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Women's Rights and Feminist Activism
Last updated November 14, 2007
Contents:
Articles and Information
Trial by Fire, A brief look at women smoke-jumpers, by Laura Forester, WIFP
Breast Cancer Sells, by Lucinda Marshall
Pay Gap Exists as Early as One Year out of College, Says New Research Report
New Government Data Show No Progress in Closing the Gender Wage Gap
Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975, book edited by Barbara J. Love
The Miscalculation of Female Talent Within the Literary Canon, by Carissa Brooks, WIFP
New Website Launched to Close the Wage Gap
Skirting Tradition - Women in Politics Speak to the Next Generation
Links to other relevant web pages:
WIFP Support of Efforts at the United Nations, click here.
Statistics and More, click here.
For information on Equal Rights Amendment efforts: http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/
For National and International upcoming media events, click here.
For articles on Media and Issues of Peace & Justice, click here.
Humor: Quotations from Women About Women
Articles and Information
Trial by Fire
A brief look at women smoke-jumpers
By Laura Forester, WIFP
November 14, 2007
There are universal steps to overcoming all types of fear in one’s life. In the beginning one is afraid of everything. Slowly these minor and major anxieties are overcome. However, there are few individuals who test their courage by jumping out of an airplane into a world of ash and flame. As hundreds of thousands of residents evacuate from their homes they are the brave individuals who plunge directly into that inferno. They are smokejumpers. Most importantly, some of them are now women.
Smokejumper rookies begin with a required 1.5-mile run. However, this run must be completed in less than 11 minutes, and is followed by 25 pushups, 7 pull-ups and 45 sit-ups. This physical test is just day one of rookie training for smokejumpers.
Training becomes m ore difficult and strenuous, and these women are as equally qualified as men to the task. The work is backbreaking and dangerous and the hours are exhausting. Yet, these women are passionate about their work and the power of a blaze.
The world of fighting fires and jumping from the sky was not always a place in which women were included. The first smokejumper dropped into a fire in northern Idaho in 1940. This elite and unique organization of rescue teams remained a men-only unit for 41 years. In 1981 Deanne Shulman became the first woman smokejumper by formally complaining of an Equal Employment Opportunity violation.
On June 22, 1979, Shulman sent the following letter to the Payette National Forest Supervisor. (letter text taken from On Becoming a Smokejumper: http://www.smokejumpers.com/smokejumper_magazine/item.php?articles_id=238&magazine_editions_id=14)
TO: Payette National Forest, Forest Supervisor
DATE: June 22, 1979
I was offered a position as smokejumper at the McCall Smokejumper Base on the Payette National Forest. On June 11, 1979, I reported to work. On June 12, 1979, I was terminated because I weighed 125 pounds, five pounds under the 130-pound weight requirement as specified by the manual. I am not objecting to the legality of my termination of employment. I was indeed five pounds underweight according to the employment specification.
But after further inquiry and much thought into the matter, I feel I must bring certain points to your attention.
1. Upon questioning various people, I found evidence of inconsistency in the strict application of the physical requirements of height and weight to all persons employed as smokejumpers. Some persons, who are a few pounds overweight or underweight, or a few inches too tall or short, are still employed as smokejumpers, although they are not within the required height and weight range. In essence, minor deviations are sometimes allowed in order to accommodate individual cases. Perhaps my being a woman was the factor that promoted such an unusually strict application of the requirements in my particular case.
2. The weight and height restrictions are 130 to 190 pounds and 5’5” to 6’3”. The weight requirement is based on the size of the canopy of the parachute. A heavier person tends to land with too much impact and a lighter person tends to drift with the wind. The height requirement, as far as I could discover, is based solely on the sizes of the smokejumper suits. In examining these physical requirements, it is quite obvious that a much higher percentage of physically fit men fulfill these requirements than physically fit women. Therefore, men and women do not have an equal chance for smokejumper employment, simply based on the design of the equipment used. A wider size variety of smokejumper suits needs to be designed. Research needs to be done to modify the existing parachute or have different size canopied parachutes, so that otherwise qualified women have a truly equal chance for smokejumper positions.In the near future, as more women enter the firefighting field, this problem will have to be dealt with. At the present time there are no women smokejumpers, and there have been none throughout smokejumper history. Hopefully, when the problem of unequal opportunity is resolved, others will not have to face what was for me, months of physical and mental preparation, all in vain, and a bitter end to a dream.
