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Kinesis
Vol. V, no. 47
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srtWM- COU JUE0I»"* kinesis Canada Caiiada 8 AUGUST 1375 73-S305 SERIALS DIVISION Main Library University of B.C. VANCOUVER 8, B.C. MAR^Y LWY 7tf> lof VWfamen SDeSW. Fourth/W 736-3746-7-6 Vpiumsv ■mini ii , No^ ;SD 0317-9095 An old friend called last week. She first came to Status of Women two years ago in the middle of a messy divorce. She was over fifty. Her husband had left her. Said she was too crazy to live with. Maybe she wasn't totally straight-headed. He had been dating his secretary for months. Her children blamed her for the divorce. Wouldn't even speak to her. Then the court registrar awarded her $200 a month maintenance. This from a professional man she had put- through school. She hadn't worked outside her home for over thirty years. Had no skills or special training. She was a bit depressed. After a few months, after talking to women in the same state of life, she began to try to provide for herself. Went to Langara for a basic business course. Got a part time job. Then last winter she got a full time job. Meanwhile her ex-husband left the country and married his secretary. He never once paid her the $200 a month. When she called last week, she said that her first evaluation on the full time job was very bad. When she went home to think about it she had a mild stroke and has been in and out of hospital for two months. She said "All I want is to be independent. I know I have to be. I'm trying so hard, but nothing is working". This sounds like soap opera or bad novel or something. But it really happened and I cried when I hung up the phone. We must stop this waste and cruelty. Whatever happens in legislatures or in schools, whatever our actions are, we must remember that this is the heart of the women's movement. Women who embrace-a role that all the world approves and urges them into, who willingly become dependent people are left.like this alone, resourceless, nearly helpless. It happens every day. And then they are roundly criticized for not having planned better for the future. We are not finished until every woman can do for herself when the need arises. The answer to "WHY NOT?" must be "I'm trying so hard - but nothing is working yet." Nancy Conrod President, VSW trip to Ottawa Ottawa_- July_3 and 4 On July 3 and 4, I joined four other women from NAC in Ottawa for talks with Marc Lalonde, Hugh Faulkner, Katie Cooke and assorted M.P.s. NAC's four major priorities for this meeting were resolved at the NAC annual meeting which was held in Winnipeg in May. They were: equal pay for work of equal value; child care; birth control and abortion; and family and property law. Discussion with Lalonde continued for two hours. He will bring the equal pay questions up with Mr. Munro (Labour minister). In the area of child-care, he feels they "can't do more than we're doing already." He feels that they are already stretching the Canada Assistance Plan (subsidizes day-care for families on welfare) as it is. He felt that the House of Commons was lagging behind the rest of the country in its attitude to abortion, but Lang apparently wants to review the situation of the existing law and have a debate to follow. What has been the hold up for the past three or more years? The government feels that simply removing abortion from the criminal code stops short, that we should be suggesting some kind of positive legislative control to be placed upon abortion. He acknowledged the inequities of the present system of family property law in the provinces, but feels that it is not in the area of federal legislation and that they would face great uproar from the provinces if they took the issue upon themselves. Friday morning we met for breakfast with Gordon Fairweather, Flora MacDonald, James McGrath (we had invited M.P.s from our home constituencies - not all were able to attend), Stanley Knowles, Aideen Nicholson, Monique Begin, Simma Holt, Peter Stollery. It was an informal discussion and it became very clear, very quickly, where support was and was not coming from. From there we went to the House of Commons. Lang was answering questions from Diefenbaker regarding legislation which arose from the Morgentaler case. Following this, we met with Hugh Faulkner and his special assistant. The discussion centred around funding -- how previous grant has been spent and how future grants should be allocated. Should he fund small regional women's centres, or large national organizations such as NAC? We discussed the resources presently funded by the Secretary of State and expressed our hope that adequate funding would be continued after International Women's Year. ; We then held a press conference - parts of it were on the CBC National news that evening. Our last meeting was with Katie Cooke, chairperson of the Advisory Council. We reviewed for her the things we had done and the reactions we had received. The action NAC suggests to follow this meeting: 1) meetings with local MPs re: resolutions and responses we received in Ottawa. Ask for action! 2) pressure MPs and Faulkner for the passage of Bill C-20 3) emphasize to Faulkner the importance of his department's funding Though we attempted to bring our issues into focus, there were certainly no promises made. There was buck-passing onto provincial governments and evasiveness of issues. It remains to be seen what will happen and it requires a continuous push from women across Canada to make those important legislative changes happen. - Miriam Cropper we got it EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAMME FOR MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES Shelagh Day of the B.C. Human Rights Branch requested a public representation before City Council to present the case for an Equal Employment Opportunities Programme for municpal employees. The Vancouver Status of Women made a similar request. While fully supporting the two motions concerning the Human Rights Code — committment to its provisions and a general review of hiring and promotion practices — we take the position that an E.E.O.P. is imperative. On July 22, 1975, Vancouver City Council voted unanimously for the adoption o# such a scheme. The following is the Vancouver Status of Women Brief on Equal Employment Opportunities Programme: The Vancouver Status of Women, in its concern for the equality of all workers, wishes to propose that the City of Vancouver establish an Equal Opportunities Programme. We strongly support the resolutions adopted by the Standing Committee on Community Services regarding the British Columbia Human Rights Code. Indeed, it is important that the City make a public committment to its provisions. While Human Rights Legislation does prohibit discrimination in terms of salary levels, hiring and promotion practices, the code does not provide the mechanisms to fully examine all of the discriminatory aspects in a place of employment. So far as the individual is concerned, Human Rights Legislation can only deal with discrimination after the fact. An Equal Employment Opportunities Pro gramme would have the mandate to fully examine the employment structure. This would involve an analysis of representation of women, minority and handicapped persons in each department and department level, salary scales, hiring practices, definition of merit, skills, and job categories. Utilizing this information, a plan of action can be formulated. Equal Employment Opportunities Programmes usually involve the setting of particular objectives in each departmento This can involve training programmes, re-structuring of positions, special encouragement to disadvantaged groups, and on-going examination of progress. An important element of such a scheme is that the onus is placed upon the employer to deal directly with all discriminatory practices, and give proof of its achievement. Several models for Equal Employment Opportunities Programmes exist. We believe that it is imperative that such a programme be separate and apart from the personnel department. Such a programme must have a director responsible to a council committee and a full time staff. They would be responsible for research and the assistance of department heads. An advisory committe would be struck with appropriate representation. The Federal Government of Canada has instituted such a programme and several provinces, and the Toronto Mayor's Task Force on the Status of Women are committed to such programmes. It is imperative that all levels of government be exemplary in assuring equal opportunities for all workers. Hopefully the adoption of such a scheme would be an encouragement to the private sector to follow suit. - Glinda Sutherland affirmative action The women of the United Church in B.C. have passed a resolution in support of provincial affirmative action legislation and are also in the process of setting up an affirmative action plan for lay women and clergy in their church. Their Outreach Committee, headed by Daphne Anderson, is working on C-R Workshops to examine the role of women in the church and feminist theology. The committee is calling for letters of support of their efforts, to be directed to Reverend Art Anderson, Executive Secretary of the B.C. Conference of the United Church, 505 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver B.C. Contact: Daphne Anderson, 6010 Chancellor Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. quote "The preaching of the church, having ' been done by men, has given us the strictly masculine viewpoint." — Nellie McClung, In Times Like These. Recently a judge in an Ontario rape trial voiced the opinion that there is so much free sex available that a man would have to be almost out of his mind to resort to rape. He also censured women hitch-hikers, declaring that while he did not excuse the rapist's actions "if women and girls were more circumspect, there would be fewer sexual crimes." If we are frightened and angered by the attitude revealed by these statements — we should be! They reveal that this "man of justice" believes many of the basic myths surrounding the crime of rape — eg: MYTH: the rapist is a sexually unfunfilled man carried away by a sudden uncontrollable surge of desire. REALITY: a group of convicted rapists at Mountain Prison who were involved in a series of discussions with wc men from Vancouver Rape Relief confirmed that rape is a crime of aggression. The desire is to intimidate, subdue, master — not to obtain sexual gratification. Some of the men said they had wanted their victim to struggle. In our society a man's manhood and sexuality are very closely tied to aggressive behaviour. We are socialized this way— men as victors, women as victims. The prisoners also felt that nothing was being done to alter these attitudes while they were in prison. An American doctor has released a study involving a group of convicted rapists in which he maintains that the motive for rape is not sexual pleasure. In his study, 50% of the men had not achieved orgasm during rape, and 75% had had wives or girlfriends with whom they were having sexual relations regularly. MYTH: most rapes occur in back alleys or to women who hitchhike. REALITY: in the Greater Vancouver area about 80% of rapes are casual acquaintance rapes; approximately 5% are rapes of women who are hitchhiking. Another popular myth, not mentioned by the judge, is that women fantasize about rape and, as men are often heard to say, "really want it." Marcia H. Rioux states in her discussion paper '"When Myths Masquerade as Reality: A Story of Rape," prepared for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, April, 1974, " The very idea that a woman could enjoy being attacked, that she could enjoy being exposed to injury or death, that she could enjoy being treated in a humiliating and brutal fashion is preposterous." Everyone has sexual fantasies, but rape is a violent, totally unromantic assault. Rape is the fastest growing crime in our society—and it is the most under- reported one. In Vancouver 200 rapes were reported between May 1974 and May 1975. Police estimate that this represents about 10% of the rapes committed during that period. They say that if 10 of every 100 rapes are reported, 4 or 5 will go to trial, and 1.5 will result in conviction. The legal procedure is so lengthy — 3 to 6 months before a preliminary hearing, then perhaps another year before the trial; the entire expert ience is so traumatic and humiliating; the sense of shame that society forces the victim of this crime to assume is so strong that it is not surprising that only 10% of rapes are reported. There is obviously great need for BAPC changes in attitudes regarding rape and in legislation dealing with the crime. In September 1974, Justice Minister Otto Lang announced his intention of presenting to Parliament proposed changes in the Criminal Law relating to trials for rape, necessay to "...protect the victim from the acute embarrassment and harassment that often attend the report of a rape under our present system." Mr. Lang presented his proposed changes to the National Conference of Rape Crisis Centres held June 20-22 in Ottawa and attended by representatives of 22 rape crisis centres from across Canada. It was understood by the Conference that these amendments would be introduced in the House of Commons in the fall. However among the amendments to the Criminal Code introduced in the Commons July 17 by the Minister of Justice, were several dealing with rape and related sexual offences. The changes would make it easier to gain a change of venue for rape trials and prohibit publication of the identity of the victim when an application is made by the prosecution. Evidence of the victim's past sexual conduct would be permitted only at the discretion of the judge and only if reasonable notice in writing is given. Either the accused or the prosecution would be able to apply to the judge to close the court to the public. Representatives from Vancouver Rape Relief £oint out that these terms already exist in case law — at the discretion of the judge. And. the media has generally been good about not publishing the names of victims in rape trials. However,, by making the case laws statues it would put more onus on the trial judge to introduce them into the proceedings. The most important amendment introduced by Mr. Lang is the elimination of the rule of corroboration. The Criminal Code (sec. 142) requires that in a trial for rape or indecent assault, if the only evidence that implicates the accused is the evidence of the female complainant, and that evidence is not corroborated in a material particular by evidence that implicates the accused, the judge must "instruct the jury that it is not safe to find the accused guilty in the absence of such corroboration, but that they are entitled to find the accused guilty if they are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that her evidence is true." Evidence of torn clothing, bruises, screams and especially the distressed condition of the victim (as reported by others) may or may not be capable of furnishing corroboration in law. Whether it is or not will depend on the facts of each case. Whether a given item of evidence satisfies the basic characteristics of corroborat* ive evidence is a question of law which is up to the judge to decide. If he accepts it as capable of being corroborative, he then leaves it to the jury to decide whether or not corroborative inferences should in fact be drawn from such evidence. This present requirement of corroboration puts the character of the complainant in issue in a trial. Rape must be the only crime in which the victim is on trial! Members of the rape crisis centres would like to see more far-reaching changes made in legislation dealing with rape. They want the word "rape" removed from the Criminal Code altogether. They feel that the crime should be classed as an assault — a crime against a person. The "moral judgements involved in the (present) law are made evident by the fact that by legal definition, rape can only be perpetrated by a male person against a female person. If forcible sexual acts and humiliation are illegal then they must be considered illegal and unacceptable wherever and against whomsoever they are enacted. Under these conditions, the concept of a male person raping a male person or a female person raping a male person would be legally possible." (Marcia H. Rioux). At present the sexual intercourse involved in the crime is considered more important than the physical assault. There are degrees of assault and if a rape were treated as an assault case there would be a much greater chance of conviction. The present allowable maximum penalties for rape (eg. forcible rape: life) are out of proportion to the crime and, are a deterrent to conviction. In reality convicted rapists rarely receive more than five years. For example, the rape trial mentioned in the opening paragraph resulted in a sentence of 2 years less a day definite and 2 years less a day indeterminate in a reformatory. During the month of August representatives of rape crisis centres across Canada, including Vancouver Rape Relief, will be meeting in committees to draw up a brief outlining the changes they would like to see in legislation dealing with rape. Vancouver Rape Relief, 1027 West Broadway, would appreciate copies of any correspondence concerning rape. Vancouver Rape Relief has been in operation since April 1974 and receives funding from the provincial Department of Health. At present they have 6 full-time paid staff and approximately 30 non-paid volunteers. Workers take a 6 week training course entailing court, police and hospital procedures,and medical followup as well as role playing and discussion groups. The crisis line operates on a 24 hour a day basis (732-1613) and the centre provides