose to the wheel for thiry years GOT YAH! NO need to feel guilty its on the list. A small homicide we feel perfectly justified in committing. Man the banker, man the protector man the provider; the poor devil is as much a victim of the myth as we are. One wonders at his reluctance to give it up, but give it up he must for until we know, gut strong and bone deep we are in this together we will engage in a war of wills that will fill the garages with cars that are his, houses with things that are hers, while neither of them will ever achieve the satisfaction of a real desire realized. The woman who boasts she has access to the joint account is whistling in the wind and she knows it, for unless her sense of personal guilt is firmly tamped down, her skin thick enough to survive that meeting with the board JOINT IS JOKER! I am afraid to speculate on how many basically honest wren that little ploy has made chronic liars out of. I am firmly convinced we have to have a new perspective on possessions. if we ever stop phantasizing long enough to see houses as sherlter, food as sustenance, clothing as protection, cars as transportation; it is just possible we may have something left to share at large and with each other. Sharing is not something men do well. Women are more likely to have a giving spirit. It may be one of the reasons men have tried to keep control of the family purse. He sees his sweat, which he equates with $'s spent on a generosity he doesn't share. For this reason alone it would seem in his best interest to consider his wifes fair share as something quite outside his concern. He has gotten used to thinking of the pay cheque as his, He likes to think the sharing he does is due to his generosity not because it in any way belongs to her. The service labour market today is over run with under privileged housewives forced to evaluate themselves in the only currency relevant--dollars and cents. When she says we can't manage on one well you have earned. I have begun to see life in terms of how we infringe our priorities on the rights of others. From the childs allowance to the credit cards women use like weapons to punish men for depriving them of responsible,choice. This general predisposition to suppose removing controls will destroy all balance is a myth that no one gives greater credence to than those women who have accepted the status quo and depend on their wit and cunning to get their share and more than their share. It is this woman who will push hard to keep her sisters in line, 11 Women Women should stop opposing other women and learn to work together in their common cause. This phenomenon is called polarization and occurs when women who sat at home resent women who work and vice-vers. There is terrific hostility between men because of the abortion issue. People seem to ioilkat this situation only in terms of black and white. There is total agreement about one portion of this issue. We all want to cut down on unwanted pregnancies. If half the energies that these two polarized groups spent were put into seeking a compromise or working towards a solution it would be mind boggling. British Columbia provincial court Judge - Nancy Morrison. 1974. IF WE HAD A WAGE - PAGE 8, - Number 36 'THE ACTIVIST'. -we could spend more on food; high prices means more work for us--we have to search for pay cheque, what she is really saying in many cases is WHY SHOULD I TRY! To persuade men the proposition is only just, but to their advantage, is the case I'd like to make. The truth is--money in marriage is not worth anything outside the bare bones of necessity, if it does not allow a secret hope for a priority which may have no justification whatever in the eyes of your partner. It is the dreams we give up, the hopes we bury, the plans we scrap that will do us in. Sharing to me means running a tight ship., It means each of us contributing to the maximum to that part of our lives we have pledged to survival, It means sitting across a table and splitting the profits from this marriage we have made our business, right up the middle. It means freedom of choice, not having to ask any more; not having to explain, not having to apologiie. More than this it means not having to pretend to be grateful for something you know darn the cheapest supermarket and then find a hundred ways to make hamburger interesting. -we could send the drapes to the dry cleaners. - we could go out to dinner when we're tired of cooking. -we could take a course, or get the education we never got before. -we could send our children to camp for the summer. -we could buy a washing machine instead of going to the laundromat. -our husbands could take a day off to be with the family. -we would have the choice whether or not to work outside the home. -we would have the money to take a bus and leave for a while real vacation) or leave for good.. -we would have the choice not (and take a to have children or to be able to afford to have children. -men would realize that even though we love them, doing their housework is work and we love it! PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of don't CVISION PDFCompressor the northern woman page (8) �poems... CROWBAR, Leigh, I need your help. I feel I'm nailed to a solid wall of traditions, habits and vague sense. Until recently I didn't mind being there. Whatever I was, I was the same as EVERYONE ELSE' The Dandelion While walking through the puzzle of life, Where pieces that fit seem to suffer less strife, I stopped to pick a dandelion, And upon my possession, the flower began dying: I stood looking at the flower's golden glo,. Amazed how its stature had drifted so low. Predictability robs it of all appreciation, The beauty ignored by it's common creation, And for conforming so well with all that.s around. it, It feels the resentment of the flowers that surround it. And ' ,ew - not be possessed, predictable nor common, n I conform to another soul's pattern. Th- gh I may stand alone, as that may be, have to be, uniquely me. I ice a dandelion on summer's day C it wither, and die and drift away. I co Nor F But now there's a crowbar in the area. I've been partly pried off that wall before. I Know what it's like. You're still part of the wallInit You're a little bit of your own board. i LE NI The more you achieve your identity as a board, the less you are a part of the wall. I've never been close to being a complete board before. Man! Can't you Hear Your Woman Calling? 