I would appreciate a reply to this letter.
Sincerely,
Deanne Rae Shulman
Shulman received a letter of approval and joined the ranks of McCall Smokejumper Base on the Payette National Forest in for the 1980/1981-fire season. With this proud and determined step Shulman opened the doors for future women in the fiery field. Deanne was not only the first woman smokejumper, but also a female first in multiple positions with Forest Service fire management. She has humbly been setting standards of the highest level for women in fire through the entirety of her life.
Women smokejumpers continue to be a special minority, but are hugely respected. Among the nation's more than 400 smokejumpers, only 27 are female. But today they're considered just one of the "bros," said aid Edmund Ward, base manager of the Missoula, Montana, smokejumper station. I don't think of them that way [as females]," said Ward. “We don't think 'this fire's too tough' [when making assignments] or anything like that. That's all baloney" (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/08/0808_030808_smokejumpers.html).
Lori Messenger (Missoula '00) spoke at a 20-year reunion that celebrated women in firefighting and smokejumping. She reminded the crowd that, "It matters that we have done this. It matters that we are pushing ourselves, going after the lives we want."
Lori encouraged the audience "to be [their] most outrageous, honest, silly and serious selves." She urged the women to share their experiences and teach the beliefs that women are making a difference (http://www.smokejumpers.com/smokejumper_magazine/item.php?articles_id=228&magazine_editions_id=11).
Recently as the relentless wildfires roared through Southern California, one can be sure that there were women out there, jumping from the sky to protect homes and save lives. These women are pushing boundaries and questioning stereotypes.
More information can be found at:
Women in the Fire Servicehttp://www.wfsi.org/ - This group supports the worldwide community of fire service women in many ways. We offer print publications, biennial conferences and leadership seminars, and this website, full of information about topics relevant to fire service women.
Deanne Rae ShulmanPO Box 3
Kernville, CA 93238
USA
National Smokejumpers Association – Keepers of the Flame
http://www.smokejumpers.com/ The non-profit Association is dedicated to preserving the history of airborne firefighters of the past and providing a voice for today's smokejumpers.
Breast Cancer Sells
By Lucinda Marshall, AlterNet. Posted October 24, 2007. Thanks to AlterNet for publishing this great article and to Lucinda Marshall for writing it!
October is an awareness month for breast cancer and domestic violence. Yet media coverage shows we'd rather be aware of breasts, even sick ones, than talk about abuse.
October means falling leaves, ghosts and goblins, and pink, lots of Pepto-Pink as we observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). From Campbell's Soup to Breast Cancer Barbie, it seems as if just about everyone has jumped on the pinkified bandwagon. And although October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), we'd much rather be aware of breasts, even sick ones, than talk about black eyes and things that aren't supposed to go on behind closed doors. That point is reflected in women's magazines, which devote much more space in their October issues to breast cancer than they do to domestic violence.
Of nine publications that I recently found on a grocery store magazine rack, all of which advertised breast cancer articles on the covers of their October issues, only two also contained coverage of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (and mentioned that on their covers).* And, what's worse, of the coverage dedicated to breast cancer, much of it was offensive, superficial, misleading, or flat-out wrong.
This year there is even called Beyond Breast Cancer that cheerfully proclaims that there are "10 Good Things About Breast Cancer." Who knew? And just what are the pluses of getting this dreaded disease? According to the bubblegum-colored magazine, one perk is a pair of new boobs that "will face the horizon, not the South Pole.' Better yet, they will be paid for by insurance. Oh, and you get lots of cards and flowers.