counselling, accompaniment service to police, hospital, court,etc., referrals to medical services, information and aan file a third party report if the victim does not wish to prosecute. The victim's name will not be used but the information is helpful to the police in identifying repeating rap**- ists and/or suspects. They provide support for the woman who has just been raped — whether or not she decides to report the rape. They also provide counselling and rap sessions for women who have been raped in the past. Members of the centre regularly give talks to groups of policemen, studentsjetc and are hoping to organize a course for policemen similar to the one in Los Angles on how to deal with rape victims. If you are interested in working with Rape Relief, a new training program begins in September. - Jo Lazenby The IWY Van is on the road in B.C.! The mobile information unit is being driven by Sheila Purdy of Vancouver Status of Women, and Gillian Smith of Everywoman's Bookstore in Victoria. The program is funded by the federal government and Lynne Pearson is the B.C. Coordinator of the IWY Secretariat and the program contact person and organizer. Sheila and Gillian have been on the road since early June and feel that their work falls into three general divisions which overlap and interact with one another: . they provide information on federal and provincial services, legislation, and legal rights of men and women . they collect information on issue, experiences, problems that affect B.C. women . they try to help women link up with other women in the province- Following are excerpts from a letter from Sheila Purdy somewhere out there! "Hello at long last. There is a lot to say so I think the best plan would be for me to first explain the kind of display,that people are seeing Our co-ordinator Lynne Pearson, has gone out to most of the communities before we do. We have learned that the most successful public displays are those where we are on a main street between the hours of 11 am and 4 pm and where Lynne and the women she has contacted have done some advertising. The display — basically people are seeing a table overflowing with federal and provincial government materials that relate to women. As people start to browse, we inform them of who we are, that this is part of Canada's programme for IWY? that they are welcome to take copies of most of the literature on the table and that we have information on specific issues (listed on a poster) if they are interested or have a specific problem. The next stage is for us to find out a bit about the person and we ask general questions hoping to hit on one or two subjects that the person feels ase important. If she talks about day care for example, or employment, education, housing, etc. as issues that are important to her, we document the details. If possible, we try to let her know that some positive steps re. the status of women are being made and talk in particular about Gene Errington's job, Eileen Caner's branch, Reva Dexter's position, the Human Rights Branch, etc. If the woman is already tuned in to the women's movement, then we talk more about women's groups, WCWN, etc. Getting women interested in the recommendations of the working group on matrimonial property is another priority. Now I should tell you what issues are turning up again and again.in small towns. Day care, I feel, is going to emerge as the number one priority of young women in B.C., regardless of their interest in the status of women. Let me give some examples: . Port Alberni is a one-industry town, with MacMillan Bloedel employing.most of the working population. The majority of jobs are shift-work. They began employing women lh years ago. One young woman, a single parent, works in the mill and so must on the road employ a babysitter. The mill job pays well but out of her $700 net pay, she spends approximately $350 on day care and babysitting payments. In other words, the financial advantage to working in a non-traditional occupation is nullified by having to use two types of child care. Her priority,then, is to have 24 hour child care. . Women elsewhere who would like to work, feel that they could not afford the child care costs, especially if they can only get shiftwork jobs. This applies not only to most industry jobs but also to nursing, and waitressing. . One woman in Cranbrook, a single parent, works as a waitress Friday nights and Saturdays. The day care centre there is open Monday to Friday 9 to 6. At the moment friends take the child overnight on Fridays but this is only a temporary arrangement and apparently Cranbrook is very short on babysitters. Our files are filling up with similar stories. A lot of people, women of all ages, are picking up the brochure on apprenticeship training. Young girls we are talking to do not realize that these courses are open to women. Of course we ate quick to point out that women are sometimes discouraged from enrolling and must therefore be persistent. Employment opportunities in general are very limited in small urban areas that we have visited. But it is also true that few women consider trying to get employment in the major industry in their town. Some do not know that women are being allowed into 'non-traditional' occupations in mills and smelters. Others would like to work but not in that kind of employment. We toured Cominco fei Trail. Our guide, a man who had worked for Com*- inco for 40 years, told us that during the war women worked in nearly all areas of the smelter, and, in his estimation, were as competent as men in all the operations. At present, 44 out of 3,700 employees at Cominco are women. Many women are still not aware that they can take action against an employer who discriminates on the basis of sex. So far we have referred three or four women to the Human Rights Branch of B.C. One Comox woman who works as a cleaner in the hospital, believes that her job is substantially the same as the male janitors' work but is paid less because of a lifting requirement written into the janitors' job description. The most popular pamphlets in our display are 'Women and the Law'. They are being bought up as quickly as we can get them. Women's groups find that conducting sessions on "Women and the Law" attracts a lot of women in the community. In the first three weeks of our tour we were able to set up displays and show films in eight schools, on Vancouver Island and in the Princeton and Grand Forks areas. Teachers and students are responding enthusiastic ally to the Women's Kit, with the result that many schools are planning to purchase the Kit on their own or in conjunction with the public li±- brary and the established women's groups in town, such as the Business and Professional Women's Club or the Women's Institute. Thus far we have heard of two cases where girls have been denied entrance into woodworking courses in the high schools. In Cranbrook a girl was told by the principal that having a girl in the woodworking class would distract the boys, which could lead to accidents with the mach- inesy and therefore, it was the school' board's policy to refuse girls entry to the course. Such cases are being referred to the Department of Education's Consultant on Sexism in Public Education. Apart from public displays and school events, we are also invited to conduct workshops or participate in discussions. We have given workshops in Courtenay, Port Alberni, Nanaimo, Trail, Cranbrook, Grasmere, and Fernie, usually in conjunction with the women's group in the area. In these workshops we have made use of the slide show on jobs for women provided by Manpower. At this point we feel that public displays are the most immediate means of reaching the uninvolved and those who will not come out to a public meeting. The women's groups with whom we have made contact are proving to be our greatest support and we are trying in return to give them some encouragement and ideas on how they can expand their operation or simply keep from folding. Women's groups in small towns are faeed with two major problems. One is that there ace not usually enough women to warrant more than one group. Therefore, it is crucial to their survival that women of different ideologies or priorities be able to work together. Secondly, attracting new members in a small town is especially difficult after the first wave, and original members find that they are ready to go on with their own lives after a few years. Going back to school means that much less time can be devoted to the wo» men's group. Our coordinator is finding that as she sets up activities for us in very small places, women's groups such as the Women's Institute and the B«C W.C. are responding very well. We did make it to the Kaslo Festival and that was fun! Gillian and I made it a time for relaxing. Right now I am completely zonked, as you can tell from this letter." Love to everyone, Sheila The following IWY Van itinerary for August is tentative. Plans are being confirmed in communities approximately three weeks before the Van's visit. . August 3-9 Fort Nelson & communities along the Alaska Highway . August 10-16 Vanderhoof, Fraser Lake, Burns Lake . August 17-23 Rose Lake, Houston, Smithers, Granisle The coordinator will be doing special sessions in northern Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, along the mainland coast, Pemberton Valley. Contact is Lynne Pearson, 1731 Feltham Road, Victoria, B.C. Phone:477-8308. vsw 3-V library In the July issue of KINESIS we listed some of the tapes now available in the VSW Audio-Visual Library. This month we are continuing the list. The tapes are thirty minutes long and are recorded on one half inch video tape. If you wish to borrow a tape contact the VSW Office. Please include one dollar to cover postage. Remember we also have 130 historical photographs in the form of slides and a slide projector and staff members will present these slides to groups in the Vancouver area on request. List compiled by Leslie Dixon. High School Women Host: Diana Bissell Theme: The frustrations of women in High Schools. A very relaxed discussion of the position of women in High Schools. The problems remain undefined but the general sense of frustration comes across, strongly. The women discuss courses, dress, career counselling, and the image of women. • Day Care Host. Rona Crivea Guests: Sandra Currie, Beth Marries Theme: Disadvantages of the present system of Day Care. A highly informative discussion of: funding, reasons for poor day care, structure and design of day care centres. Sex Discrimination in Public Education Host: Glinda Sutherland Guest: Reva Dexter Theme: Steps being taken to combat sexism. Discussion revolves around self image and roles, text books, attitudes (misrepresentation of women), courses, counselling, chores, discipline. Employment Host: Glinda Sutherland Guest: Nancy Conrod Theme: A clarification of present magazines A member who is originally from England brought us a copy of an English feminist magazine entitled SPARE RIB. I can't find out if it is available here but if you are from the UK and would like to have it, the address is: Spare Rib, Ltd, 9 Newburg St London W1A 4XS. England. Vie des Arts , a Canadian magazine of the arts, has published a special spring edition on women in the plastic arts in Canada to honor IWY. It costs $2.50 per issue and is available from Vie des Arts, 360, rue McGill, Montreal P.Q. Text is in both English and French. A Women's Studies Journal called ATLANTIS is looking for scholarly articles on "women's issues", creative writing by women, subscriptions and donations. It will begin publishing this fall from the English Dept. of Acadia University, Woifville, N.S. with Donna E. Smyth as co-ordinating editor. Subscription cost is $5. quote= labour legislation. This very informative tape gives concrete information on the Canada Labour Code and Maternity Protection, outlines the B.C. Human Rights Code, the Provincial Maternity Protection Act, the Factories Act, and the Minimum Wage Order. Actual incidents are used as examples. The White Collar Workers Host: Glinda Sutherland Guests: Karen Richardson, Judy Bourne, Diana Bissell Theme: Appraisal of working conditions in offices. Discussions involves : what do employers expect? what are the myths about women in offices? are promotions available? how are women treated in offices? feminist Counselling Host: Diana Bissell Guests: Kathy Stewart—Capilano Coll- ege^Women's Program Direetor, Eileen Hendry—Women's Resources Centre UBC Theme: New approaches to theraphy for women. A provocative debate on two types of counselling that can be offered to women. Defines non-sexist counselling and feminist counselling and discusses the methodology, goals and political implications of both. Feminist Newspapers Host: Diana Bissell Guests: Karen Richardson, Western Canadian Women's News, and Jo Lazenby, Kinesis Theme: Importance of women's news writing. Discuss the need for a feminist press and what is being done to fill that need. Feminist newspapers are displayed and analyzed and suggestions are given for for starting a newspaper. Also an outline of the services and goals of the Western Canadian Women's News Service. THEATRE "Women who set a low value make life hard for all women."—Nellie McClung, "In Times Like These" NATIONAL FEMINIST PLAY In honour of IWY, two London, Ontario women created a musical called "Straightjackets',' with a grant from the Secretary of State and Canada Council. It is a humourous revue of sexual stereotyping of both men and women, using song, dance, mime, and slides. The play has received applause- from Alice Munroe and the Stratford Festival Theatre among many others. It is now on tour across Canada. If you are interested in seeing a performance in your community, contact Nola Hague Willis, London Free Stage, 110 Regent Street, London, Ontario. -WCWN A NATIONAL PLAYWRITING CONTEST The Playwrights Cd-op has been awarded a grant from the Ontario Arts Council (from the IWY Fund) to co-ordinate a women's playwriting competition. Plays by and about women are the focus- one act and full-length plays with women as the major characters. The aim of the competition is to introduce more women writers into the existing theatre structure. Further details will be available by August 31. The deadline for entries is January 31, 1976, with the leading plays to be announced by March 31, 1976. To get on the mailing list for further information contact Connie Brissenden, Co-ordinator/Women Write for Theatre c/o Playwrights Co-op, 344 Dupont St, Toronto, Ontario. Phone 416-961-1800. -WCWN women and the arts Vancouver Art Gallery SPECIAL EVENTS is devoting the month of August to WOMEN IN THE ARTS,2nd Edition. SPECIAL EVENTS, unless otherwise noted, are held from 12:10-12:50 pm. Admission is Free. Tuesday, August 5 — Residue A dance/theatre presentation Poetry, Choreography & Costumes by Louise Durkee, Readings by John Gilbert Wednesday, August In Concert Joani Taylor Tuesday, August 12 — Vera Johnson Roving Folksinger Thursday, August 7 — Poetry Readings Vancouver poets Nellie McClung, Saeko Usakawa and Cathy Ford. Friday, August 8 — Vancouver International Stone Sculpture Symposium: Panel Discussion Joan Gambioli, Olga Jancic, Anna- Marie Kubach-Wilmsen Three women sculptors working in the Vancouver International Stone Sculpture Symposium participate in a panel discussion on their life and work with moderator Gwen Boyle. Monday, August 11 — Vancouver Women Filmmakers Wednesday, August 13,— Daphne Goldrick -r-In Cabaret, Lloyd Nicholson,Accompan- Thursday, August 14 —La Lune Solo Dance performance Choreographed and performed by Margie Gillis. Friday, August 15 — Illustrated Lecture — The Mother and The Whore (with apologies to French Filmmaker Jean Eustache), Avis Rosenberg. Two separate images and how they have been treated by men and women artists Friday, August 15 — La Lune 8:00 pm. Admission Free. Tuesday, August 19 — Hot Flashes A revue of original works by B.C. women. Hot Flashes is a feminist theatre company Wednesday, August 20 — Duo Recital Ellen Nickels-Violin, Linda-Lee Thomas -Piano. The programme will include works by Beethoven & Debussy. Thursday, August 21 — Poetry Readings Vancouver poets Carolyn Bell, Judi Morton & Mona Fertig Friday, August 22 — Folksong Recital Singer Ulrike Ruebsaat performs Canadian folksongs on the theme of women. Wednesday, August 27,— Solo Recital Nona Mari-soprano, Harold Brown-Accompanist. Thursday, August 28 — Open Forum Women Writers in Conversation. Elizabeth Zimmer chairs a panel discussion with Vancouver authors Toby MacLennan & Gladys Hindmarch. Friday, August 29 — Illustrated Lecture, — Women Artists of the Historic Past. Avis Rosenberg. farm and domestic Workers On April 10, 1975, the Select Standing Committee on Labour and Justice tabled its report on Farm and Domestic Workers, recommending the inclusion of these two classes of workers in provincial protective labour legislation. Since that time, the B.C. Labour Code has been amended and we hope that by the fall these workers will be afforded protection under the Maternity Protection Act, the Payment of Wages Act, the Truck Act, the Employment Agencies Act, the Control of Employment of Children Act, the Workers Compensation Act, the Annual and General Holidays Act, the Hours of Work Act and the Minimum Wage Act. In our own brief (October 31, 1974) to the Select Standing Committee and support paper (May, 1975) for the recommendations we pointed out that exclusion of these two categories of workers is indeed contrary to the philosophy of such legislation^ and contributes to their deplorable working conditions, job insecurity and low wages. A particular concern of Status of Women is the plight of women domestics who enter Canada on working visas. While we do not excuse the province for its failure in this area, we believe that the Federal Government Department of Manpower and Immigration has been a leading offender in allowing the gross exploitation of these workers. Individual employers and employment agencies must make application to Canada Manpower for work permits. The work permit sets out hours of work, days of work, duties, salary and living accommodation. One Canada Manpower official told me that the minimum salary for which it can issue a permit is $ 180 per month, while another said the base rate is $ 200. An official stated that although he personally would only issue a permit at a minimum rate of $ 250, "this would vary from counsellor to counsellor." slavery The employee must present the permit to an Immigration Official upon entry into the country - for rubber stamping. I was told by one official that they are "not interested" in the working conditions of these people. Supposedly, where the prospective employee is interviewed by an immigration official in her home country, the official will explain the provisions of the visa. But one must balance this with the glowing stories of life in Canada that are presented to these women by recruiting agencies in the home country. For example, one woman was led to believe that she would be able to make application for landed immigrant status and bring her whole family to Canada. Clearly, from her discussion with the agency, she had no idea what a pittance $ 200 is in Canada. We recognize the fact that many of these "agency promises" are verbal, but we believe that the Department of Immigration should be scrupulously moni-. toring such practices and insuring that employees know exactly what their status within Canada will be. Unfortunately, V.S.W. cannot obtain copies of Department of Immigration regulations which might afford some protection where a written promise has been made between employer and employee. A few examples of domestic working situations follow: 1. A woman had been promised $ 250 per month but only received $ 200. She worked five days a week for ten hours a day. On her two days off, she was given nothing to eat. 2. A woman worked seven days a week with only two one-half days off. For the five days she worked ten hours a day. Her agency had promised her $ 250 per month but she was only receiving $ 225. 