'What did you do all day?' Doesn't wait for an answer 'Is the paper here yet?' She stands at the sink for the third time today, And she aches frOm the labours of keeping things fine And she thinks 'If only once he'd offer to help' Man! Cant't you hear your woman calling? I know someone who was only attached by a tack and she freaked and got herself completely and sucurely nailed on. She can never get away now. But I feel such a strength in the premonition of this crowbar. This is no ordinary crowbar pulling an ordinary raid. She watches him leave, to the salt mines he says, And she silently wishes she was going instead I think I.M gonna get it this time. No pressure, No 9 to 5, All the day to herself, Man! Can't you hear your woman calling? Oh, they'd talked of itoften, How she needed a change, But he'd patted her head, said how lucky she was, I mean, I want to be a board. You know that Leigh. I want to be thought of in terms of you and.the other boards. But, what if I don't make it? What if it turns out I'm not made of wood?Maybe I'm compressed shavings. Did you ever think of that?EH? Yah! What if? You boards are all alike. You figure because you got off the wall we all can. WELL I'M SCARED. I think this crowbar is going to just YARD me off and the nails will SCREAM as they're torn out and my mind will have a big bruise. But then I guess when that's over with, You're home free, eh? Question? Yeah, I guess it'll happen all right. Will you be around in case I feel a little sick after? Men have stood shoulder to shoulder with men They have done it in pride and with pleasure They have bled for a cause that unhinges the mind fo justify killing each other They have wasted the seed of each others' loins Spent it like snow in a desert for the living forgiving uterus they rule Conveniently waits to be plundered Then why is it woman who fears looking down when she sees woman kind in the ditch? Why is it woman wh&always decides what Sister of hers is a bitch? you're such a fine, fine board Leigh Marnie Smith Oh, She had worked on it hard and the cake was all done, The filling, the icing, the finishing touches She proudly brought it in and cut him a piece And he ate it and silently he left the room. Man! Can't you hear your woman calling? Her head ached, Her feet ached, the day had been bad. She finished the story and kissed them goodnight. And she quietly wished that the children had once Heard their favourite stories being told by their Dad Man, Can't you hear your woman calling? She had seen her uptown and knew it was foolish. %envy her fine clothes; the way her hair had been done She'd wanted to boast of her home and her children BuTher tongue had been quiet And she'd walked home in shame for the way she had felt Man! Can't you hear your woman calling? It may have been a touch, a smell or a memory. And a rare and warm feeling rose once again. The radio picked up the mood and her favourite songs. So she fixed up her hair, made a special meal for him. And tie arrived. With dirt on his boots, Not even a smile, And said 'Tonight after supper we'll work on the budget. Man! You should have heard your woman calling. LEN: the northern woman page (9) PDF compression, OCR, web Gert optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor ' �ar-44.04,V, Y.tra..taiV.V-40,-40".,.'41tr_rmaf,...2G70,{APM--af war J.. lagrtwaiitiet..,Agrat-ggicr.rauwairnprsr,-miwitoziost-4 carried by men. One day a man asked me, "Whkt are you doing in an old folks IPme?" I had to tell him there just isn't any other place for me and people like me. This attracted me to him, to think I can be with elderly people and still keep my mIndo He used to play music which also attracted me and many other things. 'It was too late to do anything about it when I realized how much he had come to mean to me. I knew loving me had no advantages for him, but I also knew he could add to my life and make me more of a woman. Just at the point when I began to feel like a real woman, he was taken sudenly away from me. The feeling I had for this man was bigger and stronger than I'll ever have again in my life for anyone. When I sat beside his casket I wanted someone to lay me down beside him for I knew my life would never mean the same to me again. Now, no matter where I go, or what I do, I 02 get a lump in my throat because I feel he should be there with me. One thing I know,-there will never be anyone else 4 for me, I don't want anyone else, it would kill me for sure. I'm sure many women like me have felt this way because a man wants a wife, not a handicapped person like a child to.be looked So this is a small part of what after. it is like to be a handicapped woman. #:;? Since writing this for us Mary's book WHEELS ARE MY FEET is on the book shelves. As sisters we congratulate her and wish her well. Edo WOMAN AT SIXTY age. It's a time nest, loving, or nity. It's a time have learned to p and give. of an when you might f knowing less ering how pleas- dn't know, and t, alas, you have ok. You cannot arned from pain the meat in the aw, the heart of forever peeling The Women's Movement operates on r; two levels--the Vocational and Status !, level which society accepts much more ?.. easily than looking down into the level that is the heart and guts of female V,: discontent. After all, money and position t7,4%.; are accepted goals in this Western never- 4 -never-land, By looking beyond this legit- f.16: imate aspiration, we are in grave danger el of naming the disease, and having to find the cure. I have this horrible nightmare that one day, the whole sex will die of lock jaw, still mumbling, "I'm happy, I'm t';.: happy", because they're ashamed not to ..s be. bage, things that At 60, one has passed through the rf,.: Valley of Indecision where the heart and 0 mind take you. You've learned to say no, mptuous way a or yes, when it pleases you. On reflection you opine. Love is lovely to get and give, awareness like can be dismissed g `women's lib- The absolutely hat a segment of rrogance to call having no resp- t to a quality of feels bound to or a sex object is ng we are used s libber. I don't hom or why! I op doing what loving, giving, optimistic, ` but you find yourself a bit surprised to see people still betting their lives on it. if you know and dare that on this planet Earth, in 1975, your Sister's children are slaughtered by bullet and blade and deprivation? that she is battered and beaten; that government and state harass and humiliate her; that law discriminates against her; that religion penalizes her. If you know and care about all this, you're a feminist. And if you're 60, you'll stand up and say so. Gert Beadle the northern woman page 10 ren:th and wit. