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Compiled and edited by Lisa Zanyk
As you read in Lisa Menard’s editorial, MAW has experienced a major growth spurt with the inclusion of French-language articles in Homebase, and information on the web site. We are currently exploring, with the enthusiastic and competent help of our translator Michèle Lapierre, the possibility for grant money to translate some of MAW’s political materials into French.
Meanwhile, Steering continues to work tirelessly to keep the business of MAW afloat, and the Policy Paper on unpaid work is ever closer to publication, thanks to the herculean efforts of researcher and writer Kathryn Spracklin.
This edition of the MAW Report consists, as is our tradition, of reports submitted by MAWs who have been involved in various activities. As always, the MAW report reflects the diversity of MAW’s interests (and of the women who make up our organization), and the broad scope of our activities. Read on, for a report on the World March of Women 2000, a conference on the Report on the Status of Women, and the latest fodder for Radical Readers.
One of the current concerns of Mothers Are Women is that of promotion and marketing. Efforts to increase the readership of Homebase, and of MAW’s political publications, are ongoing. To that end, a committee is working to increase publicity for the organization, with strategies ranging from coordinating efforts with such groups as Welcome Wagon in order to disperse MAW pamphlets and paraphernalia; to an updated fridge magnet; to the possibility of a benefit concert.
MAW’s unpaid work policy analysis, tentatively titled “Making it Work,” is now in the final editing/production stages. It should be released early in 2001, coinciding with the Year of the Volunteer, as well as the 2001 Census of Population, which we hope will include questions on unpaid work, including volunteer work. We would like your input on MAW policy. Please comment on the child care policies outlined in this issue of Homebase, (Politically Speaking). Check our Web site for recommendations in the near future. (Write, call or email us with comments.)
A 30-Year Review of Women’s Gains
by Jo-Anne Stead and Jolynn Sommervill
It’s difficult to believe that only 30 years ago, women were paid less than men for doing the same job, and that there were many occupations and fields where women just weren’t accepted. On October 7, a beautiful fall day in Kingston, Ontario, we were reminded of that at a half-day conference looking at the recommendations from the Report on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.
Women can be forgiven if they have never heard of the report, or had forgotten about it, since it either came out before we were even born, or we were too young to be aware of what “women’s issues” were. The Report had a lot of significance at the time of its publication, however, since it was preceded by hearings across the country and received 500 submissions from women from every walk of life. The final report included recommendations, aimed mainly at the government, on what could be done to improve women’s equality.
The office of the University Advisor on Equity at Queen’s University in Kingston, organized this conference to see how well women have progressed in Canada, and how many of the recommendations have been achieved. The conference started with a lunch and we were delighted to attend and represent the interests of MAW.
The two keynote speakers at lunch were Judy Rebick, one of the most well known former chairs of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), and Maude Barlow, currently a spokesperson for the Council of Canadians, formerly an equity manager for the City of Ottawa and a women’s advisor to former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. You could tell that given the chance, each could have easily spoken well for several hours about their experiences in the women’s movement.
However, they only had about 45 minutes, and so each selected personally significant anecdotes to illustrate how far women had come. Judy Rebick told a story of how she was interviewed for a job as a reporter at a newspaper in the ‘60s, and the editor said he couldn’t hire her because of all the swearing in the newsroom. She responded with her own profanities, but still didn’t get the job. Ms. Barlow also had numerous stories to tell about working in women’s issues in the early days, but saved her passionate speech to urge women today to get involved in stopping the multinational corporations threatening Canada’s universal social programs.
After the speeches, everyone split up into groups to look at the report’s recommendations and see how we’ve done. One of us attended the session on women and the family, and the other attended the session on women and the economy. It is interesting to note that when the report came out significant topics such as unpaid work and violence against women were not covered.