3. A woman received $ 240 per month and her room and board was deducted from her salary. It is also standard policy that the cost of a woman's return air fare is deducted from her salary. And for all this there is really no recourse. People fear leaving their positions as their visas would become void. Finding a similar job is not a solution for there is no guarantee that conditions will improve. Technically these people are not eligible to receive Canada Manpower counselling services. Complaints can be made to Manpower regarding wages, with Manpower approaching the employer, however, it was repeated to me that Canada- Manpower is not an enforcement agency and certainly cannot enforce the hours of work provisions. Finally, CM. affords these women absolutely no job protection, so by filing a complaint, the employee risks being firedo.-, Manpower is closing its eyes to a form of slavery. The federal government is engaged in a special agreement with the government of Jamaica that even facilitates the recruiting of women for these ugly positions. But women from all over the world are arriving in our country to be subjected to the worst of working conditions. If work permits continue to be issued, the Federal Government must establish clear policy and protection to these workers. Guidelines must comply with federal minimum standards where provincial labour legislation does not exist and these must be fully enforced. - Glinda Sutherland pregnant flight attendants Pacific Western Airlines has been found not guilty by B.C. Provincial Judge Douglas Reid of contravention of Section 59.4 of the Canada Labour Code. The section states that a woman who has worked for 12 consecutive months cannot be laid off solely because she is pregnant. Judge Reidl felt that the flight attendants in the case were laid off for reasons of safety. He felt that PWA's most impressive witnesses were two flight attendants who had been involved in a plane crash. At a later time both women had been pregnant and felt that they could not have performed as well had they been pregnant at the time of the emergency. Under cross-examination, both stated that they didn't think that a pregnant woman or a woman with, children should be working at any job. That particular point didn't carry much weight with the judge. The judge also maintained that the reason CALFAA's (Canadian Airlines Flight Attendants Association) collective agreement states that women will take a leave of absence (voluntarily or forcibly) is because Of PWA's "concern for safety". The Canada Labour Code states clearly that its provisions hold precedent over any collective agreement if the labour code is more beneficial to the employee. The judge maintained that PWA does not have a history of discrimination (why didn't'they hire married women until a few years ago?) and its prime concern was safety. One questions their sincerity when it is understood that the first three months of pregnancy are the mpst critical, whereas the fourth month is the time when a woman begins to show that she is pregnant. Why isn't safety a factor up to that point? The ramifications of this case go farther than the issue of whether a flight attendant should or should not work. Once a precedent is set, and the provisions of the Labour Code are disregarded, there is nothing to stop every other industry from following suit, effectively negating the federal maternity protection. CALFAA and VSW have contacted Labour Minister John Munro, Justice Minister Otto Lang, and Minister reponsible for the Status of Women Marc Lalonde asking for an appeal or a new trial in the case. This case has gone on for a year already—it looks as though it will continue for a long time. - Miriam Gropper NEWS An adviser on Indian women's activities has been appointed by the federal Department of Indian Affairs. Ms. Van Every-Albert, a Cayuga Indian from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, will work with nearly 200 band-level women's groups across Canada to acquaint them with programs and resources available and to assist them in maintaining contact with each other, as well as publicizing their activities. Contact her at the Dept. of Indian Affairs, Community Branch Ottawa, Ontario. ,wnT * -WCWN , parent's retreat A vacation! That's what I needed. Away from a crowded, polluted city, noisy traffic - pressures and a demanding four year old child. Well, it happened. One whole week at Hollyburn Mountain. It was a single parent's retreat and even the doctor couldn't have recommended anything better. Transportation was provided to and from the mountain. Along with two of the organizers I stayed in a cabin which is part of Westlake Lodge. This was quite an experience in itself. It was a thoroughly relaxing and ex- hilerating week away from everything. No routines. No tension. No alarm clock to shake you out of a dreamy sleep. It was just so nice to wake up and hear the birds chirping instead of the C.N. trains, which is what I live next to. And no screeching cars. Just to be able to lie in bed with no one telling you it's time to get up. The fresh air is something else! There, when you take a deep breath .you get high just from the crisp.cool air. We slept on foam mattresses on the floor in our sleeping bags. The fireplace was on a great deal of the time as it was pretty chilly first thing in the morning and at night. Parents' Retreat is for parents on social assistance or low-income. If you wish, you can swim, hike, sun bathe, canoe, do crafts, read, listen to music or simply sit back and relax. Parents must arrange babysitting for their children for the five days but if this does not seem possible, you can call Parents' Retreat as the staff may be able to help you work something out. A contribution of $ 10 for food is all that's requested. This retreat operates from Monday to Friday until the end of August. There is accommodation for about a dozen people each week. If Parents' Retreat interests you, the number to call is 731-5727, local 211 to find out more about it. I'm sure glad I phoned! - Kathy Horrocks laws insufficient "... the fact remains that where women only are employed, equal pay laws are irrelevant and cannot contribute in any way to the improvement of women's pay," states the recently published 1974 report of the Women's Bureau, Labour Canada. The report points out that occupational segregation by sex is increasing since the earliest equal pay legislation was enacted. Sex-typed job ghettos may be a way for employers to avoid complying with equal pay laws. In other words, women won't get equal pay until they have equal work. What are the drawbacks of current equal pay legislation? They are often under the jurisdiction of both provincial and federal governments thus sometimes conflicting. At the same time, weak penalties for violations of the law do not persuade employers to pay women equally. Many enforcement agencies are not fully empowered to inspect for contraventions and can only react to individual complaints. Therefore, the burden of proof of discrimination in employment often rests with the individual woman who may be ignorant of protective laws and therefore not fight for her rights; who may fear reprisal from the employer if she does lodge a complaint; and who may well be unable to afford a lengthy court battle.- Also, a case won by one woman will not improve the status of thousands of other women who are similarly discriminated against. What is the answer? The Women's Bureau report suggests that affirmative action plans are one direction to take. In the meantime, the Women's Bureau report predicts that, "...a high unemployment rate at a time of continuing inflation may well bring an unfavourable reaction. It is still too early to hope that the long standing practice of hiring women last and firing them first will be reversed in the time of economic depression." Will we all have to go back to the kitchen again? - Karen Richardson VSW Board of Directors Member-at-Large socio-economic profile The Women's Economic Rights Branch, B.C. Department of Economic Develop* ment, is beginning work which will enable compilation of an annual "Profile of Women in B.C." The branch intends to demonstrate, through the use of facts and figures, what it is like to be a woman living in this province at this time. Also, to provide women's groups working for change in B.C. with the material they need for policy proposals and action documents. The Branch will be contacting women's groups in the near future, with more details about objectives and data re- quirments. Please ensure that your group responds and, if not contacted by July 31, advise the Branch. WER wants assistance with defining socioeconomic information needs, and gathering statistical information suitable for inclusion in the Profile. Contact Eileen Caner, or Diane Erickson Women's Economic Rights Branch, Department of Economic Development, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. Phone 387-5670. health hazard V.S.W. member Merriam Doucet, a recognized authority on herbicides and poisons, came by the office this week to remind us that the apple season begins soon and that the Silvex (Dow Chemical trade name for 2,4,5-TP) used on the apples is extremely dangerous to our health. These phenoxies have been found to work directly on the endocrine system of rats causing frightening birth defects. Humans are even more succeptible to phenoxy herbicides than rats. Furthermore, even though the use of DDT, DDA, DDE and Dieldrin was banned between 1969 and 1972 we have retained traces in our fatty tissues. Dr. S Stanton Maxey of Florida states that these herbicides are carcinogenic. When he removed a cancerous breast from a female patient her fat tissue showed the presence of Silvex, 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, DDT, DDA, DDE and Dieldrin. He concludes "Since current animal work indicates that herbicides (eg. 2,4,5,-T) in combination with organic pesticides (eg. Dieldrin) are up to four times as toxic as either agent alone I feel, until proven otherwise, my patient's cancer was caused by these agents". In a recently released report of an inquiry on environment held in California in June 1974, Dr. Diane Courtney, Chief of Toxicology, Environmental Protection Agency, National Environmental Research Centre, Research Triangle Park, N.C. was asked by Senator Tunney: "From what you suggested, even with parts they cannot measure of dioxin, that it can produce fetal damage?" Dr. Courtney answerd "Yes." If you would like more information, a speaker for your group or are interested in becoming involved in a group to combat the use of these . dangerous phenoxy herbicides contact: Merriam Doucet - #24, 3313 Dewdney Trunk Road, Port Moody, 936-6492. ?2^RAILROADINGtt22^^ A while ago we heard that the C.N.R. had announced that a study would be done regarding the Status of Women -in the C.N.R. as a basis for a plan - of action to implement integration of female employees into significant roles in management. This study was done by Boyle Kirkman Associates of New York, a consulting firm apparently well experienced in this particular field. Beginning last August, the consultants interviewed a number of managers and female employees in selected locations to identify the concerns and problems. A meeting was held with top management at which the problems identified would be reviewed in order to make a decision on a plan of action. The final stage, just beginning, consists of development and implementation of the plan based on the decisions taken. We have been pressuring CN to make this study public, not only because CN is a crown corporation and as such should be setting an example for private industry, but because it would offer those of us committed to Affirmative Action legislation an excellent opportunity to monitor%n important first step forward. Communication was received from the Minister of Transport's office stating that, "the CNR is not at liberty to publish the report of the study completed by their consultants. . .they, Boyle, Kirkman Associates, take strong objection to releasing this report in its entirety because it contains proprietary information which could be useful to their competitors or potential competitors." We were sent instead a copy of the CN employee newspaper for April/75 tnac contains an article about the study and this summary of that . article will have to suffice for now.- Stay tuned for further developments though! The Boyle Kirkman study found that * although 1/3 of the Canadian labour force was female, only 4% of CN's work force was female, and less than % of 1% was holding jobs at the senior management level. The study also disclosed a lack of expressed committment on the part of executive management generally to improve the status of women in the company; an unconscious bias among the majority of managers which would foster discriminatory actions in respect of promotion or the full utilization of the capabilities of female employees; and deficiencies in personnel systems and procedures in relation to the recruitment, promotion and development of female employees. According to the report, "CN's managers are unaware of executive management's interest and concern on the women's issue. Clearly, top management must recognize that the motivation to change must be created through executive directive." Specifically, CN's executive management needs to (1) get involved in demonstrating their commitment and in measuring their managers on progress against pre-set goals, and (2) require that each major department define their own specific problems, develop detailed programs for solving them and set concrete targets for line managers to achieve. , Employee relations officers from across the CN system have already met to review personnel systems in order to improve identification, training and promotion of female employees and in March of 1975 the first awareness training seminar for senior officers was held. These seminars are conducted by Boyle Kirkman staff who feel that the ideal situation would be that upon completion of the seminar participants should (1) understand their own behaviour by having had an opportunity to bring out, discuss and analyze their own attitudes towards women in CN, (2) understand the changing role of women , and discuss the advantages and problems for CN, (3) understand how to manage and motivate women within their own areas more effectively, and (4) develop strategies to better utilize women within each of their own departments. Awareness seminars will also be held for women employees, hopefully enabling them to (1) eliminate some of the inner blocks to progress, (2) learn about and plan to take opportunities for advancement, and (3) prepare themselves to fill those positions and cope with new pressures. We will, in the near.future, contact some of the women involved in this program within the CNR and talk to them about their feelings about this kind of affirmative action program. -Diana Bissell (Most material here gathered from Evelyn Leblanc's article in the April/75 issue of "Keeping Track", Employee Communications Branch, P.R. Dept, CNR, P.O. Box 8100, Montreal) — advisory council The second annual meeting of the federal Advisory. Council on the Status of Women was held in Ottawa June 9, 10 and 11. Four new members appointed to the 30- member council were present. The new member from B.C. is Norrie Preston of Victoria. Marc Lalonde, Minister responsible for the Status of Women, attended briefly and told the members he was hopeful that the Omnibus Bill, C-16, would be given third reading in the House of Commons later this week. A request was made that