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Women in Crisis Have aPlace CRISIS HOUSING FOR WOMEN In the files at the Northern Women's Centre, you can find the words "crisis housing" dating back to its beginning as an idea. It was a project, hoped and planned for, and recognized as an essential service in the present social structure where financial tension, alcohol and frustration daily produce more than enough problems that can precipitate crisis. The files catalogue the need, providing hard evidence that here was a handful of concerned women who knew the score, and who passionately wished to do something about it. To this end, Mary Tomlinson, pursuing a legal career in the offices of Glowack and Tilson, drew up a model of a crisis shelter and petitioned the City with a view to securing a house on Tarbut Street at a nominal rental. The case she made was well received, and for a time, it seemed as though we would have an active part to play in both planning and function. In this first flush of success, funding was obtained from Grenville Group Homes, whose boys' shelter project was defunct. Also, a small housekeeping grant was obtained from Secretary of State. But, there is many a slip twixt cup and lip, as thepoet says. The City, in its wisdom saw Crisis Housing as an idea whose time had come, and prodded by some flack from anxious tax payers, budgeted to provide and maintain three houses to be operated by their own Social Service Department, leaving us with egg on our faces and a small sack of money. Since Mary's departure for Osgoode Hall was immin- ent, the Committee, with whom she had planned the project, became a legal structure operating for the time being under the existing Charter of Grenville Group Homes. Having delegated the responsibility of both funds and philosophy, she left for Toronto. We are happy these houses are becoming a reality, even though no mill wheel of the gods can possibly turn as slow as a City planned project. We are not crushed by . the fact that the City has assumed full control of the housing aid. The large majority of these crises stem from marriage breakdown and desertion or physical assault by the male partner. The changing roles and status of women in North America are thrusting many women unprepared into independance. Today, the separated or deserted wife does')nt return to her parents' home. According to the Royal Commission on theStatus of Women, 90% of single parent families are headed by women, and one third of these families are poor. In many cases of marriage breakdown, alcoholism and physical violence in the man force the wife to leave the family home with her children. For the women and her children in the midst of such an emotional and physical crisis, Thunder Bay has little to offer. She needs time, space and support. She needs to consider whether she has the strength or the desire to make a major change in her family's life style. Can she support her children alone? Would it be better for her and her children to return to their former situation? Is this possible? Can she do anything to resolve the conflicts which made her leave that situation? If she decides that she wishes to return, or to support her family alone, more problems arise. How can she get money--by working or by applying for family assistance? Is she likely to find work? Does she need training or education? Who will she find to care for her children if she works? Can she afford good care or any care? Can she fill the shoes of two parents for her children? Are they suffering due to the recent crisis and change in their lives? Will her husband contest custody of the children? Should she see a psychiatrist? Will she find a suitable place to live in her price range? Will she 'find friends? Will her children have to move to another school? Will they find friends? Has she made the right choices? Large numbers of women, with and without children, become independent every year. The women who has been isolated in her home for a number of years with shelter are the "be all and end all" in crisis situations. We are unanimous in agreeing not to invest in the small children may be completely unaware of the services her community offers. She needs information as well as immediate necessities such as food and shelter and Somewhere between theideal and bureaucratic logic,'is make it on her own despite the training she received as a child, despite her experiences as a dependant in marriage. project. We are, however, not satisfied that just food and physical structure of the city-planned shelters, but to use our resources in supplementary services beyond what the City is prepared to provide. a part for us to play. Our meeting with City Social Services confirms this. WE MAY SPEAK, WE MAY NOT clothing. She needs to know that help and encouragement are available to her, that other women share her problems, and that each woman can find the strength to These are the things which theHousing Committee feels are most important. Yet, too often, the steps taken by the City in setting up the homes, indicate these things MAKE POLICY, they have informed us. So speak we shall, until the good people of this community realize that just outside the wall of their own safety and indifference, women and children are mentally tortured and physicall abused without any option for choice. Unless crisis housing provides that option, it will not are not "top priority" for the City. We will speak, we will demand to be heard. We will pressure the "policy meet the expectations ()Alined in the model as conceived by Mary Tomlinson. Housing, or, if you have talents and energies to offer, An increasing number of women, especially those with children, are finding themselves in crisis situations, in which they desperately need emotional, financial and makers" if we can't make policy. If you are interested in learning more about Crisis contact Gert Beadle, any Wednesday, at 345-5841. We will print more news on the progress of the Crisis Houses next issue. The three houses on Tarbutt St. officially operon October 20th. There was a waiting list for accomodation, and at this date Oct. 21st these houses are FILLED. Ed. Congralutations to Lynne Thornburg Congratu who was hired by Confederation Lynne's position College in Sept. is assistant to Ruth Cunningham, who is director of Women's Programs, Continuing Education division. The addition of Lynne to the staff will give Ruth some healthy positive support and will serve to strengthen the existing good relationship Women's Centre has had with the College in the past. lations 1111111111allir 114141111 4* lt4t=:11 the northern woman page (11) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Want A Wife I belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother. Not too long ago a male friend of mine appeared on the scene fresh from a recent divorce. He had one child, who is, of course, with his ex-wife. He is obviously looking for another wife, As I thought about him while I was ironing one evening, it suddenly occurred