Meanwhile, both Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day give incorrect information about mammograms. Good Housekeeping claims that "[N]o one disputes that all women 50 and over should be screened annually." Yet physicians in different countries disagree on how often women over 50 should be screened. While doctors in the United States recommend annual mammograms, those in Europe say every two to three years. In Australia, where a study out last year shed significant doubt on the extent to which mammograms save lives, the recommendation is every two years. Interestingly, in some of these countries, the incidence and death rates for breast cancer are actually lower or comparable to the United States.
When they're not spewing misinformation, the October issues of the traditional women's magazines are offering overly simplistic information about breast cancer risk factors and tips for preventing it. Woman's World (not to be confused with Good Housekeeping discuss factors you can change, such as smoking, and those you can't, like genetics. Missing is any mention about the purported connection between breast cancer and hormone replacement therapy. Also absent is information on parabens, phthalates and other carcinogenic chemicals, which are disturbingly common in consumer goods from lipstick to lotion.
The silence on these subjects mirrors the focus that both the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure place on the profitable business of curing cancer rather than preventing it, which likely would hurt the bottom line of many of their biggest donors. Consumers are told that shopping will help find a cure -- a message that is not lost on advertisers.
Vogue sings the praises of one prolific advertiser, Ralph Lauren, who this year is selling polo shirts with bullseyes above the breast to target breast cancer. The ad shows a group of young, mostly white women wearing skimpy thongs, the polo shirts and nothing else. Subtle, huh?
A Pine Sol ad in Essence features motorcycle riders Aj Jemison and Jan Emanuel "driving for the cure," which is awfully hard when your vehicle is spewing cancer-causing exhaust. On top of that, Pine Sol contains 2-butoxyethanol (EGBE), which has been linked to fertility disorders, birth defects and other medical problems.
Redbook carries a sparkling wine "Cheers for the Cure" ad. Curiously, their article, "Who Beats Cancer and Who Doesn't," was one of the few risk factor pieces that failed to mention the link between alcohol and breast cancer, something that is highlighted in several of the other magazines.
And what if you or someone you love gets breast cancer? Not to worry, the women's magazines are full of inspiring survivor stories. Unfortunately, while most breast cancer victims are over the age of 50, not one of the nine magazines I analyzed focused on those women and the impact the disease has on their lives. Far more typical is a piece in Vogue discussing a very attractive young woman's agonizing choice to have a preventive double mastectomy because she carries the genes that can cause breast cancer. And with the exception of Essence, whose target audience is black, most of the women in these survivor stories are white, even though black women are more likely to die from the disease.
Despite most of these magazines having sections on health, family and love, only two of them (Redbook and Essence) had any mention of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
While it is questionable that additional awareness of breast cancer is useful, in the case of domestic violence, more coverage would be helpful. Domestic violence is the most common type of violence experienced by women both globally and in the United States. The Family Violence Prevention Fund reports that one out of every three women worldwide is "beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime." Here in the United States, the rate is one in four. In 2005 (the latest year for which statistics are available), 976 women in the United States were killed by by men that they knew. Yet because we tend to see this violence as a private, shameful issue, only 20 percent of rapes and 25 percent of physical assaults against women in this country are reported to the police.
Also underreported is the great financial toll domestic violence takes on communities. FVPF estimates that the health-related costs of "rape, physical assault, stalking and homicide committed by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year." About 70 percent of that goes toward direct medical costs; the other 30 accounts for indirect costs such as lost wages.
Though lacking in many other details, this month's article in Redbook did attempt to demonstrate how common domestic violence really is, with featured pictures of two women as well as two men who knew a woman who had been affected by domestic violence.
And the article in the October issue of Essence, which delves into why black America is "so silent" about the violence that is committed against black women (a number that nearly doubled between 2003 and 2004, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics), also pinpoints why more coverage in these magazines would be more useful. ""Awareness, or lack thereof, is also a factor, says Rose Pulliam, president of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline. "We have to find a way to talk about domestic abuse that doesn't demonize our men but creates a way of looking at this as something to discuss openly," she says.