the Minister of Indian Affairs, Judd Buchanan, be made aware of ACSW's stand that nonstatus Indian women and their: children should not be evicted from reserves while discussions on revisions to the Indian Act are proceeding between the federal Government and the National Indian Brotherhood. Labour Minister John Munroe was asked to make a public statement in support of the Canada Labour Code provision prohibiting the dismissal of pregnant employees. A statement on the rights and responsibilities of spouses to each other in marriage was accepted unanimously by the members. It emphasizes the principles of equality and shared responsibility, including the recognition of unpaid work within the family as being as vital as paid work outside the family. A paper on rape recommended fundamental changes in the law respecting rape and related sexual offences. The ACSW recommended that the CBC be asked to reconsider its refusal to permit use of birth planning information. The federal government was requested to subsidize and assess information programs and set up federal- provincial mechanisms for the distribution of birth planning information. guide "Federal Services for Women" is a guide to federal programs, services, and grants of interest to women, published by Information Canada. It includes material on.government departments, special advisers and women's rights legislation. For a free copy contact Information Canada, 800 Granville Street, Vancouver, B.C. or write to their head office, Ottawa, Ontario. -WCWN FOCUS... This month we would like to draw attention to the Royal Commission Report's Recommendation # 152. "WE RECOMMEND THAT THE WORDS OF PREVIOUSLY CHASTE CHARACTER BE DELETED FROM ALL SECTIONS OF THE CRIMINAL CODE"." The Report well points out the injustice of introducing the moral character of the victim in defining a crime, that in four sections of the Criminal Code the presumption of chaste character of a female (up to 21 years of age) before the offence is basic to the interpretation of the offence and that, very often a young woman is forced into the position of having to defend her "virtue" before a court. To demands at the National Conference of Rape Crisis Centres in July, that references to "previously chaste character" be removed from the Criminal Code the Minister of Justice responded that he would "look into it." When you are writing to support re- form^in laws relating to assault (see article p.17) make sure that the Minister does "look into this" and press him to take the needed action. Write to Hon. Otto Lang, Minister of Justice Parliament Buildings, Ottawa. nanaimo WHAT'S bella coola The Nanaimo Women's Place, founded several years ago, has been dormant for some months. However, it was recently reactivated with a newly- elected board of dirctors. They are now at 70 Mill Street with the Women's Health Collective, an off-shoot of the women's place, funded by OFY. They also have a craft co-op with the same grant. Because the group is not certain where they will be located in the fall, all correspondence should be addressed to Ms. Elisabeth Hewetson c/6 Aid Centre, 25 Wallace Street, Nanaimo, B.C. Phone 753-0642. penticton In the June issue of Kinesis we reported that a group of women in Penticton had received funding from OFY to open a women's office September 1. Our information was wrong—the funding runs out September 1. For more information contact: Chris Dreveny, Co-ordinator, Penticton Women's Centre, 311 Main St. Penticton. Since opening their new offices May5, sponsored by an OFY grant, the Penticton Women's Centre has become increasingly active in the community as more women become aware of their services. They have two C-R groups, two self-defence workshops, a health interest group, a skills exchange service, and a weekly speaker on women's issues. They plan a Mr. Penticton or Peach King contest in August as well as a gestalt weekend. Contact them through Chris Dreveny, Penticton Women's Centre, 311 Main Street, Suite D, Penticton, B.C. Phone 492- 3012. n.w.t. The Northwest Territories Status of Women Action Committee is raising money through sales of a poster,"Our Time is Now". The first printing of the poster sold out and funds raised were used to finance the "Yellowknife Women's Festival: A Focus on Women". Approximately 1,000 people attended the festival which included films, arts and crafts exhibits, information displays, a photo collage of Yellowknife women, panel discussions on- women and health and organizing women. As part of the celebration, a panel discussion on the "Status of Women" also took place on both cable television and CBC radio. Reprints of the successful "Our Time is Now" poster are available at $1.25 each from: Eya Lewycky, NWT Status of Women Council, Site 5, Box 20, Yellowknife,- NWT. -IWY Newsletter money The National Organization of Women has published "The Money Book" a compilation of their winraing techniques for fund-raising. This is the group which produced the poster of Golda Meir with the caption,"But can she type?" which sold so well it has provided 60% of the Seattle NOW's income for more than four years. For a copy of the book send $2.75 to Seattle- King County NOW, 2252 N.E. 65 Street, Seattle Washington,USA 98115. For "Golda" send $2 to the same address. -WCWN GOING ON? II f^tatTsofl A meeting of Status ot Women groups from Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace and Smithers was held June 22. The following plans and reports came out of the meeting: C.A.R.A.L. Joyce Krause, a co-ordinator for the Skeena riding for C.A.R.A.L. requests contacts in other communities. She can be reached at 4806 Loen, Terrace. Contacts already established are: Smithers — Eleanor Knight, Gen. Del. Smithers; Prince Rupert — Susan Crawley, 715 8th Ave E. Prince Rupert; Kitimat — Aprile Goffinet, #108- 1547 Albatross, Kitimat. NEWSLETTER A newsletter is planned to report on activities in the separate communities. For more information and to contribute contact Gail Johnson 3825 Westview, Terrace. Contributions should be in by the 15th of each month. Representatives of the individual groups reported the following: TERRACE The Terrace Women's Organization (TWO) is planning a seminar for men and women on Human Rights, to be held held in the fall. 'Judge' Nancy Morrison has been invited. More information when plans are finalized. TWO sent a telegram-signed with 20 names to the Prime Minister of Canada protesting the imprisonment of Dr. Henry Morgentaler. Contact for TWO: Alice Chen-Wing, 4729 McConnell, Terrace. PRINCE RUPERT Prince Rupert Options for Women has held a successful women's fair and are planning another for the spring. The central theme has not yet been decided. P.R. also has a Family Planning group. It is affiliated with the B. C. Family Planning Association. Contact for P.R.: Susan Crawley, 715 8th Ave. E., Prince Pupert. Kitimat women are planning an all day seminar on October 18. There will be speakers on women and the law and employment. The subjects will be geared to the needs of the community. Speakers will be Diana Davidson, Vancouver lawyer; Jo Mitchell, Women's employment co-ordinator from provincial Manpower Headquarters; and Glinda Sutherland, Ombudswoman Vancouver Status of Women. There is a women's studies course in the high school curriculum and it is hoped to get women's studies as part of adult education. Contact for Kitimat: Chris Wozney, 46 Clifford, Kitimat. The local B.C. Teachers' Federation Status of Women group in Bella Coola, is setting up a women's information centre in their community. At present they are in the process of gathering information on such topics as family law, legal aid, health, consumer ser services, human rights, landlord and tenant relations, taxation, etc. They would greatly appreciate any information of qhis nature or references to resources. Contact Wanda Deisman, Box 358, Bella Coola, B.C. Phone 982-2429. -WCWN victoria The newly established Victoria Rape _ Relief Centre is in need of donations in order to rent an office, in the absence of government funding. Membership is $1.00 annually and commits you to at least 24 hours of service at the centre per month, with a vote in decision-making. Send your letters of support and donations to Tricia Scott, Victoria Rape Relief Centre, 406 Simcoe Street, Victoria, B.C. Phone 383-9100. f n.s. The Feminist News Service exists to publish news-related material by, for and about Canadian women from a feminist viewpoint. News and information concerning Canadian women can be submitted by any interested woman or women's group for consideration. The service will provide monthly news packets to all individuals or groups who subscribe. Included in the packets, at frequent intervals, will be relevant graphics and photos by Canadian women. The B.C. & Yukon office is: D. Doll, 552 Pandora St., Victoria, B.C. delta DELTA SINGLE PARENTS ACTION GROUPS This new group, funded by Secretary of State, is operating a drop-in centre with the Delta Status of Women, offering a self-help program for single parent women trying to find employment. They are willing to help women throughout B.C. and to advise other groups interested in setting up similar programs. Contact Babs Spragg, Delta Single Parents Action Group, 11655-. 94th Avenue, Delta, B.C. Phone 584- 181°- -WCWN burnaby The Burnaby Public Library has produced an excellent series of information pamphlets for International Women's Year. Topics include children's books, creativity—a booklist of women's achievements, feminist herstory and theory, women at work, health and well-being for women, women and the law, and many more. They provide excellent reading and study guides for groups and individuals and are available from: Burnaby Public Library, Kingsway Branch, 7252 Kingsway, Burnaby, B.C. 10 Three million women in Canada now make up just over one-third of the labour force, yet only a very small number have penetrated the managerial executive ranks of the business world. In fact, in 1972 only 4.2% of women, compared with 12.6% of men, held managerial or executive positions. Judged on these statistics, tradition*? ally considered "men's roles" which offer high status, high responsible ity and high income still appear to be generally out of reach for women. Is this due to discrimination against women by male-dominated executive ranks, or is it due to women's own self-concept of what her role in life should be? One must answer yes to both parts of this question for I believe it is the traditional attitudes of society that have caused both external and internal discrim-'r ination against women advancing in the business world. Women, and indeed girls, have been both openly and covertly discouraged from even aspiring to managerial/ executive positions. Business aspirations have not been considered normal for women and therefore, by virtue of social pressure alone, most girls have not braved the loneliness experienced by women at the "top" or the stigma which society attaches to the "busi* ness woman" whom it suspects is necessarily unfeminine. Girls have been encouraged,on the Other hand, to believe that marriage and motherhood are normal and that women should fulfill the accepted female role of wife and mother exclusively. Another important discouraging factor has been the erroneous belief that women are biologically unsuitable for high pressure jobs which demand above average intelligence and motivation. This attitude has affected the coun* selling of girls in terms of how much and what kinds of education they should acquire. By under-rating their , potential and by under-educating themselves women have been channelled into female sex-typed jobs (i.e. nursing, teaching, secretarial). It has been a matter of demotivation or a stifling of career expectations from girlhood. Fortunately, attitudes are changing and,whether it is by choice or by need, a few women are shedding the old self-concepts and aspiring to careers in the male domains. The major attitudinal change is women's awakened awareness of their own potential and of their own realistic desire for self-fulfillment through a career or through combining a career with marriage and motherhood.. And what about the myth of definitive male/female characteristics which has caused sex-typing and discrimination in jobs? In her book, Women in the Public Interest, sociologist Dr. Jessie Bernard discusses in detail the nature of inner differences and similarities between men and women and among women themselves. She states "...that most human traits, even when their incidence varies by sex, show considerable overlapping between the sexes...We cannot, therefore determine qualifications for a job—or lack of them—simply by sex." If we accept Dr. Bernard's theory that males and females share most human traits in varying degrees in each person, then there should be no sex-based barriers to men or women aspiring to whatever jobs they as individuals are characteristically suited for. Attitudes of the male-dominated executive ranks in government and business are altering as witnessed by the changes in government regulations and corporate policies concerning female employees. Canadian legislation rules against job discrimination and unequal pay and the federal and provincial governments have established the Public Service and Human Rights Commissions for the purposes of upholding the laws and furthering the rights of women in the labour force. Government policies regarding equal opportunities for women within their own public service ranks are progressive compared to the private business sector which has not been as quick to change. An enlightened change in attitude is, however, exemplified locally by Woodward's Stores. Two years ago the male senior executives of Woodw ward's established a policy to actively promote more women into senior management ranks. They have diligently pursued this policy to the extent that whenever there is a managerial opening in the company, at least one of the candidates for the position must be a woman. The management ranks are slowly being filled by competent women who are proving the sagacity of the still male-dominated Executive's decision. Attitudes are definitely changing in some instances but there are still many barriers and harsh realities for women to contend with if they do aspire to managerial levels. The slow rate of cultural change is something that women must accept and it is just one of the invisible hurdles to be cleared if they want to make it up the business ladder. Invisible barriers abound. Women must accept the fact that they will probably eri<- gender male and female hostility on the wau up as well as when they reach the top. Most women do not receive the organizational support that their male counterparts automatically experience and women will often be subtly excluded from the informal "stag" discussions where some of the most significant thinking goes on. Credibility is another problem, particularly in the eyes of outsiders. A woman.just doesn't look like the "boss". And, topping that is the problem that women don't have wives! Some of the other very real obstacles to women aspiring to management ranks are marriage and maternity. It is essential that married career women have the total support of their husbands in order that they may be guilt- free and truly free to be as flexible as men in the same positions. Business trips, luncheons and irregular or long working hours may all be considered as just part of the job. Maternity can be a very negative factor in the mind of the employer when young women seek positions of responsibility; and, of course, the problem of quality child care is something that every working mother must contend with. Although unequal pay for women is more of a reality in the lower labour echelons it is still said to be apparent in the management hierarchy. However, when this point was discussed with Vancouver business women, only a few felt that they, were underpaid while most felt that their salaries were comparable to those paid to men in similar positions. It might also be noted here that having a higher education does not help women as much as it helps men to earn more money. It is unfortunately a well accepted fact that women must work much harder than men to prove their ability. Pauline Jewett said that she knows she was put through twice as many hoops as her male counterparts when she was seeking her original political nomination in 1961 and, also, when she was applying for her present position as President of Simon Fraser University. Dr. Jewett believes that because of excessive adversities that women must overcome as they rise to senior levels, they actually begin to thrive on adversity. She also believes that women are almost too grateful for the "good" things (jobs won) that they do receive. This, in her opinion, tends to make a woman a more cooperative and sensitive secretary to executive provided, as Letty Cottin Pogrebin says, "...you have the three 'C's*—competence, confidence and cool." A discussion of the realities for women in business would not be complete without a look at the rewards they are seeking. Ms. Pogrebin, the enthusiastic Director of Publicity for Bernard Geiss Publishers, New York, has no doubts that a career in the business world offers everything for a girl who wants everything: a chance to have a fascinating social life, challenges, rewards, money and a family all simultaneously. More seriously though, there are the very human ego returns; the feeling of expertise, success in the eyes of others, and women in business why not? "boss*. If this is true, and if there were more women actually clearing the hurdles to the boss's chair, then I believe we would see a less authori-* tarian pattern of administration evolve. For all the obstacles for women in business there is perhaps one encouraging fact. In some fields of business talent is more important