to me that I, too, would like to have a wife. Why do I want a wife? I would like to go back to school so that I can become economically independent, support myself, and, if need be, support those dependent upon me. I want a wife who will work and send me to school. And while I am going to school I want a wife to take care of my children. I want a wife to keep track of the children's doctor and dentist appointments. And to keep track of mine, too. I want a wife to make sure my children eat properly and are kept clean. I want a wife who will wash the children's clothes and keep them mended. I want a wife who is a good nurturant attendant to my children, who arranges for their schooling, makes sure that they have an adequate social life with their peers, takes them to the park the zoo, etc. I want a wife who takes care of the children when they are sick, a wife who arranges to be around when the children need special care, because, of course, I cannot miss classes at school. My wife must arrange to lose time at work and not lose the job. It may mean a small cut in my wife's income from time to time, but I guess I can tolerate that. Needless to say, my wife will arrange and pay for the care of the children while my wife is working. I want a wife who will take care of MY physical needs. I want a wife who will keep my house clean. A wife who will pick up after me. I want a wife who will keep my clothes clean, ironed, mended, replaced when need be, and who will see to it that my personal things are kept in their proper place so that I can find what I need the minute I need it. I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife I want a wife who is a GOOD cook. who will plan the menus, do the necessary grocery shopping, prepare the meals, serve them pleasantly, and then do the cleaning up while I do my studyI want a wife who will care for ing. me when I am sick and sympathize with my pain and loss of time from school. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of scene. I want a wife who will.not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties. But I want a wife who will listen to me when I feel the need to explain a rather difficult point I have come across in my course of studies, and I want a wife who will type my papers for me when I have written them. I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life. When my wife and I are invited out by my friends, I wanta wife who will take care of the babysitting arrangements. When I meet people at school that I like and want to entertain, I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about the things that interest me and my friends. I want a wife who will have arranged that the children are fed and ready for bed be -. fore my guests arrive so that the children do not bother us. And I want a wife who knows that sometimes I need a night out my myself. I want a wife who is. sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel PEANUT BUTTER IN AN ELECTRIC BLENDER: BOYCOTT KRAFT Makes 6 ounces peanut butter. Be sure blender container is completely dry. 1. Empty 1 cup shelled fresh or vacuum-packed peanuts into the container. Cover and blend on highest speed for 5 seconds. 2. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the ground nuts, cover and blend on medium speed for about 60 seconds, or until nuts are ground and churned into peanut butter. 3. Put in a jar with a tight fitting cover. Store in the refrigerator. NORTHERN WOMEN'S CENTRE like it, a wife who makes sure that I am satisfied. And of course, I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it, I want a wife who assumes the complete responsibility for birth control, because I do not want more children. I want a wife who will remain sexually faithful to me so that I do not have to clutter up my intellectual life with jealouies. And I want a wife who understands that MY sexual needs may entail more than strict adherence to monogamy. I must after all, be able to relate to people as fully as possible. If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life: my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free. When I am through with school and have a job, I want my wife to quit working and remain at home so that my wife can more fully and completely take care of a wife's duties. My God, who WOULDN'T want a wife? by Judy Syfers Since September 15, the Northern Women's Centre has been in a new location. When the Y announced it's decision to sell the building on Archibald Street, we were given a month's notice. With limited funds for rent, and few choices available, we had not found anything suitable by end, month's and we were given an extension of two weeks. During that time a woman involved in Women's Centre agreed to rent the first floor of her home to us. As tenants of the YMCA, our relationship with the staff was always amicable. Director Robin Wilson, Roberta Mills and Ed Heinz deserve special thanks. We are aware our 'radical' image has necessitated their 'going to bat' for us many times. We are now comfortably situated at 120 West Amelia Street (directly behind the Toronto Dominion bank on West Frederica Street). The entrance is at the back of the house. There is a volunteer staff person regularly at the Centre on Mondays and Tuesdays, 9 through 5, and periodically on Fridays. The phone number is still 622-3989. Regular meetings (socializing get-togethers for now) are every second Thursday. The next meetings will be October 23 and November 6. The next issue will have an article on "Where we've been 014 0+kt 044 04.20 and where we're going" with Centre activities. the northern woman page (12) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �the northern woman page ( 13) Welcome to Fort Frances Profile on Pioneer Women Personal Interview, ANSEA JOANNA MC- area. Betty had become able LELLAND to help Ansea is ninety three. She is named Ansea because, as 1964, Ansea was eighty two, and whe had to make what she says was the hardest decision of her entire life. She found she could, together with Betty , have a room in Riiny Crest home for the she said, 'my mother had run out of enthusiasm for children and names by the time I arrived. I was the seventh child. So, when the doctor suggested to her how was happy ,to oblige.' Ansea began as a second American. Her grandparents emigrated to generation 'lite first night we were from Norway, and the family subsequently Wisconsin here,' she said, 'Betty woke me up to ask, 'Mum, do you became dairy farmers there. There was a great love and respect for education in our background, she said being a like this place? 