The session on the family included about 15 women and one man, with half of the women being university students in their early 20s, and the other half being women ranging from their early 40s to their early 70s. The issue of unpaid work was brought up fairly early in the conversation by one of the young women. She said that she was criticized by her peers when she told them that she wanted to stay home and look after her children when she had them, and that she thought this work was very undervalued.
When MAW was introduced to the group, and Jo-Anne spoke about the work MAW does to get more support and recognition for unpaid work, there was a general acceptance that this was needed. However, comments from the older group of women reflected more of an attitude that these issues were primarily of concern to “middle class” women who could “afford” to stay home, whereas many women couldn’t afford that option. The young women in the group stated that they wanted to have the choice to stay home or not, and not be penalized for either choice.
In the session dealing with the economy, the facilitator suggested that we evaluate the recommendations from an economic standpoint, and decide which recommendations were still in need of attention and what was missing from the document that was of concern in a contemporary context. There was much discussion around part-time/contract workers and their lack of security. Jolynn raised the issue of unpaid work and that the new recommendations needed to address the need for an economic model on unpaid work.
The day ended with a gathering of all participants, to hear back from the groups, and to write up more recommendations on the work that still needs to be done to achieve equality. We hope it won’t take another 30 years to see such progress.
by Jolynn Somervill
Our first read for the fall of 2000 was Barbara Kingsolver’s bestselling novel, The Poisonwood Bible. It is an unforgettable tale of a missionary family who move to the Belgian Congo in 1959 and the tragic consequences that unfold for them over the next three decades as the Congo fights for independence from Belgium.
October brought us together in the spirit of magic realism with the novels of Louise Erdrich and in particular her last novel, The Antelope Wife.
At the December meeting we shared some favourite poetry and chose the following books for our Winter and Spring, 2001 meetings.
February 26: Sisters In The Wilderness, by Charlotte Gray
March 26: Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Alborn
April 23: Small Change, by Elizabeth Hay
May 28: Traplines, by Eden Robinson
June 25: The White Goddess, by Robert Graves
Radical Readers meets on the fourth Monday of the month at MotherTongue books/Femmes de Parole, 1067 Bank Street, Ottawa. For more information, please contact the MAW line at 613-722-7851.
Québec MAWs Participate in the World March of Women
Report by Catharine Crawford
The West Island-Montreal MAW chapter got its feet wet in October (more figuratively than literally, as we enjoyed good weather) when we participated eagerly and proudly in the Marche Mondiale des Femmes - World March of Women on Tuesday, October 10. The theme for the day of our participation was generating governmental support and attention regarding home-based mothers and the Québec Pension Plan. With the organizational help of the Notre-Dame de Grâce (NDG) Women’s Centre, approximately 200 mothers and children marched through the heart of NDG bearing banners and singing songs and chants prepared by the Federation des Femmes du Québec. After a 30 minute march we stopped at a local church where a lovely lunch was provided for us. Many others continued on after lunch to local government offices, while those of us with children headed back to our starting point and called it a day, although the march had definitely put a spring in our step!
At least 10 women’s and mothers groups were represented at the March, including MAW, with three of us from the West Island group in attendance, and two women seconded from other groups to help with banner and stroller patrol! We would like to thank graphics company, GHQ Québec, who generously donated the handsome 10’ x 4’ glossy banner bearing the messages and artwork that appear on the MAW brochure. Alas, the banner is rather heavy and sags a little in the middle when marched, but it will grace events tables nicely in the future, and be carried proudly again when the next march comes around.
Report on the World March of Women 2000
by Michèle Lapierre
The World March of Women (October 9-17, 2000) was a huge undertaking in which over 5000 groups in 159 countries and territories took part. In Canada, regional marches occurred during the early part of the week; provincial marches took place on October 14th, and on October 15th the Canadian Women’s national march was held in Ottawa. The grand finale was on October 17th when international representatives of the World March of Women marched in New York.