than education and thus higher education is not absolutely necessary although it is certainly an advantage. It is possible therefore to take the experimental route from the wonderful feeling of self-confidence and self-fulfillment. Having considered the obstacles and the rewards inherent for women in the world of business, one might well pose the question: Is the career— the rat-race as we know it to be for men—worth the candle? Perhaps it isn't when you study the masculine concept of career and its dehumanize ing demands. That is partly why women so often can not and are not willing to pay the price for men's careers per se. So, why not liberate men as well as women by "adjusting the Establishment to the lives of women rather than the lives of women to the Establishment." Why not? Assuming that women will want to pursue a meaningful and stimulating life via a business career, albeit on their own terms, in what fields of business are they most likely to succeed? Traditionally they have found fewer barriers in the fields of personnel, public relations, advertising and retailing. Senior positions are now opening up for women in other fields such as finance...banking, insurance, and investments. And, the fields of consumer products, real estate, construction, leisure time and civil service are all considered ripe for women in the future. If a woman wants to eliminate the hurdles of the traditionally male-dominated fields she is advised to look to the underpopulated or new fields opening up such as computer science. Women should not be discouraged from seeking success in any field in which they show ability and interest. That they can achieve success has been proven by those described by Caroline Bird as the "Loophole Women", those topflight women who have made it to the top in almost every field. Some have succeeded through sheer hard work and competence and others have succeeded through being related to the owner or president of the company —an easier route to be sure! The success of Mary Wells Lawrence, President of Wells Greene, Advertising Agency, N.Y., is well known and she is definitely one who has made it to the top on her talent and drive. Katherine Meyer Graham found herself in management in the newspaper and publishing business following her husband's sudden death in 1963. By 1967 she had overwhelmingly proven her ability by building up the Washington Post into the third largest daily in advertising lineage. Mildred Cousin of Bonwit Teller and Gerry Stutz of Henri Bendel in the United States, are proof that women can be very successful presidents of large stores. Other pattern breakers are Julia Walsh who, in 1965, was the first wo- woman to gain a seat on the American Stock Exchange (while managing a household of twelve children!) and Muriel Siebert who, on 1967, was the first woman admitted to membership in the New York Stock Exchange. Also prominent in the financial field is Sylvia Ostry, the recently appointed Deputy Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs for the Canadian Government* Singling out these few nationally eminent business women may prove that women are capable of assuming senior business positions. One might, however, feel somewhat awed by their success and regard them as exceptionally superior women whom one could not hope to emulate. I will not argue this point but will cite some Vancouver business women who, by virtue of being successful right here in our city, may serve as more realistic models. Marilyn Chilvers, homemaker and mother, is the Public Affairs Director for Canada Safeway Ltd, and such, is an executive of the company. Marilyn did not rise through the ranks as is customary in her company but was brought in j>ust over a year ago to fill a newly created position, one that was admittedly created with a man in mind. Highly respected in the financial field is Barbara McDougall, a senior research analyst, who fills the function of assistant manager of the research department at Odium Brown & T.B. Read Ltd. Barbara honoured in economics and political science at university and began her career in finance as an economist in a bank. With ten years experience in the investment industry she now has no qualms about aspiring to more senior levels. Alix Granger is another highly competent woman who, after three years in the computer industry and nine years as a security analyst, earned her master's degree in economics at Simon Fraser University while serving as the only woman instructor in the Commerce Department. This year, after time out for a family, Alix has written a book entitled Investing Profitably in Canada in which she offers advice to the investor and bold criticism to the business community. Computer systems engineer, management consultant, Vice-President of Operations of the Vancouver Stock Exchange —men's roles? Perhaps, but all are former jobs employed by Barbara Berg who is presently doing merger and acquistion work in the Strategic Planning Department of MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. In another field of finance is Suzanne LaBarge, M.B.A., who is treading on formerly exclusively male terrain as a senior assistant manager at a major Vancouver branch of the Royal Bank of Canada. Even the very staid world of banking is beginning to recognize women for managerial levels although there are still no female bank officers (executives) in the Canadian banking system. Prominent in the personnel field are Audrey Schatz and Barbara Rae who serve as presidents and general managers of their own respective companies. Having risen from the secretarial ranks to their executive suites, both of these very successful "total" women agree that personnel is an excellent field for women to advance These few women are indeed breaking old rules by aspiring to and succeeding in roles traditionally held only by men. They have each dealt with and obviously overcome most of the barriers set up by society for women in business and, by. doing so, they have helped to lower or eliminate those barriers for women to follow. The laws have been written. External and internal attitudes towards women are slowly changing. Equal opportunity for women has theoretically been achieved. Now, it is up to women themselves to take advantage of the new climate of opportunity and to realize fully their own potential in whatever way they choose. Women do have a choice. If they are confident, bright and eager to penetrate the managerial/executive ranks in the business world, then, why not? -Judy Gosney Women in Business—Why Not? was originally submitted as a term paper for the Professional Development Seminar (Commerce 180) at Capilano College taught by Andrea Kiss. One of the most important tasks facing any feminist is communication with others. It is imperative.that we speak up about women's issues to government, share knowledge with and pass on information to other feminist groups as well as sharing our understanding of the women's movement with those who have not yet "heard the word". In doing public speaking to non-feminist groups this past year as a V.S.W. staff member I have slowly evolved a formula that seems to work for me and I'd like to share it with you. These points may not work for everyone, but they have proved most successful when used for high schools, business associations, sorority groups, community groups etc. You will note that the "rhetoric" of the movement is missing from my comments and that's because I have a strong feeling that the rhetoric is often too threatening as a first introduction. If a person can't chew, you don't feed them granola, you mix up a healthy concoction of pablum and wheat germ and spoon feed them the first time around! Here goes: 1. Begin by describing as generally yet as succinctly as possible what the women's movement is doing for our society, and what your particular group is doing for women in your community. People need a precise definition to work from, let's give them one of ours for a change.(Have fun working out something you can say in less than 10 minutes! Perservere, having that "definition" is a great way to start.) 2. Be knowledgeable about the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and its recommendations. There is food for a thousand speeches in that document. Be aware of the changes that have occurred since the Report was released four years ago. Know about the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, their background study papers and recommendations they have put forward. ACSW has also published a bookelt entitled "What's Been Done" that oulines all action (and inaction) taken by the federal government on Royal Commission recommendations under their jurisdiction. Use it. Your audience can often become activated around proposed legislation or the lack of it. 3. Have pertinent facts and figures on hand to prove your points about discrimination. The Women's Bureau of the federal Department of Labour publishes a yearly report entitled "Facts and Figures on Women in the Labour Force" that will provide the you with enough depressing statistics to last a lifetime. 4. "Real life stories" are the best education/conversion tactic. The message goes home with a punch when people can relate personally to the issues at hand. So many are not aware of the enormity of the problem, others may be living through them but are unaware of where to go for assistance. The topic of rape is a good example. When we talk about what is likely to happen to a raped woman from the time of the assault to her appearance (or non-appearance) in the courtroom you can feel the anger and concern rising from the audience. Invariably someone asks how this can be so and our tactic has been to throw the question back at them speak up!! and immediately the group gets into a discussion of how our society views a woman's sexuality, or perhaps female "passivity" versus male "aggression". Thanks to the assistance of staff at Vancouver's Rape Relief Centre we are able to offer guidelines on how to combat this situation within the present legal framework. Then we talk about research that is being done on rape and let people know how they can involve themselves in working towards change. And there it is - you have created a concern, offered educational guidelines and provided a consciousness-raising experience. Similar situations can occur around employment discrimination. I recall a terrific speech given by Shelagh Day of the Human Rights Branch in which she told story after story about discrimination based on sex that clearly underlined the immensity of the problem. When she was finished people KNEW exactly what sex discrimination was all about, and she had educated several hundred more people about how to begin combatting it with effective use of the Human Rights Code. 5. Make it clear that the Women's Liberation Movement is not only concerned about the need for new legislation, but is actively working- to change society's stereotyped view of women. Point out that this means not only working out in society to change educational policy, media images etc., but working directly with women and within the movement in consciousness-raising groups, self- help couselling, health and abortion lobby groups. It is not only society's attitude towards women that needs adjusting, it is our own well-conditioned attitude towards ourselves. One of the lines people throw out is "Aren't women their own worst enemies?" My response to that is "Yes, we've been trained very well, but the movement, offers support and guidance for those of us who want to move out of the competitive sphere of behaviour". Education and media are stimulating topics and I'll take a few sentences to deal with them. There has been much material produced regarding the need non-sexist educational practices, women's studies etc. The B.C. Teacher's Federation has a Status of Women contact person in every district of the province and she has a wealth of printed and practical information to share with those who ask her. Use her as a resource person or contact the B.C.T.F. directly for information. You can gather together examples of sexist advertisements to take along for a talk on media images of women. Mount the ads on construction paper, group them together according to the sexist idea they are portraying and they will do much of the convincing for you. You may find, as we have, that many non-feminist women feel we are Vnit-picking" when it comes to criticizing sexist ads. They are all for equal pay but see nothing wrong with being depicted as mindless sex objects! Try and direct the discussion towards women's attitudes towards oneself pointing out how this is shaped by the world around us and this will often sharpen the focus on the danger of sexist advertising. A tactic that often creates a "buzz" in a mixed group is to ask the following question, firstjof all the women, then of all the men - "If there was anything you could change about your body would you do it?" We find that many more women than men agree that they would want to change their body or appearance. We ask "Why?" and suggest that perhaps sexist advertising, reflecting societal pressures for a woman to be eternally young, sexy, thin, always men-pleasing , could have a part in their attitude towards themselves. Someone will invariably point out that men have damaging stereotypes too - and we agree with them, pointing out that the women's movement wishes to remove all damaging sex role stereotyping and usually commenting that the typical male stereotype still leaves them in a position of self-determination/power/independence whereas the female stereotype is the reverse! 6. Be prepared, especially in mixed groups, to handle the typical put- downs. Some that I've heard - "What do you women really want?", "I like being feminine - you probably haven't even got a man", "Your organization must be for weak women only", "All women who have children must take the responsibility of staying home and taking care of them". Put-downs usually come from ignorance, misunderstanding, fear or outright prejudice. If you want to deal with them at all first try to isolate the cause, then take the appropriate action. Ignorance can usually be removed or lessened when you take a few minutes to make your point clearer. Fear can be safely defused when you openly acknowledge it. I have seen many tense situations unwind when one says "It sounds as if you "are afraid of this coming about...", or"I understand your fear of this but...". Unless I've got a zinger of a response I leave prejudiced comments alone. They don't deserve the honour of a reply. After a year of talking to people both in and out of the women's movement I am convinced that those of us who can should work towards removing the media stereotype of the "women's libber" wherever we can. I am constantly aghast at the amount of damage it has done. . Time and time again women have come up to me after a talk and said, "I didn't think women's lib was like this at all!" It takes time,, and it takes energy and some women argue that this time and energy should be focussed on other activities within the movement. cThe truth is that there is much untapped energy and support out there in all of our communities and I think if at all possible, we should start looking for the key that fits the door to their meeting rooms. -Diana Bissell See P. 13 for a list of resources useful for building speeches. CONTINUED FROM P. 12. Resource material you can use: Information Canada sells the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women for $4.95.. They also have the "Women in the Labour Force" book available for free. Contact the B.C.T.F. Status of Women office, 2235 Burrard Street for the name of your District's contact person. Contact the Advisory Council on the Status of Women, 63 Sparks Street, Box 1541, Station B, Ottawa, Ont for free copies of "What's Been Done" and all their background discussion papers. Contact Western Canadian Women's News Service, 2029 West 4th Avenue for a list of articles they have run in their news packets over., the last year for good background information. Call or write us at Vancouver Status of Women, 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, 736-3746 and we will try to direct you further.. NEWS BREAST CANCER DETECTION EQUIPMENT Breast cancer detection equipment was installed recently in Lion's Gate Hospital, North Vancouver. Eventually 25 other regional centres will have similar equipment available. While this program is an important step forward, Colin Gabelmann, MLA, says it does not meet the need for a mass breast cancer screening program. He urges concerned people to write to the Minister of Health Dennis Cocke, Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C., carbon copy to himself, pressing for such a program. WCWN SPOTLIGHT on a member Ever since she was in High School, Joy Bradbury has planned to go to Law School. After her B.A. these plans were postponed while she took teacher training and taught for a year so that she and her husband could both afford to take a year out to travel in Europe. When she arrived back in Vancouver, Joy applied for admittance to the UBC Law School and was accepted. However by the time the 1970-71 term was to begin she had an infant daughter to consider. And she had her awareness of one of the special problems faced by women raised very abruptly! She simply could not find suitable care for daughter Jennifer while she attended classes. At that time there was no Day Care at UBC — and very little anywhere else! Joy had to inform the Law School that she was withdrawing. It was, she says, "one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do." Positions in the School were difficult to obtain. There was only one other woman in the class. It was unlikely that the opportunity would occur again. Staying at home that winter Joy did some free lance writing on various