'Of course! I said, `do youl'Oh, yes,' she said, 'I do, I do. It's just like the Marlborough Hotel in girl did not deter me from Winnipeg.' She sounded so thrilled, I knew I had made the right decision. I realized graduating from the University of Wisconsin.' Her husband-to-be, a Canadian, William James McLelland, played football for Wiscon- way as an engineer. 'I loved community spirit of the that early time,' Ansea recalls, 'I was interested in poetry and drama, and I directed several plays, my first child was born there--as bonnie a boy as you would want to see. It seemed as though nothing could hap- In 1923, our daughter Betty was born and became a factor in all pen to us. decisions we made then and I still make.' Betty was injured at birth by what Ansea feels was an incompetent medical man, more the house. In aged in tort Frances. Betty's sake, I felt I must make a break with the past.' So she sold her home, and her treasures away, and came to live in rainy Crest. nice it would be if I were named after his wife, she sin. They married in 1909 and went immediately to Hannah, Alberta, where he went to work for the rail- in she needed the color and concerned with saving time than in assisting with what should have been a normal birth. This view was reinforced by the countless journeys they made seeking help for Betty. By this time, they had been town transferred to the of Rainy River in Northern Ontario. 'I went for a ride along the river', she said, 'and I was persuad- ed that here was the most beautiful country in all the world. I still think so. It was here I realized there was no help for Betty outside myself, and I determined that she would realize all the potential she had. Because I liked golf. we made a small putting green on our lawn, and the neighbours soon got used to seeing Betty trying to put mind and body to the task of movement of people around her. She helps with the coffee. Everybody loves her. She loves everybody.' Ansea says, 'I am not what you might call a success, but I have done the thing most sinking the shot.' women do very well, I 'have taken the fabric life gave me born, a son, and she tells how Betty loved the baby and made as lovely a thing as I could out of it. Women need beauty in their lives. If it is not found outwardly, Ansea's third child was and how she, Ansea, refused to let her hold hp until she spoke the word baby: and how Betty, who had shown no inclination to speak until this time, finally screamed the magic word. In 1965, Ansea's husband died. She had seen her sons become professional men, one a doctor and one a professor, both leaving the then we must find it inward- ly. Betty at 53, wears the unlineu tace of one who has perfect confidence in the goodness of her human family. She radiates affection. Ansea is responsible for this, which makes her a fitting subject for our celebration of the best that is in us for our first new issue. LETTERS CONT' D Dear Sisters Enclosed find love gift for your newsletter. We must keep it thriving. It is a voice, a true voice that calls us to consider all that we are. Keep it cool and keep it honest and let the chips fall where they may. Woman's relation to woman is a fascinating theme in itself. The fact that men have made laws knowing women will police women to enforce them shows how deeply our divisions are. If women ever become champions of their own sex we could pack the parlia- ment. It makes my 60-year-old blood run hot just to think of it. The fact that two political parties will have women in a leadership race this year makes me wonder if we will placidly survey a stacking of the cards against them without protest. Gert Beadle Editors note: Gert sent us the above donation after reading the last issue, on children, of The Northern Woman. Some of us next met her at the National Women's Centres Conf. in March, where she impressed us with her poetry and philosophy Since that time Gert decided she wanted to bo one of the collective. She has been a real inspiration to us particularily durthe times we thought we would never get this, our first tabloid, finished. To know her is to love her. Age has not been a barrier in the bonds of sisterhood between us, and this collective is fortunate indeed to have her with us in our struggle. A collection of Gert's poetry is presently being compiled through the Feminist News Service and will be published by a women's press. The proceeds are to go the the Women's Liberation Movement via Women's Centres in Canada. C C C Thunder Bolt, A Thunder Bolt for Eleanor Jacobson of Kenora for shaming her tribe in the year of woman. May the Great Spirit cause her to daily confront herself in the mirror of life till she realizes there is nobody there. Thunder Clap, A Thunder Clap for Rosemary Brown for making the word `feminist' a beautiful, gutsy thing for any woman to be. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Getting Rid of Sexism Sexism, in its original sense, referred to prejucice against the female sex. In a broader sense, the term now indicates any arbitrary stereotyping of males and females on the basis of their gender. McGraw-Hill Publishing Co has designed a set of guide/lines to make its staff mem'hers and authors aware of the ways in which males and females have been stereotyped in publications; to Show the role language has played in reinforcing inequality. Job stereotypes (a) Though many women will continue to choose traditional occupations such as homemaker or secretary, women should not be typecast in these roles but shown in a verity of professions and trades. (b) Similarly, men should not be shown as constantly subject to the "masculine mystique" in their interests and attitudes. They should not be made to feel that `their self-worth depends entirely upon their income level or job status. (c) No job should be considered sex-typed, and it should never be implied that certain jobs are incompatible with a woman's "femininity" or a man's "masculinity". Thus women as well as men should be shown as accountants, engineers, pilots etc. while men as well as women whould be shown as nurses, gradeschool teachers typists, etc. Women within a profession whould be shown at all professional levels including top levels. Women should be portrayed in positions of authority over men and over other women, and there should be no implication that a man loses face or a woman faces difficulty if the employer or supervisor is a woman. All work should be treated as honorable and worthy of reInstead women and spect. men should be offered more options than were available to them when work was stereotyped by sex. "Masculine" and "feminine" (a) Members of both sexes should be shown as having human strengths and weaknesses, not masculine or feminine ones. Characteristics that have traditionally been praised in males --such as boldness, initiative and