What to take away from all this? The bottom line, literally, is that we shrink away from black eyes. Breasts, on the other hand, are highly marketable commodities, as these magazines' advertising and helpful hints about pink products attest. Glamour even uses breast cancer awareness as an opportunity for a little full frontal nudity, featuring young, pretty and oh-so-white survivors with their best come hither looks. This emphasis on youth and whiteness is a true disservice to older women who are far more likely to get this disease and black women who are more likely to die from it.
Such irresponsible coverage of breast cancer and blindness to domestic violence suggest that many publications are less concerned with women's health than with making a buck. By tugging at consumers' purse strings instead of promoting their well-being, these magazines fail to serve the women who read them.
*The magazines surveyed for this article were: Essence, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, Women’s Day, Women’s World, Ladies Home Journal, Glamour, Vogue and Beyond Breast Cancer
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Lucinda Marshall is a feminist artist, writer and activist. She is the Founder of the Feminist Peace Network, www.feministpeacenetwork.org.
Pay Gap Exists as Early as One Year out of College, Says New Research Report
Women earn less even when working in the same career field, likely due to sex discrimination
Washington – New research released today by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation shows that just one year out of college, women working full time already earn less than their male colleagues, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens.
In the report, Behind the Pay Gap, the AAUW Educational Foundation found that just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall further behind, earning only 69 percent of what men earn. Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the research indicates that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex discrimination. Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows.
The research also shows that ten years after graduation, college-educated men working full time have more authority in the workplace than do their female counterparts. Men are more likely to be involved in hiring and firing, supervising others, and setting pay.
“By looking at earnings just one year out of college, you have as level a playing field as possible,” said AAUW Director of Research Catherine Hill. “These employees don’t have a lot of experience and, for the most part, don’t have care-giving obligations, so you’d expect there to be very little difference in the wages of men and women. But surprisingly, and unfortunately, we find that women already earn less — even when they have the same major and occupation as their male counterparts.”
The AAUW research also shows that this pay gap exists despite the fact that women outperform men in school – earning slightly higher GPAs than men in every college major, including science and mathematics.
“The persistence of the pay gap among young, college-educated, full-time workers suggests that educational achievement alone will not close the pay gap,” Hill said. “We need to make workplaces more family-friendly, reduce sex segregation in education and in the workplace, and combat discrimination that continues to hold women back in the workplace.”
“AAUW has worked successfully to create educational opportunities for women and girls,” said Lisa Maatz, AAUW director of public policy and government relations. “It’s clear that barriers beyond schooling have prevented true pay equity, and AAUW continues to be a strong advocate for legislative efforts to address this discrimination.”
The report also includes other findings:
Women who attended highly selective colleges earn less than men from either highly or moderately selective colleges and about the same as men from minimally selective colleges.
Ten years after graduation, women are more likely than men to complete some graduate education.
Men and women remain segregated by college major, with women making up 79 percent of education majors and men making up 82 percent of engineering majors. This segregation is found in the workplace as well, where women make up 74 percent of the education field and men make up 84 percent of the engineering and architecture fields.
“AAUW is dedicated to improving gender equity in the workplace as well as in education,” said AAUW Educational Foundation President Barbara O’Connor. “The findings from Behind the Pay Gap are telling and disturbing. They show that equity remains an issue for women today.”
Members of the media can request a free copy of Behind the Pay Gap by contacting Rebecca Leaf at 202/785-7738 or leafr@aauw.org. Please note that this research is embargoed for release until April 23, 2007.
State-by-state data on pay equity is available on our website.
Full press kit available in the AAUW Newsroom.
Learn more about AAUW’s activities on pay equity.
For more information or to schedule an interview with AAUW Director of Research Catherine Hill, please contact Rebecca Leaf, senior media relations associate at 202/785-7738 or leafr@aauw.org; or Ashley Carr, director of communications at 202/785-7745 or carra@aauw.org.