political and sociological topics (she is still a stringer for.Newsday in New York) and a lot of thinking. The nudge she needed came in 1972 with the Provincial elections. NDP candidate Phyllis Young was running for MLA in the Little Mountain Constituency and one of her leaflets arrived at Joy's home. It stated that Ms. Young was, among other things, a member of the VSW Executive. Joy had been aware of VSW, had seen it mentioned in the media, had read the newsletter. It seemed that her interests were converging on a point where she could take action. She phoned the NDP Office and went out to canvas for Phyllis Young. At a coffee party given for Ms. Young by Carole Anne Soong she met more women who were involved in the feminist movement and she decided to join VSW. Her interest in community and political work did not end with the election of her candidate. She herself was eleeted to the executive of the Little Mountain NDP Constituency and last year was Vice-President of the group. Although she no longer lives in the Little Mountain area, she still does constituency work, primarily with the newspaper "The Mountaineer." Joy is excited about the contacts women are building with one another, the network that is forming. In her work in politics she has seen the clout of the traditional power blocks — the unions, the "Old Boys", etc. Now women are starting to build a power block and "they can't ignore us!" Remembering the helplessness that she had felt when forced to give up her position at Law School, Joy is using her political and organizing skills to combat the lack of power that limits the choices that women have. For the past year and one-half she has been involved with The Boat Day Care Centre at 13th and Victoria,due to be opened officially in September by MLA Phyllis Young. The Centre consists of seven pre-fab units and funding is provided by the Human Resources Board. As one' of the organizers and member of the Board of Directors, Joy has been adamant that the children at the Centre will be treated in a non-sexist manner. This is a consideration in the hiring of staff and such traditional features as "Dolls' Corners" have been replaced by "Imagination Corners" where the children can dress up, and create things from various shapes. The only sour note so far is the embarrassingly low salary the Board of Directors must offer to trained people doing work as vital and demanding as caring for children, Joy has also been working with the VSW Federal Action Committee, a small group formed to learn more about federal politics and legislation that affect women. They decided to focus their attention on the Canadian Pension Plan and its treatment of women (eg. the exclusion of homemakers). A great deal of research (and a great many meetings!) led .to a brief containing recommendations which is due to be released in September. Until she resigned for philosophical reasons in May, Joy was also a member of the BC Federation of Women. She had been elected at the BCFW Convention at UBC in September, 1974. As we have all learried, when you become involved in political, or feminist, or community issues, as your committment grows things really tend to snowball. It is very easy to get to the point where every waking moment seems to be spent organizing, meeting, discussing, researching, lobbying,etc. Fascinating but exhausting! Joy found that she had to learn to pace herself, to set priorities, to recognize which issues are most urgent. She feels it is important to maintain a social existence that is not just narrowed to people who share her opinions and interests. It is necessary to be aware of other opinions and values. Joy's main priorities are her family, the women's movement and politics and she feels economically privileged in that she can afford to make the choice to stay home with her children until both are in school — Jennifer 5,years, Keith 4 months. She enjoys the time she has to spend with her family and feels that the work she is doing will help guarantee that Jennifer will feel free to make her own choices in how she uses her life. Her husband Keith is interested in her activities. "He told me to say I couldn't do it without him," Joy reported. "I refuse to say it, but he is very supportive." Any lingering regrets about the lost law careerx I asked. Joy is getting that under control too. She is taking law courses from the University of London as an external student. She does her courses by correspondence and the UBC Law School supervises her exams. The courses and exams are the same as those taken by internal students. (The University of London has accepted external students for years. UBC is still debating whether or not to have night and downtown classes.) In approximately four years she will have an English Law Degree and if a law firm here will accept her as an articling student, she can be admitted to the Bar. She doesn't anticipate any problem. But as Joy points out, she knows a lot more about how to overcome problems now. - Jo Lazenby book Just in time for your summer reading, Her Own Woman is making an appearance. It is a profile of ten Canadian women including such notables as Judy La Marsh, Margaret Atwood, Abby Hoffman, sculptor Esther Warkov and others. Five writers—Myrna Kostash, Melinda McCracken, Valerie Miner, Erna Paris and Heather Robertson produced this book, published by Macmillian Co. MISCELLANEOUS Ombudstaffer Miriam Gropper flew to Ottawa several—weeks ago to lobby with the National Action Cttee - her report is elsewhere in this edition. Glinda, Miriam and Libby of the 6rabudstaff also presented a brief to City Council on July 22 regarding affirmative action for civic employees. Ombudstaff also audited 3 human rights hearings this month, reports elsewhere in the paper.. President Nancy Conrod chaired the C.A.R.A.L. Morgentaler Rally at the Vancouver Indian Centre in early July and attended a meeting with Secretary of State Hugh Faulkner on July 20 to discuss "post-IWY" funding for women's centres. Nadine and Diana began the Community Centre IWY project at Riley Park and Kerrisdale Centres, and Diana and Gene Errington appeared on Channel 8's "Consumer Prepare" program talking about IWY. Jo Lazenby almost single- handedly put together this paper again this month and Judy Bourne has been processing a host of new members and co-ordinating the summer work project. Add to that a phone ringing off the hook with ombudscases and requests for information and the result is a busy office! C.A.R.A.L. Canadian Association for Repeal of the Abortion Law, Vancouver Chapter, meets regularly every Wednesday at 7:30 pm here at the VSW office. Plans are drawn up for the rally August 9, and volunteers are getting it together for the vigil. If you have any time, and are interested in involving yourself in projects, please come along to any C.A.R.A.L. meeting,every Wed., 7:30, here. SOMETH GOING C YOU KNOW ABOUT NGONAT ^M-^ r^L Diana Bissell FEMINISM AND OUR RELATIONSHIPS This group began several weeks ago to talk about problems that feminists have in their relationships with non-feminist people, (perhaps that should read - the problems non-feminist people have with us!) At any rate, many feminist women are finding their male relationships especially difficult and this group is meeting to discuss "the problem"! We have agreed to meet every two weeks, and it looks like Mondays will be the night for now. At time of writing the only date definitely set was Mon., July 28. If you are interested in joining us, call the office and find out when we are meeting f6r sure in August. REMINDER - C.A.R.A.L. GROUP IS HOLDING A RALLY'AND MARCH ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 9 BEGINNING AT 1:30.PM AT VICTORY SQUARE AND MARCHING UP'TO THE COURTHOUSE. SPEAKERS, MUSIC, A CHANCE TO DEMONSTRATE OUR FEELINGS ABOUT CANADIAN ABORTION LAWS. THAT'S SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2 P.M. BEGINNING AT VICTORY SQUARE. SUMMER STAFF LESLIE DIXON has done wonders with our downstairs library and research files and has brought us up to date with all subscriptions to feminist newspapers, magazines etc. She is also preparing the audio-visual library catalogue and purchasing some a-v equipment for our own use. See page 5 for some of the Woman Alive tapes that are available. LESLIE McDONALD has initiated five workshops for high school women on topics ranging from rape to abortion and is in the process of setting up a "Career-Lifestyle" seminar for young women to take place in the fall. SHEERA WAISMAN has silkscreened several hundred new t-shirts, all of which have sold already! She has plans to silkscreen several hundred more, including some that will fit children. She has also designed and screened several hundred VSW posters that we will be posting in public areas and is working on designs for feminist notepaper and Christmas cards. All of this material will be available by the early fall. ORIENTATION Even though we are in the middle of summer, and one would think people wouldn't go to meetings at this time, we are always pleasantly surprised to find . a dozen or so women turn up for Orientation meetings in July and August. Orientation dates for August are Thursday the 14th and Thursday the 28th at 8 pm here in the office. Come to an Orientation Meeting if you want to learn more about what we do at VSW,and how you can help. letter' WRAP UP In the VSW Annual Report, the Letter Lobby Committee is listed as "an action oriented group which researches problem areas and comml unicates with provincial and federal governments regarding the need for action ". We began with only five members in September of 1974 and grew to 25 active letter lobbyists by June of 1975. Some of our committee's action areas were : abortion and birth control, breast cancer, day care, human rights legislation, inclusion of housewives in the Canada pension plan, income tax, housing problems of single parent women, labour code violations, matrimonial property and part time work. In addition individual members wrote letters on matters which had come to their personal attention. On May 1st we had a "work day" which resulted in a mass mailing to all federal M.P.'s pointing out parliament's slowness in passing women's legislation. Our circular had considerable impact, and the re response from M.P.s and cabinet ministers was encouraging . (See Miriam Gropper's article on page Members can be assured that the Letter Lobby Committee has made itself known to our politicians, especially in Ottawa. Dr. Katie Cooke has also given us a lot of encouragement to continue this method of lobbying. I personally have found the work very satisfying and hope that our members have as well. A note of thanks should go to the VSW office staff, especially Diana Bissell, without whose help we could not have been so effective. FALL FOCUS When we meet again on September 12 I would like to concentrate on several areas of prime concern to women, one of which is wage disparity. I am sure you are aware, as is every politician, of the continuing wage disparity between male and female workers for identical work, and that the gap is widening. Our labour legislation states lobby that there must be "equal pay for equal work" but employers get around this clause by giving different names to identical work, for example "cleaning woman: and "janitor". Provincial and Federal labour codes should be amended to read "equal pay for work of equal value" before the law can be fully enforced. People can join Letter Lobby from all over the province, and groups can join also. We send out minutes of our meetings to all members to keep them informed, and we send out a "basic info pack" to all new members so that everyone has access to the same resource material. If you are interested in becoming *a part of this active lobby group, please contact the office at 2029 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, or call me, Dorothy Holme, at 936-1662. Dorothy Holme, Letter Lobby Co-rordinator Everyone owes herself a time in her life when she lives alone and is accountable only to. herself for her use of time, money and decision-making power." This my mother told me at a time when I was going to live alone for the first time. Her statement came back to me last year when I set out, during a period of unemployment, to decide what I really wanted to do for a living. I had encountered a variety of occupations to that time and was ready to find something that I felt good about doing, that earned a reasonable salary and wasn't going to infringe on my free time to an unbearable degree. That seemed like a tall order but I fomnd that, given the time to work out the mechanics of such a choice free from the distractions and demands of a full-time occupation, it wasn't as nard as I had at first thought. With admittedly a great many negatives in my mind (I knew a lot of things I didn't want to do ) I set out to list the skills I had used in previous jobs or that I wished to try out in a new j ob.. I had learned and used several types of communication skills. In teacher training techinques of questioning and reporting were stressed. I had dealt with the public is several jobs and enjoyed this. My experience with teaching and law enforcement had taught me firmness and discretion. I had handled cash for several employers and knew this was something I could do efficiently and well. In teaching, I had had a salaried job where the hours of actual work were largely self-determined, and I had decided that I did not want that. Unless there was a direct, visible result of my labours, I felt that the time I spent in preparation every evening was wasted. The long hours took their toll in my personal life—the first year I taught I didn't read one "good" book and I had given up active participation in choral music, one of my great loves. Having failed typing in high school (the only subject I can remember failing) I was not blessed (?) with any office skills beyond rudimentary clerical duties. I did not want to"work in an office." A'week of construction work in the country had left me feeling good about the exercise(good food as well—I gained 10 pounds!) but too exhausted at the end of the day to do anything but sleep. After this skills analysis, I was left with a mental list of things I liked and things I didn't like. I found I wanted a job where I was meeting the public and one that was structured enough so that I knew what was expected of me. I wanted to be able to use the skills that I had within this framework. This led to the next step which was to see if this multiplicity of factors could fit into one job. I rejected teaching as the hours were too unstructured and I still had neither the appropriate degree to teach where I wanted nor the money to obtain it. A job as a storekeeper or cashier I felt would become routine and, although though the money is good, I didn't want to be a store manager. The Customs job I had had one summer had used many of the skills I wanted i can see clearly now to use in a job. I knew that I couldn't get back on as a summer student, and that, if I wanted to work permanently for Customs, I would have to start as a clerk in an office somewhere. (I knew that,I would then be eligible to apply for job openings as they occurred since job openings, advertised ..on a competitive basis, are usually only available to those already employed in the Public Service.) A look at the organization of the Department showed me that a wide range of occupations was available and not out of my reach in skills, although I noticed that when women were appointed to positions of authority ( and higher salary) it was almost always in the field of personnel. There i^ one woman Collector (in Cornwall, Ontario). The Collector is responsible for the admimistration of the port and I believe she is the only one in Canada. I had first hand knowledge -of what the job of Inspector entailed and felt that, given a lot of study, I would be able to do that job adr- equately or at least know enough about it to qualify for eligibility in the competition. After many calls to Manpower about jobs in the Public Service, I obtained a casual position working for Manpower as a clerk. While with Manpower I looked for a permanent job with the Public Service, preferably with Customs and Excise, Just before my job was terminated I learned of a job for clerks in Customs and was interviewed and accepted. Immediately I began looking for pro-" motional competitions, either for the level I wanted to be in at the airport or at an intermediate level elsewhere to enable me to get a wider range of expe-ience. I had planned to study one night a week, at least, in preparation for competiton for the kind of position I wanted. I noticed two days after I started that there was an opnning for an intermediate position and I decided that since I was going to be studying anyway, this would give me motivation. Since there were obvious economic benefits associated with getting the promotion, it was relatively easy for me to give preparation a high priority when I planned my free time activities. I studied every night, learning regulations and all the other things I needed to know for my ihterviEw. All this paid off—I got the promotion and was sent to the Post Office to work. Happily a supervisor who had been most supportive of my aspirations within Customs was there. Soon a poster appeared for an outside officer (Inspector), which was just What I had been waiting for. I knew that this position was due to be reclassified and that the requirements would probably change when this occurred. This, therefore, seemed to be the time to apply. Even though I had been with Customs permanently only four months, I had had previous experience and I had used my preparation time well. I had learned alot and knew where to find information which was not at my fingertips. I was going for my holidays on tour with the Bach Choir