assertiveness- should also be praised in Characteristics females. that have been praised in females--such as gentleness, compassion, and sensitivity--should also be praised in males. (b) Women and girls should be shown as logical thinkers problem solvers, and decision makers. They should be shown as interested in their work, pursuing a variety of career goals, and both deserving of and receiving public recognition for their accomplishments. (c) In descriptions of women, a patronizing tone should be avoided, as should sexual innuendos, jokes, and TO be avoided: focuspuns. ing on physical appearance (a buxom blonde): using special female-gender word forms (poetess, aviatrix, usherette):portraying the typical woman as weak, helpless, or hysterical; making women figures of fun or objects of scorn and treating their issues as humorous or unimportant. Examples of steroetyping:to be avoided; scatterbrained female, catty gossip, henpecking shrew, frustrated spinster. Jokes at women's expense--such as the woman driver or nagging mother-in-law cliches- are to be avoided. the girls or the NO: ladies (when adult females the are meant). YES: women. girl, as in, I'll NO: girl check that. have YES: I'll have my secretary check that. (Or use the person's name.) in Publications ,NO: salesman. YES: sales representative; sales-person; sales clerk. NO:chairman. YES: presiding officer, coordinator,'chairperson. NO: foreman, YES: supervisor. (d) Language that assumes all readers are male should be avoided. NO: You and your wife. YES: You and your spouse. ings. Equal treatment (e) Males should not always be in first order of (a) Parellel language should be used for men mention. Instead, alternate the order: woman and and women. man, gentlemen and ladies. NO: the men and the ladies. YES: the men and the women, or the ladies and the gentlemen. NO: man and wife. YES: husband and wife. (b) A woman should be referred to by name in Ontario Regional Day Care the same way that a man is Conferences, Sponsored by NO: Bobby Riggs and Billie the Ont. Welfare Council. YES: Bobby Riggs an L Jean. Northern Conf.--Thunder Billie Jean King. Bay, Nov. 14-1t. EveryNO: Mrs. Meir and Moshe one Welcome write Kate Dayan. YES: Golda Meir Sikerbol, Social Planning (c) Different nomenCouncil, 409A George St., clature should not be used "Phone (807) 623-7017. for the same job according to whether it is held by a WATCH Channel 8, Cable tv male or female. example: series on the Suffragette flight attendant, not steward or stewardess; Movement. Listed as Masterpolice officer, not police (sic) piece Theatre--Sun. at 9:00 and Fri. repeated. (If man or policewoman. you have difficulty receivin (d) Different pronouns should not be linked with Channel 8, adjust your fine tuning.) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED certain work or occupat- What Goe on Here! uy moss °I us wno nave seen NO: libber (a putdown). YES: feminist, liberation- BITTERSWEET ist. People words In references to hu(a) manity at large, language should operate to include women and girls. Here are some possible substitutions for man-words: NO: mankind. YES: humanity, human race, people. man's achievements. NO: human achievements. YES: the best man for the NO: the best person YES: job. (or candidate) for the job. YES: NO: manpower. human power or energy, workers, work force. Avoid, when possible (b) the pronouns he, him and his in reference to the hypothetical person or humanity in general. The average American NO: drinks his coffee black. YES: The average American drinks black coffee. Occupational terms (C) ending in man should be replaced by terms that can include members of either sex unless they refer to a particular person. NO: businessman. YES: business executive; busmanager. insurance man. YES: NO: insurance agent. ions on the assumption that the worker is always (or usually) female or Instead, either or male. pluralize or use he or she she or he, or s/he. NO: the consumer...she. YES: consumers...they. NO: the secretary...she. YES: secretaries...they. NO: the breadwinner...his earnings. YES: the breadwinner..his or her earn Bittersweet, an the first few programs. exhibition of women in Ontario: 1900-1975, will be at Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology, in the Concourse, from November 1 to 8. Through the imaginative use of cartoons, photographs and original graphics, Bittersweet reflects attitudes which have shaped women's lives the last 75 years. It reveals, sometimes whimsically, the achievements and defeats of the women of this province. An eclectic vision, Bittersweet encompasses the lives and personalities of Ontario women as diverse as Agnes Macphail, the first female member of Parliament, and Roza Brown, the infamous prospector from Kirkland Lake. By inviting you to pose behind the figure of a glamourous 'beauty queen', in the old fashion circus manner, Bittersweet spoofs this stereotype. It pokes fun at the advertising world's empty-headed housewife; urges women to become more politically active; documents the number of women elected to Parliament; the legal status of women and the official history of the Person's Case of 1929, whereby Canadian women were legally recognized as people. Bittersweet is a visually exciting and stimulating display which has been researched, designed and assemblFinanced by ed by five energetic Toronto women. government and corporate grants, Bittersweet will be touring to thirteen communities throughout Ontario. CONFEDERATION COLLEGE The College has appointed a new Supervisor of Women's Programs, Lynne Thornburg, to work with the Director of Women's Programs, Ruth Cunningham. Together they will continue to offer courses designed to be particular interest to women. For example , this January Women in Canadian Literature, and Women in of History will be offered. Also, Assertiveness Training is scheduled to ilappen, and. A Look at Housework is in the planning stages for January. Contact either Ruth or Lynne to learn more about Women's Programs. Is there something you would like to see happen, some ideas you __have for courses? They are the wnmen to talk tn PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copythe of northern CVISION PDFCompressor woman page (14) �Being a woman is: coming home from work--and starting in to work: unpack groceries, fix supper, wash up the dishes, rinse out some laundry, etc., etc. - CHAUVINISM - unreasoning attachment to one's group feeling responsible for more lives--your kids, your man's, your parents--but never, never your own life - MALE CHAUVINIST - a man who exhibits unreasonong attachment to his sex FEMALE CHAUVINIST - a woman who exhibits unreasoning attachment to her sex - discovering you need an abortion and