# # #
The AAUW Educational Foundation is a leader in research on the educational and economic status of women and girls. Its research on gender equity issues raises public awareness and provides a call to action for educational institutions, policymakers, legislators, and the public. The AAUW Educational Foundation is also one of the world's largest sources of funding exclusively for graduate women. Together with the American Association of University Women, a leading advocate for equity and education for women and girls since 1881, the Educational Foundation has adopted a multiyear programmatic focus, Education as the Gateway to Women's Economic Security.
Because Equity Is Still an Issue ™
www.aauw.org
Wage Gap Persists in 2006
New Government Data Show No Progress in Closing the Gender Wage Gap
Washington, D.C. - New information released today by the Institute for Women's Policy Research shows that the wage ratio between women and men failed to narrow in 2006 and that an earlier trend toward equal pay has stalled. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006 the ratio of the annual averages of women's and men's median weekly earnings was 80.8 for full-time wage and salary workers, down slightly from 2005, when it was 81.0, compared with a 1993 level of 77.1. Women's usual weekly earnings were $600 in 2006, compared with $743 for men.
"Today's economy is letting women down," said Dr. Vicky Lovell, IWPR's Director of Employment and Work/Life Programs. "Despite women's rising educational achievement and strong work commitment, fair pay remains out of reach."
Another series of earnings data, median annual earnings, shows the same trend of a stalled gender wage ratio. The annual earnings ratio for full-time year- round workers in 2005 (the latest year for which data are available)-77.0-was very similar to that observed in 2001-76.3. Women earned an average of $31,858 in 2005, compared with men's $41,386. Real annual earnings have not increased for either women or men in recent years.
"Progress at closing the wage gap has come to a standstill in the past few years," noted Dr. Heidi Hartmann, President of the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "Any small progress observed is due to men's real wages falling faster than women's. The weak economic recovery since 2001 has frustrated women's efforts to close the gender wage gap."
To view the fact sheet, click here: Wage Ratio Fact Sheet
The Institute for Women's Policy Research conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women, promote public dialogue, and strengthen families, communities, and societies. IWPR focuses on issues of poverty and welfare, employment and earnings, work and family issues, health and safety, and women's civic and political participation. Website: http://www.iwpr.org
Feminists Who Changed America 1963-1975
New Book edited by Barbara J. Love
Introduction by Nancy F. Cott
Documenting key feminists who ignited the second wave women's movement
Barbara J. Love's Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975 is the first comprehensive directory to document many of the founders and leaders (including both well-known and grassroots organizers) of the second wave women's movement. It tells the stories of more than two thousand individual women and a few notable men who together reignited the women's movement and made permanent changes to entrenched customs and laws.
The biographical entries on these pioneering feminists represent their many factions, all parts of the country, all races and ethnic groups, and all political ideologies. Nancy F. Cott's foreword discusses the movement in relation to the earlier first wave and presents a brief overview of the second wave in the context of other contemporaneous social movements.
October 2006
University of Illinois Press
http://www.press.uillinois.edu/f06/love.html
616 pages. 8-1/2 X 11 inches. 45 photographs.
Cloth, ISBN 0-252-03189-X. $80.00
Women's Studies / History, American: 20th C.
-----
BARBARA J. LOVE has worked as an editor, writer, and journalist, and is currently a member of the board of the Veteran Feminists of America. She is the author of Foremost Women in Communications and coauthor of Sappho Was a Right On Woman. NANCY F. COTT is the Jonathan Trumbull Professor of American History at Harvard University and the Pforzheimer Foundation Director of the Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. She is the author of numerous books including The Grounding of Modern Feminism.