to eastern Canada, and I requested a letter of introduction so that I could study in the various cities we would be visiting. When I got to Montreal I called Customs and asked for permission to use what materials theu had available for study purposes. I found the people I talked to most helpful and ended up spending two days with the officers working on the docks, learning about the clearance of vessels large and small. The interview took place shortly after my return to Vancouver and again I was successful in getting the promotion I sought. I was placed at the airport, where I wanted to be, which reinforced my feelings of suitability to the organization and also made the studying very worthwhile. I feel comfortable about doing my job and will probably feel this way for some time to come. I have had good feedback from my superiors about my work. From here I would like to go farther within the organization but I'm not sure where yet. I would like to stay within the operational part of Customs rather than personnel. I'm presently going through a decisionmaking process similar to when I was choosing a career, only this time on a smaller scale. I am deciding now whether to apply for a transfer to the dock area(although I really like airport work) as there is a greater variety of activity on the waterfront, and it is a good place to gain experience. One of the women I work with recently started to work there and now that there is one woman on the waterfront I feel a little; better about making the move myself. It is also encouraging with regard to the position of women in Customs. Until now it was unthinkable that a woman would work on the docks. Reasons— the ones given me included the dirtiness of the job(it's mainly outdoors) and the language one is exposed to. There is also the fear that a woman working on the docks was setting herself up to be raped by the first sailor on the first ship she had to board, I'm not sure whose fantasy that was. but it seems the area of town has little to do with the possibility of being attacked and raped. This is not a happy situation by far, but it certainly weakens the argument that women shouldn't be working around marine traffic. I found the process of analysing what I really wanted to do for a career very exhilarating and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who is either dissatisfied with her present job or is seeking one for the first time. It's not easy to do, especially if one is not used to thinking of oneself in analytical terms, but it pays off. Seeing something through from thought to cashing the paycheque (which is the object of the whole exercise after all) gives a feeling of accomplishment I have found in few other areas of my life. I learned a great deal about myself and my skills and when the payoff came I can can truly say that I deserved it, and having battled a negative self-image for most of my life, this was the greatest satisfaction. -Rosalind Bell 16 In the course of writing their book, "Never Done, Three Centuries of Women's Work in Canada," the Corrective Collective, a Vancouver feminist writer's group, found that male scholars preoccupied with war and politics had written women out of history. "Well yes, there were a few general references to women as in ... 'the women and children were ... left at /V£ the fort, or drowned in the river, /'* or starved in winter'..." But, what< else did women do? ... "—-^^ Faced with the task of rediscovering// and reconstructing Canadian women's '. - history themselves, the Corrective Ljrt, Collective turned less to academic K than to personal accounts: family Igexi scrapbooks, novels by women, diaries, J- letters. c .— The book is presented in a picture- and-story album format, with hand- drawn illustrations, a print version of stories passed from mother to daughter over the generations. "Never Done" spans some 300 years, beginning with the European women who braved long and perilous ocean voyages to come to an unknown colony during the 1600's. Coming to Canada out of desperation, in many cases their lives here weren't any better. Imagine the culture shock of a.civilized urban woman reduced to the isolation and heavy labour of pioneer life! Life for the pioneer woman 200 years later, in the 1800's, was much the same. Recounting the memoirs of a prairie woman whose ranch was on the main settler's trail, the book tells how she had to cook for all the men or get a bad name in the district. In her words, "it was a life of slavery. In shearing-time I had to cook for 15 men; they needed five meals a day and I couldn't get a woman to help me for love or money." In summer, to avoid a fire in the heat of the day, she rose at 4 a<m. to do the ironing. In the early days, women helped change things not because of any social or political philosophy so much as out of a need to survive. Isolated in the bush, our foremothers wrote of their need for female companionship in their diairies. They were leaders in founding back-woods churches and bees because they offered a chance women's work is "NEVER DONE" m 'i'<^L to socialize. Women also agitated for better roads so they could do some visiting. Their lives were harsh. Treated as chattels, they suffered numerous pregnancies, chronic ill health and early death. It is not surprising many women opted for life in the church, where nuns "had the rarest treasure for a Canadian woman, leisure to pursue their own interests," and freedom from unwanted pregnancy. Although housework was the main occupation of most pioneer women, it was not the only one. Women cleared the land, worked as loggers, owned and operated mines, hunted for meat and trapped furs. They did this while raising families, with or without husbands, they built and furnished houses, tended livestock and worked their farms," long before equal rights legislation. "Never Done" describes events in the Rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada, when women managed to find the time to take part in war by "spying, sheltering fugitives, and sabotage." While the names of soldiers who died in battle were remembered, most female victims remain nameless in history. The Corrective Collective also retrieved some of the history of women's involvement in economic lobbying as good examples for women today who are trying to improve the status of working women. Did you know that "militant action in Lower Canada began with a boycott of English goods, led by women."? They had been displaced as spinners, weavers and dressmakers by imported clothing and wanted to preserve their livelihoods. The book closes with an examination of the role of women in the Industrial Revolution, working as servants, teachers, nurses, salesclerks, "typewriters" and in factories. They began a history as exploited workers which continues in the 20th century. "Today, more women work for wages, but come the end of the week, women s-e.-Nstill say to themselves, "Oh Lord, It's Friday already and the laundry's not done.' So ... women's work is still in the home." " "Each decade brings new politicians, a ,new war. But women's work is so much the same. The methods of doing her work may improve, but her role and the major tasks of the home remain constant." "Never Done" is not concerned with the well-known female historical personality, but the "millions who never became famous, for in these millions, rests the history of women in Canada." Andrea Lebowitz , one of five women who wrote the book collectively says that "Never Done" has been selling well in B.C. It was published in Toronto by the Canadian Women's Educational Press in November 1974 and already more than 5,000 have been sold. Another 10,000 have been ordered by the B.C. Department of Education for inclusion as a classroom text on social studies in every senior high school in B.C. The book should be available for $ 3.95 in most of the larger bookstores and libraries in the lower mainland. Check with their women's studies section. - Karen Richardson WCWN Andrea Lebowitz Corrective Collective 372 East 5th Avenue North Vancouver, B.C. 980-6990 Illustration from "Never Done" by Colette French women's studies Last month we reported that the third draft of the Women's Studies course for grades 11 and 12 had been rejected by the Minister of Education, Eileen Dailly. Reversing her previous position, in June she took a stand advocating the integration of women's studies material into existing curricula, rather than the implementing of a separate course as an elective— an approach she now called "questionable"., A public meeting sponsored by the B.C. Teacher's Federation on the 25th of June passed the following resolution: "Whereas Women's Studies Courses are valid curriculum content and should be included in the program of each secondary school, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the existing Women's Studies Course be printed and distributed by the department of Education to each secondary school as a model for locally developed courses on this topic." A subsequent meeting discussed possible action to be taken in September in order to gain public support for Women's Studies Courses—public meetings, petitions, polling of students, printing of the course, etc. The strong feeling voiced at this meeting was that "integration" of women's studies into existing curricula (read burying), was totally unacceptable. On the 9th of July, Heather Knapp and Jane Gaskell, the two women who wrote the course, and Gail Neuberger, Linda Shuto, and Reva Dexter of the Advisory Committee on Sex Discrimination in Public Education, met with Eileen Dailly. On this occasion the Minister said she had reconsidered, and would once again be prepared to endorse and print the course as a unit, provided that certain revisions were made. The newest list of objections include the discussion of common law marriage in the "Family" section, certain parts of "Images of Masculinity and Femininity", and the changing of the title "Biology" to "Physiology". She also indicated that she would like to see the "Politics" and "History" sections expanded. A spokesperson for the Minister said that the official status of the course is that it is "under review". In a statement made by Ms. Dailly on July 17th, she said that the department has had "some difficulty" in approving a course "...which would put over the objectives of a women's studies course and at the same time be a course that has credibility and acceptance." In any case, even if the women's studies course is finally approved in the near future, the delay has been effective—now the earliest that it could possibly be available to students is September of 1976. Leslie McDonald media action. The Media Action Group has come across this excellent media guideline in the July/75 issue of Media Report to Women that they have decided to reprint here for you to use in your own resource file and letter- writing. A fully copy of this report entitled "Advertising and Women, A Report on Advertising Portraying or Directed to Women" may be obtained from the National Advertising Review Board, 850 Third Avenue, New York, NY, 10022. National Advertising Review Board tells how to clean up sexist ads. The Report of the Consultative Panel on Advertising Portraying or Directed to Women has been released by the National Advertising Review Board. ^, The NARB established the Panel in 1972 after receiving repeated complaints about the treatment of women in ads. "To deny that the problem exists, in fact, is to deny the effectiveness of advertising.", said the Panel's Report. "For what the critics are saying is that advertising, in selling a product, often sells a supplementary product as well. Sometimes in woman-related advertising, that image is negative and deprecatory. Unfortunately, such images may be accepted as true to life by many men, women and children especially when they reinforce stereotypes of a time gone by. Seen in this light, advertising must be regarded as one of the forces molding society. Those who protest that advertising merely reflects society must reckon with the criticism that much of the current reflection of women in advertising is out of date'.' Following a section of the Report on the Panel's findings when it examined ads are four checklists for advertisers,- questions ad writers and companies should ask themselves before creating or approving an advertisement. Two checklists seek to avoid destructive portrayals and negative appeals and two checklists seek constructive portrayals and positive appeals. A few excerpts from the constructive portrayals checklist are: "Are the attitudes and behaviour of the women in my ads suitable models for my own daughter to copy? Will I be happy if my own female children grow up to act and react the way the women in my ads act and react?" "Do my ads reflect the fact that girls may aspire to careers in business and the professions? Do they show, for example, female doctors and female executives? Some women with both male and female assistants?" "Do my ads portray women and men (and children) sharing in the chores of family living? "Do the women in my^ads make decisions (or help make them) about the purchase of high-priced items and major family investments? "Do my ads portray women actually driving cars and showing an intelligent interest in mechanical features, not just in the colour and upholstery? "Do my ads portray two-income families? For example, husband and wife leaving home or returning from work together? "Are the women in my ads doing creative or exciting things? Older women too? In social and occupational environments? For example, making a speech, in a laboratory, or approving an ad?" responses Last months's MEDIA ACTION featured the ad for "Love's Baby Soft". A member of the Penticton Women's Centre sent us the following letter: Dear Karen: In response to your article in the current copy of Kinesis on "Love's Baby Soft',' just let me outline the apathetic responses that I have received from both "Chatelaine" and "Miss Chatelaine" upon admonishing them for publishing this ad. Chatelaine— "The editorial department has no connection with the advertising department and we do not see ads until they actually appear in the magazine." Women are the writers and editor but a male advertising crew determine the advertising policy! Miss Chatelaine — "... magazine publishing in Canada is a tenuous proposition. .. decisions are made on the basis of money in the bank. The choice becomes: a magazine with flaws vs no magazine at all." Neither editor seemed sufficiently disturbed by their lack of control over advertising content to do anything about it. I hope you have more success. I was extremely discouraged in receiving their responses but now that I see that others feel the same way, will carry on .and write directly to the manufacturer. Sincerely, Wynne LeRoux courses. cap college Professional Development Seminar Commerce 180 Wanda Tilley, Co-ordihator 980-7511,local 237 Andrea Kiss, Instructor 922-4507 Date: this course begins September 8, 1975 and January 12, 1976. Fee: $21. This course is designed to provide an opportunity for women to meet in a group setting to explore present and future career concerns relating to status; age; image; opportunities for employment and advancement; training or educational options. Women in Management — Commerce 181 Instructor: TBA, Wed. 7-10 pm. Lynnmour Campus. Fee $21.00. Deals with the role of women managers in business and organizations and encompasses practice in problem- solving and decision-making through analysis, practice in innovation or creatice thinking and in organizational/motivational techniques. Consumer Counselling — Commerce 186 Instructor: Leonhard Location:TBA Fee $21.)). An analysis of types and groups of consumers, how society is encouraged to consume, methods of counselling and assistance for debtors and creditors, types of credit, credit cards, credit rating, law relating to bankruptcy, Consumer Protection Act. Women and the Legal Process — Commerce 298 Instructor: Davidson Time:TBA Lynnmour Campus. Fee$10.50. How the law affects the status of Employment Orientation for Women A personalized, innovative program to enable a woman to explore career and employment options, and at the same time review English and Math skills, take advantage of personal and vocational counselling and receive college credit. Program runs Sept. S - Dec. 17 between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm. Fee $15 per month. At Lynnmour Centre. The fall schedule includes four credit courses in Women's Studies. Women's Stndies 100 General intro duction to Women's studies. Women's Studies 110 — Women and Men in transition. Women's Studies 120 — The role of women: A European survey 1000- 1890. Women's Studies 192 — A workshop in practical theatre training focusing on the role of women as playwright and performer. Fall Mail Registration: August 5-15 In Person Registration: September 3-5 Information: Wanda Tilley 980-7511, Local 235 or Andrea Kiss 922-4507. vcc VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Perspectives on Women — Sociology 316 Sociology 316 An Interdisciplinary Course with University Credit on the Situation of Women. No prerequisite courses. Offered during fall term at either Langara Campus or YWCA. Registration for both: Langara Campus, 100 West 49th Ave, Vancouver, on Sept. 2,3,4. Fee: $20.00. Information: Cindy Schrenk — 324-5257 or 255-7820 or Pat Buckley.at 733- 9151 (weekday mornings) or 266-0981. lesbianism...then and now In 1885 her late Majesty, Queen Victoria, refused to sign a Criminal Law Amendment making homosexual acts between adults punishable, unless all references to women were removed,since H.M. said, to her knowledge lesbians did not exist. The result of this classic piece of Victoriana was that Lesbianism, in England, has never been illegal in the criminal sense, although from a social standpoint, lesbians have