really learning for the first time what your man, your parents and your society think of you--frequently, paying for that knowledge with your life learning to be very tactful if you have men working "under you"--more likely, learning to always be working - (The Ku Klux Klan were chauvinists.) OLD MASCULINIST - woman's place is in the home - they are biologically inferior - they are mentally and physically unable to do a man's work NEW MASCULINIST - women have a special place in life - willing to admit we are intelligent but still limited under men - becoming an executive, and being asked to order the delicatessen food for an office party getting older, getting lonelier, getting ready to die, and knowing that it wouldn't have had to be this way, after - all. Selections taken from Barbarous Rituals, a chapter in Sisterhood is Powerful. wages for housework, OLD FEMINISTS - believe women can be like men - "Anything you can do I can do better." hour day, 7 days a week? Why, after all that work should she get no recognition, NEW FEMINISTS - sex roles are obsolete out to work, on top of all we have to do Why should a housewife work a 24 and no money she can call her own? Why should women nowadays be forced to go at home? Why should we go home from a job to work in our kitchens for free while REFORMED FEMINISTS - desire to work within the system for change men doing overtime are earning extra money? RADICAL FEMINISTS - Cultural - women's oppression is caused by men - Socialist - call for dramatic social change - capitalism is the cause of women's and men's oppression Some people will say it's because we do this work for ourselves and for our families. We do. But a lot of other people are making money out of our labour. If we didn't do housework and raise children, industry, government, and.everything else would grind to a halt. The money for wages for housework must come from the government and from all the employers who couldn't do without our work. They may say they can't afford it, but they're holding on to the wealth that we create, REACTIONARY FEMINISTS - manhaters - would like to do to men what they did to us which we need now more than ever. While we're gathering the strength and numbers to win this we will fight for the time and money we're entitled to wher- SEXISM - the superiority of one sex over the other is enforced either tacitly or overtly or both ever we can get them. Women are always struggling for time and money. Women have been protesting SEXIST - anything or anyone who practices the above and backing up their claims in various ways. Sitting in with children at Social Security and Welfare Offices, non-payment of rent and utility bills, demanding LIBERATED PERSON - one who is aware of the implic4tions of the actions of him or herself and others and who recognizes the equality of all people and who practices it paid time off from outside jobs to do shopping and to look after the children are just a few examples. Women have learned to fight back. Wel info fkz. ce vviFNS THIS YEAR THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA PLEDGED FIVE MILLION DOLLARS TO BE USED THROUGH THE SECRETARIAT AND THE SECREL'ARY OF STATE FOR "INTERNATIONAL WOMEWS YEAR". WOMEN COMPRISE A SLIM MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION OF CANADA. NEXT YEAR THE GOVERNMENT HAS PLEDGED FIFTYFIVE MILLION DOLLARS TOWARDS THE UNITED STATES CELEBRATION OF THEIR BICENTENNIAL. EVERY IN OCTOBER THE GOVERNMENT IS EVALUATING IWY. WOMAN IN CANADA SHOULD ALSO BE THERE TO GIVE THE REACTION OF THE WOMEN OF CANADA TOWARDS THE INEFFECTUAL ACTIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT TOOK THIS YEAR. OCTOBER 25TH IN OTTAWA. SEND DELEGATES BE THERE! AND SUPPORT, IT'S TIME TO MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD. h -1/4vist-s beLp cued YYTAIf_ 5 4>e_rkim C Or\ 4-Ck. f COT(Ipiae h (.,t vno. \r\ S 0)(1.411ktA re- rovY) rn -4\P s of c0-1(20,-(--se u, L coct r290c1i'ae. us.4.5 Lo. 51'\(-3W)P\ as otAr r51,-PrI rtc. rhc.. Ke Tor-me 4. 7 \ the northern woman page (15 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �Men With Men Most women tend to believe the gutsy beer commercials that show men having 'robust good times', off with their buddies, away from women. According to a psychologist involved with the men's liberation movement, this is a myth. "Men's relationships with other men are very poor. Many men say in C.R. that they haven't had a male friend since they were 14. Men are taught that they must get their main emotional fulfillment from a relationship CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING: A WAY TOWARD MEN'S LIBERATION The unliberated man patronizes and uses women; has no real male friends, only a peer group he must impress. He ignores his children, and leaves them to the "little woman," unless they in some way reflect on his image of himself, (i.e. if his son is good at sports). The unliberated man "keeps a stiff upper lip," never admits a weakness; won't ask directions until hopelessly lost; never cries; and never loses his cool. He dominates conversations with women and subordinates men by steering all talk to his area of interest and expertise. The unliberated man totally defines himself by his job and his income. He constantly compares himself with other men's successes and failures. His purpose in life is to go from success to success. The more money he makes, and the more expensive trappings he can flaunt, the better person he thinks he is. This is a portrait of a human isolated from women, other men, children, and even from his own feelings. This is the man that the men's liberation movement wants to reach. From the very beginning of the Feminist movement it was said that men must be liberated, too. However, most men tended to laugh off this idea. "There is a tendency among men to regard liberation as a 'women's problem', not men's, we're fine just the way we are," states Warren Farrell, men's liberation spokesperson and writer, "wheras in Sweden, liberation is regarded as equally a concern of men and women, and is referred to as the 'sex role debate'". That is, the Swedes are able to see sex roles as affecting the whole fabric of society, not just a few dissatisfied women. _ a way with the opposite sex." Contrary to the image of male friendships in movies and in T.V. commercials, male relationships in real life are businesslike and superficial. Men might benefit from the C.R. group by learning to confide their true feelings to a group of men they would normally be closed with. They could develop trusting friendships instead of coming on like Mr. Cool to other men. toward men's liberatio n . Despite this prejudice, the idea of men's liberation is slowly gaining ground and the