The idea for a world march of women was born out of the experience of the Women’s March Against Poverty, which took place in Québec in 1995 and was initiated by the Fédération des femmes du Québec. The entire Québécois women’s movement mobilized for the march as did many other segments of the population and 850 women marched for 10 days to win nine demands related to economic justice. The presence during the 1995 March of twenty women from countries of the South reminded them of the importance of global solidarity building. The Beijing Conference in 1995 proved that women everywhere are struggling for equality, development and peace more than ever before. It was at this conference that the first proposal to organize an international women’s march was made.
Objectives of the World March:
During the week of women’s marches, the media became an educational venue where we learned of women’s conditions in our country. For example, the experiences of immigrant women, the lack of women shelters, the non-existent rights for lesbians and the difficulty of being both a mother and a student. Women’s committees from all of Canada’s provinces and a national committee worked on demands that they presented to their respective governments. The following is an excerpt of the document handed to Prime Minister Jean Chrètien at the end of Sunday’s march which includes demands # 10 and 11, which are most pertinent to MAW:
All women have the right to be recognized for our unpaid labour in both our families and communities. Women often refrain from paid employment or work less time or for reduced pay in the labour market while caring for a child, parent or other family or community member. In doing so, we forego employee pension plans and health benefit packages even though we provide essential services for dependents and communities. In reentering the paid work force, we face discrimination for time lost. All women have the right to employment and to be paid a living wage for their employment. We have a right to work in a healthy, accessible environment that is safe from harassment, where workers are protected against abuse and exploitation. All women have a right to equal pay for work of equal value. Barriers against our participation must be removed, particularly for those of us who belong to communities that have historically been subjected to discrimination. Employment equity programs, universal quality child care, paid leaves of absence and other measures are necessary to ensure the full participation of women in the workforce. Women need to be able to organize in trade unions, bargain collectively, strike, picket and use other means of pressure to obtain the best working conditions possible. Domestic workers and migrant workers must enjoy the same protection and benefit of the law as all other workers in the country. To end poverty and violence against women we demand that the federal government:
10. Develop a policy framework that integrates unpaid work into the various social security, income support programmes, education, training and employment programmes.
11. Collect data on unpaid work through regular national surveys, the census and a variety of other means to ensure that the full scope of unpaid work and its impact on society and on the women who do it is fully understood and integrated into all policy discussions.”
The fourth objective was realized as the Canadian demands were presented to our leaders. Internationally, a committee of women met with World Bank’s President, Mr. James Wolfensohn, and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Horst Köhler in Washington on October 16. A 200 strong delegation of women were to meet Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations on October 17 in New York but Mr. Annan was held up by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. International demands were therefore presented to Louise Fréchette, Assistant-General to Angela King, the Secretary General’s Advisor on the Status of Women. Maybe non-impressive answers to our demands will be the visible result of this march. But more importantly women got together, women walked peacefully in solidarity to end poverty and violence for women here in Canada and women across the world. This was the beginning of a world movement of women and if all women and grassroot organizations get together we can change the world.
MAW members in Montreal with backpacks, wagons and strollers marched in Notre-Dame de Grâce on a cold snowy Tuesday alongside other women. On Saturday they walked with 30,000 other women downtown Montreal. On Sunday they joined thousands more on Parliament Hill on a glorious autumn day. There were touching moments during these marches: a long-skirted female cellist and a black leather-clothed woman on her electric guitar playing Bread and Roses; a wall covered with white ribbons in memory of women victims of violence; and an empowering speech by Françoise David, President of the Fédération des femmes du Québec who organized the march. In Montreal, women held one minute of silence in memory of women victim of violence; the silence of 30,000 people is quite powerful.
Women are a bit over half the world’s population. If we all stand together how can our messages remain unheard? Women around the world are once again mobilizing to organize for the 2nd Global Women’s Strike that will be held on March 8, 2001. We sign off with the chorus from the Women’s World March theme song, three strong qualities of women.
Capiré el ham mosamam el ham
Where Capiré means understanding in Italian
Where mosamam means determination in Persian
Where el ham means inspiration in Arabic and Persian