encountered every shade of treatment from social ostracism to misunderstanding and downright persecution. Krafft-Ebing in Psychopathia Sexualis, published in 1882, writes of over two hundred medical cases that he consider-' ed to be deviates, and here among the necrophiliacs, rapists, child molesters and sundry other charmers, are the histories of seventeen lesbians. Thus in 1928 when Radclyffe Hall, a lesbian, or invert, as she preferred to say, a distinguished author and1 winner of several international awards, wrote a book on lesbianism she was taking a great risk. At first all went well and the critics of the more responsible newspapers recognized her sincerity in stating that "I wrote the book from a deep sense of duty. I am proud indeed to have taken up my pen in defence of those who are utterly defenceless...." Unfortunately the Sunday Express published a sensational article, complete with banner headlines and "butch" pictures which contained the stirring statement, "I would rather put a phial of prussic acid in the hands of a healthy girl or boy than the book in question." The end result of all this was an application from the Director of Public Prosecutors for an order under the Obscene Publications Act of 1857, which gave magistrates the power to order destroyed any obscene book. Norman Birkett (later Lord Birkett, and a most respected advocate) appeared on behalf of the publishers and in an impassioned plea (impassioned for him that is; he was a rather reserved gentleman) declared "Nowhere is there an obscene word or a lascivious passage, it is a sombre, sad, tragic, artistic revelation of that which is an undoubted fact in this world." All to no avail, since the magistrate refused to hear any of the thirty-nine distinguished witnesses called to speak in the book's defense and ruled that since the subject was obscene, ergo the book was obscene. Radclyffe Hall, bitterly disappointed, but surely not surprised, left for Europe, her book banned in England, but a roaring best-seller in the United States. That defence by Norman Birkett (described in Norman Birkett by H. Montgomery Hyde, 1964) stayed in my mind as a compassionate, deeply felt plea from a very "straight" man. So I was elated to find (in an exhibition of banned books from the Bible on down, or up, according to your point of view) a paperback copy of The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, published by Corgi at $1.95. Norman Birkett was surely right in his assessment; it is certainly neither "obscene" nor "lascivious" and although the literary style is somewhat overblown, it is a sad and very touching book. The London Times Literary Supplement review of the time said," this long novel, sincere, courageous, high-minded and often beautifully expressed as it is, fails as a work of art through divided purpose ..." This is a fair comment, but I found it a moving engrossing story and quite acceptable as such, if not a "work of art;" During the ensuing search to find out something about Radclyffe Hall, (which was easier said than done, I may say) I came across a remarkable book Woman + Woman, by Dolores Klaich, published by Simon & Schuster, Rockefeller Centre 630 Fifith Ave., New York 10020, in 1974. As far as I can tell, it is only available in the States, and none of the local bookshops have heard of it. Subtitled Attitudes Toward Lesbianism, it is exactly that, from interviews with lesbians to sex and psychology (Freud et al.) and what Klaich calls historic witnesses from Sappho to Stein and Woolf, taking in Radclyffe Hall and others, enroute. Although obviously not widely known, nor reviewed in any of the publications I read, it is a book that should be publicized if only because 'at the time of this writing'(Woman + Woman) "the only mass-marketed book written by a psychiatrist devoted solely to lesbianism was Frank S. Caprio's Female Homosexuality". Klaich asserts that, largely for lack of other; general books on the subject, Caprio's book "has taken on, for the public, something of a definite appearance." Klaich then quotes and analyzes Capr rio's views ranging from "Lesbians are basically unhappy people" to "women unconsciously prefer to fulfill their maternal role and to be loved by a man." His data apparently comes largely from interviews with prostie tutes and with his patients and since, as Klaich points out, the great majority of lesbians are neither the one or the other, this presents an unbalanced view at best. But the real mind-boggier is that Gaprio uses as one of his sources, cases from Life Romances, and even the people who write these epics don't believe them. Perhaps Klaich should have set her book in novel form, which would have undoubtedly made the best-seller list, even though it is not a "sensational" book, but-a well-researched, fascinating and,I feel, ultimately fair and very readable book about a touchy (still) subject. - Margaret Nicholls the avid articler AVID ARTICLER Carol McQuarrie who has an uncanny knack for finding Free publications with articles for feminists sends in the following two goodies: BOOKS IN CANADA — a national review of books— May 1975. A special issue on and mainly about women. Available as a give-away in some bookstores. UNESCO COURIER -March 1975. This issue focuses on International Women's Year. Carol also mentions "Children's World" by Marilyn Stusiak in The Sun's Living Today section every Thursday. A good roundup of what's going on around the Greater Vancouver area that is suitable for family fun. Often has good ideas for inexpensive outings and activities. REVUE —vol. one, no.5, July 1975. Revue is published by Writer's Free Press, Suite 914-207 West Hastings, Vancouver. It is free. The July issue has an interview with Vancouver novelist Audrey Thomas by Peter Crowell. entitled "Tea With Mrs. Blood: An Interview With Audrey Thomas." SATURDAY REVIEW — June 14, 1975. Several feature articles on women including: "Sex, Society and the Female Dilemma", a dialogue between Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan; "International Women's Year: Fact a and Fantasy"; "Full Partnership for Women" by Margaret Mead. Also a profile of Francoise Giroud and an account of the battles of Alison (Tally) Palmer who fought successfully for promotion in the US foreign service and is working for the ordination of women as priests in the Episcopalian church. GLAMOUR, July 1975. "Some Ideas About PORNOGRAPHY and Women That May Surprise You,"by Susan Brownmiller. Explains how pornography is the undiluted essence of anti-female propaganda "that permeates our nation's cultural output promoting a climate- in which acts of sexual hostility are not only tolerated but ideologically encouraged." MADEMOISELLE July, 1975. This special issue has a quartet of articles by four women on the pleasures and perils of being single, married, free. Also— "Letters Home"—some of the letters written by poet Sylvia Path about her love and marriage. From a book edited by her mother to be released in September. MS. — July, 1975. "Feminist Writers: Hanging Ourselves on a Party Line." by Vivian Gornick. Is there " a growing tendency within feminist ranks to practice the curious self-censorship that accompanies the creation of a dogma?" CANADIAN DIMENSION — vol. 10, no.8. This issue is entitled "Women: A Special Issue," A preview of this issue was given in the June Kinesis (p.8) and it is excellent! $1.50 on stands or if you can't find it write P.O. Box 1413, Winnipeg, Man. SATURDAY NIGHT — July/August 1975. "The Politics of Rosemary Brown" by Allan Fotheringham. She combines a romantic socialist tradition with 1970's feminism says Fotheringham. Also — "Striking Civil Servants" by Peter Reilly includes a lot of words on Grace Hartman who will likely replace Stanley Little as president of CUTE when he retires in October. This will make her the most powerful labour leader in Canada and the most success:- ful labour boss in North America according to the article. subscriber (home)_ <worlO_ OCCUPATION DONATION $ CORPOBATE MEMBERSHIP $ I wish to become a member I wish only to receive KINESIS In determining your donation we ask you to balance your own financial position and the fact that KINESIS costs approximately $3.00 per person oer year to print and nail. KINESIS is published wmthly by the Vancouver Status of Women. Its ob-r jeetlve is to provide an open channel of communication between the members of the organization and to promote understanding about the changing position of women in society. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and unless specifically Stated do not reflect the policy of VSW. SUBSCRIPTIONSiKINESIS is provided as a service to members of VSW in good standing. Membership is acquired by an annual donation. In determining your donation We ask you to balance your own financial position and the fact that KINESIS costs approximately $3.00 per year per person to print and mall. PUBLICATION BATE: The third week of each month*. COPT DEADLINE: The 1st of, the previous month. SUBMISSIONS: KINESIS welcomes submissions from members and will consider those from non members. All submissions, including letters to the thw editorial committee, must be accompanied by the writer's name and address. Pseudonyms will be used where requested. Where necessary, the editorial committee will edit for brevity, clarity and taste. aORRESPONDEHCE: Send to : KINESIS Vancouver Status of women 2029 West 4th Ave Vancouver 9, B.C. Telephone: 736-3746 EDITORIAL COMMITTEE: Jo Lazenby, Bobbie Patrick, Monica Mui, Eloah Giacomelli, Viviane Hotz, Diana Bissell CONTRIBUTORS: Nancy Conrod, Bobbie Patrick, Miriam Gropper. Margaret Nicholls,Sheila Purdy, Wynne LeRoux, Karen Richardson, Leslie McDonald, Rosalind Bell, Diana Bissell, Dorothy Holme, Judy Gosney, Leslie Dixon, Jo Lazenby GRAPHICS: Kathy Sopko LAYOUT: Jo Lazenby, Diana Bissell TYPING: Margie Colclough, Diana Bissell, Jo Lazenby PROOFREADING: Diana Bissell. Jo Lazenby Nadine Allen Leslie McDonald Letters Dear People: My renewal to KINESIS is enclosed... I really must tell, you how much I enjoy the sanity and balance and reasonableness coupled with persistence thdt you (our) paper displays and also the usually high quality of the articles. Incidentally I'm sure I'm one of your oldest members - have you any idea of the age range you are reaching? (I'm 55 - got any more like me—just curious!) Sincerely, M.D. Power Ed. note - Yes Ms. Power, we are aware of the age range we are reaching, our readership ages (that we know of) run from age 13 to 82. Sisters: I was so pleased to read the article "Feminist English". Words are indeed very powerful. We define ourselves and others through words. Those who have the right to define are masters of the situation. Lewis Carroll ("Through the Looking Glass") understood this clearly. "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone,"it means just what»I choose it to mean—neither more nor less." "The question is,"said Alice, "is whether you can make words mean so many different things." "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty,"is which is to be master— that's all." Sincerly, Lee Smith Dear Friends: If anyone would like any info regarding aspects of being a letter carrier, please feel free to call. Also I'm involved in forming a BC Women's Soccer Ass'n and if any women wish to play, coach or just help out I'd like to hear from them. Thanks, Barbel Holdack, Box 91611, West Van. 681-4891 news The Never Married Women Conference originally scheduled for Winnipeg this spring was replaced by a publication on the subject. Academic, statistical and personal material is being solicited. Persons interested can.assist by: sending a copy of any published article that appears rele«r vant (give source and date); writing your thoughts and experiences, giving your age and occupation, with consideration to what you have accomplished in your personal life and/or career that you attribute to the fact that you have never married. Send submissions by August 31, 1975, to Marianne Bossen, Co-ordinator, Research Committee, 123 Home St., Winnipeg, Manitoba R3G 1W8 Dear Sisters, I was quite concerned and disappointed to read in the July issue of Kinesis two references to our "trusty post office" and the inference of poor service. Perhaps I could have overlooked this had this not been a fairly regular feature of the paper as of late. As a feminist and postal worker, a carrier not represented by the union I am defending, incidentally I must protest. First a piece of information. From the references in the letter you published from the P.O. Customer Service I have assumed that the newsletters that arrived so terribly late were sent third class. As you know, third class mail is considerably cheaper than first class mail. Cheaper rates have their drawbacks. Bulk mail has absolutely no priority at the post office. If there is a deluge of mail, a slowdown or a strike, this is what waits the longest. When it is finally sorted through its special status continues as carriers do not have to deliver third class mail immediately. Another method to ensure a speedier delivery is the practise of boycotting the postal code. Do not use the code and write "Boycott the code - support postalworkers" on the envelopes. Many people are confused about this so I'll try to explain briefly. The government wishes to automate the post office. We applaud this as it could be progressive and faster. However, many people will be losing the only job they have ever had and in many cases, the only job they have the skills and education to perform. The government of Canada has given the right to most unions to use in their negotiations the fact that automation threatens jobs - they have the right to negotiate around this. However the government is denying this right to its own employees. They do not want to stop automation, they only want rights for all the people. A job is a right. Canada Post employs thousands as clerks and sorters (represented by Canadian Union of Postal Workers - CUPW) and as carriers and drivers (represented by Letter Carriers Union of Canada - LCUC). These people are mainly unskilled and the number of course, includes many women. As feminists we ought to be supporting these sisters, brothers and friends in their struggle to gain a decent living wage. It is commonly known among post office employees that those among us with dependents frequently must take on a second job in order that they might all eat. CUPW has also raised a demand for childcare facilities to be established by the government for its employees (postal especially). This is hardly a demand a feminist would not support. These inside workers, in a fight for job security and a good wage must use the only weapons they have - slowdowns and strikes. What other weapons have they but the mail? I hope I have managed to clarify several things about the post office - why we must support these employees. They are only doing what they must. Support them and us. Sisterly, Lee Smith. VSW VSW BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING The monthly meeting of the VSW Board of Directors was held June 25, President Nancy Conrod in the Chair. It was decided to renew our membership in the National Action Committee on the Status of Women and at the same time express our desire for a more national representation. Endorsement was given to the "High School Women's Studies Course." It was agreed to send a letter expressing VSW concern over the danger for women in downtown parking lots to the Downtown Parking Corporation, with copies to Rape Relief and Darlene Mazari. The next Board of Directors Meeting will be held July 23 at 7:30 pm in the VSW Office. general meeting A General Meeting of all members of VSW will be held September 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the Vancouver YWCA. Gene Errington, Provincial Co-»ordinator on Status of Women, will tell us about the IWY Conference in Mexico City. More about the program for the meeting in the next issue o€ KINESIS. Plan to attend! SFU Simon Fraser University President Pauline Jewett received a letter from the Universities Council of British Columbia commending her action in not allowing Simon Fraser University funds to be spent to encourage discrimination between the sexes. Dr. Jewett earlier wrote to her vice- presidents, deans and chairpersons saying that any functions paid for by the University must be held at a location other than the University Club. Her memo said"The University, of course, will not be paying for any membership in the club or in any other club that permits discrimination." The University Club denied membership to Dr. Jewett by voting recently to continue its male membership only policy. "NOT GUILTY" f ree dr morgentaler repeal the abortion laws meet at victory square Saturday, aug. 9,1:30 p.m. OR. MORGENTALER FOR FURTHER INFO CONTACT: CANADIAN ASSOC. FOR REPEAL OF ABORTION LAWS: DAYS - ' NIGHT 736-3746 ■ 327-0349 august calendar of events Aug 2 - CARAL meeting, 7:30, office. Aug 5 - KINESIS meeting, 7:30 pm office. Aug 6 - CARAL meeting, 7:30 pm office. Aug 9 - CARAL ABORTION RALLY AND MARCH, 1:30 Pm, MEET AT VICTORY SQUARE. Aug 13 - CARAL meeting, 7:30 pm office. Aug 14 - ORIENTATION meeting, 8 pm, office. Aug 20 - CARAL meeting, 7:30 pm, office. Aug 27 - CARAL meeting, 7:30 pm, office. Aug 28 - ORIENTATION meeting, 8 pm, office. FOR AUGUST DATES OF FEMINISM AND OUR RELATIONSHIPS PLEASE CALL OFFICE AT 736-3746.
Preceding title: Vancouver Status of Women. Newsletter. Date of publication: 1974-2001. Frequency: Monthly.
Periodicals
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HQ1101.V24 N49
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Vancouver : Vancouver Status of Women
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. HQ1101.V24 N49
Women--Social and moral questions
Feminism--Periodicals
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