way in which it most often begins, is through the men's consciousness raising group. The male rap group is a gathering of equals, which may or may not have a leader directing discussion. They meet to discuss such topics as men's relationships with women, with other men, sex roles and sexism. The group is both supportive "(offering empathy and understanding) and challenging because of the ingrained quality of male role socialization in America. The very nature of men's problems; their fear of looking too closely at themselves, their inability to be vulnerable, to admit weakness, makes it doubly difficult for them to seek help at a consciousness raising session. In his book The Liberated Man, Farrell maintains that the unique aspect of men's C.R. groups is, for the first time, "men learn to ask a peer for help." Usually this peer group of males is the one with which the man would be the most dishonest and closed. "As each man learns to confide in his peers, he learns that all men have similar problems. He comes to regard his unmet expectations not as unique failures which need psychological help, but as false measures of manhood." The Provider Women wonder why men are so inextricably wrapped up in their jobs, why it is that if men lose their jobs, they seem to lose their identities. Psychologist Pleck says, "it's because men aren't trained to get satisfaction out of other things in life. Losing a job is much more of a problem if nothing else in your life is satisfying. And, there is tremendous training and socialization of men to evaluate and compare them-selves by their occupations." In C.R. sessions men might discuss ways to share the breadwinner role with their spouse (assuming they shared domestic chores as well) so that each could have more free Men could examine the way in which they time. are sold the success image by Madison Ave. Then they could evaluate how much of their obsession to work is to maintain an artificial status image. They could learn to balance their work, and to develop other areas of their verso their own 314.1a....aclzatjust a provider. Physical Contact: Touching Why can't a lot of men touch other men, or women? Pleck answers that the fear of touching women (except in a sexual context) is because of the male fear of coming into contact with his own emotions. "The one way that it is legitimate for men to get emotional support from women is sexually." "Men don't touch men," says Pleck, "because they are terrified of homosexuality. There is a little more physical contact among athletes, but it is very ritualized. For example, it's only o.k. to hug at certain times, like after the touchdown." Men who constantly repress their emotions get all sorts of stress related diseases like athsma, heart disease, ulcers, and high blood pressure. Sensitivity workshops could help men overcome these repressions, and enable them to get in touch with their emotions. In C.R. sessions straight men could re-examine the origins of their fears about gayness, and learn to recognize gay, men as brothers, and friends. A little research into the men's liberation movement enables women to see that men are locked into rigid sex roles as much as women are, and that the men's liberation movement compliments our own. by Joy Dunham err"-tirrE" HER-SELF March 1975 , ,---) w.,,,,, r1' ===r ----the northern woman page (16) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor �I' RETURN TO: THE NORTHERN WOMAN 316 Bay St. Thunder Bay, "P" Ontario. return postage guaranteed Poet Poston Canada PMye alb Pon Bulk En nombie troisierne Canada third class classe 220 (six IssuEs) 4.3 9-2 YEAR 7 0,Q BUSINESS OR LNST I Turtost GIFT' DON/AT-101i 5 GREAT FULLY ACCEPT-D WANT 70 GET INVOLVED ? CALL 345_5241 Awl WE'D. OR SWV. AF-Tfi PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Northern Woman Journal Description An account of the resource Northern Woman Journal Published in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Northern Woman Journal (originally called Northern Woman) started in 1973 following the first annual Northern Women’s Conference in order to keep the conference attendees connected. Initially serving as a newsletter of events, local issues, and women’s resources, the Northern Woman Journal quickly became a diverse publication reaching national and international readers. Not only did it serve as a newsletter to keep local women up to date on feminist issues in Northwestern Ontario, but also as a safe space to discuss women’s resources, law, politics, economics, health, racism, sexism, homophobia, feminist organizing and activism, transnational feminist issues, poetry, feminist reading, feminist art, and women’s diverse lived experiences.One of the longest-running feminist perodicals in North America, the Northern Woman Journal reached its end in 1995. Throughout its 22 years, the Northern Woman Journal was produced by its many collective members, with membership evolving year to year. For many years, the journal worked closely alongside and shared space with the Northern Women’s Centre and the Northern Women’s Bookstore. With the exception of a year-long government grant in the 1970s, the journal relied entirely on subscription fees and donations in order to maintain publishing, which presented challenges throughout its entire existence. As stated in an early version of the editorial policy, “only by a free and open exchange of views and opinions will we develop a basis for unity which can be used as a basis for action.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Northern Woman, Vol 2 No 3 Description An account of the resource The Northern Woman: Women’s New Regional Journal Topics include: Editorial Policy Letters Port Arthur Clinic Strike & Allyship Women Solidarity Stereotypes & Sexism “Women’s Libber” Consciousness Raising Meetings Disarming Woman Hate Book Review Welfare for Women Housework/Unpaid Labour Gender Roles Ontario Native Women’s Association Mothers on Budgets Northwestern Ontario International Women’s Year Co-ordinating Council Report Marriage & Money Poetry Disability Justice Aging Crisis Housing for Women Kraftco Boycott Fort Frances Pioneer Women Sexism in Publishing Ontario Regional Day Care Conference Bittersweet Exhibition Women’s Studies Definitions Wages for Housework International Women’s Year Government Funding Men’s Liberation Authors/Contributors: Nena O’Neil George O’Neil Leni Gert Beadle* Marnie Smith Judy Syfers Joy Dunham Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Northern Woman Journal Collective Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1975 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Published on this site with permission. Language A language of the resource English