The Miscalculation of Female Talent Within the Literary Canon
By Carissa Brooks, WIFP
From a very young age it is drilled into our heads which great “literary geniuses” we are meant to admire. From Henry James to Lord Byron, we are forced to study their works almost to the point of boredom. And, although I cannot deny my love for the romantic flow of Shakespearian language, my enjoyment of the ever optimistic tales of Charles Dickens and the obsessive poems of Dante, I can’t help but sense a strange void in the literature from my high school and college curriculums. For a while, I blamed my difficulty of relating to this literature on the simple fact that it was written a long time ago. However, in reading more contemporary literature like Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye my excuse lost its authority.
It wasn’t until I first read Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women that I realized what the problem was. It wasn’t that these canonical texts were too old; it was that there was a dramatic lack of female writers. Not that I didn’t study some female writers. I do remember briefly studying The Lais of Marie de France in one of my medieval literature classes. However, the ratio of these writers to male canonical figures leaves much equality to be desired.
So, with my continual desire to add knowledge to my own personal canon, I went on a search for which writers scholars have determined to be female canonical figures. Now, before this little search, I had felt that my knowledge of literary greats was, well, great. However, my confidence took quite a blow when, in typing “female classic writers,” into the search box on the Wikipedia website, I was bombarded by names that were anything but familiar to me. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect to know every last author listed in the Norton Anthology, but I do expect to have a well-rounded knowledge of authors across gender, race, and socio-economic borders. It wasn’t until I began familiarizing myself with female writers that I realized how limited my knowledge had become.
I blame these limitations not necessarily on my education or the knowledge of my professors, but rather the literary canon that has been determined by the "powers that be." The literary canon posits what texts should be studied and revered as the true representations or true forms of certain literary movements. Everyone knows that in order to form educated opinions all options must be considered. So, are we to believe that these scholars have considered the female genre and found nearly nothing worthy of the canonical status? This does not seem feasible. The other problem I find is the failure of literary scholars to appropriately recognize the female figures that have actually made the canonical "grade."
My searches began by looking to the Norton Anthology of English Literature in order to understand who the standard authors are. Now, those of you who are unfamiliar with this anthology, it is primarily a collection of canonical authors who represent the literary periods of their time. It begins with ancient Grecian authors, such as Aristotle, Sophacles, and of course, Homer. Sappho, the female poet, also has made her way into the mix, and is well known, but not quite as commonly studied as her male contemporaries (http://www.wwnorton.com/nawol/s2_overview.htm).
From the Roman Empire, we study Virgil's Aeneid, and Ovid's poetic criticisms of Roman elite (http://www.wwnorton.com/nawol/s2_overview.htm). However, we don't, or at least I haven't, ever studied the poems of Sulpicia, who in the 1970s became considered one of the more genuine literary figures of her time (http://www.wikipedia.org/).
The Norton Anthology moves through periods such as the Renaissance, pointing to Beowulf, The Song of Roland, Dante, and Chaucer. And of course there is Marie de France, who despite her writing's tendency to embody the literary characteristics of her time, is still not nearly as well known as say Divine Comedy and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (http://www.wwnorton.com/nawol/index/site_map.htm). The Enlightenment section of the anthology contains names such as Voltaire, Pope, and Swift, but fails to mention Wollstonecraft's Mary, which holds a tremendous influence on women in literature by translating Rousseau's ideas into a female character (http://www.wikipedia.org/).
Postmodernism is where I find more female writers that I can relate to. For example, the works of Maya Angelou, Sandra Cisneros, and Barabara Kingsolver have been looked to as a strong references for feminist literature. But, my observation of these writers has led me to believe that women’s writing has turned from mere entertainment into a grander statement. Female literature has evolved from romantic poems of love and war into an exposure of social, political, and economical issues which women face on a daily basis. In a sense, I would like to suggest that these literary "warriors" have created their own movement. It's not typical post-modernism, and it's not quite traditional. These women have taken the drier definitions and limitations of The Norton Anthology and added color and a little taste of freedom to the literary world. There are growing numbers of women writers in all genres who can't wait to get their voices heard. This post modernist period has provided another channel for the feminist movement by providing a better understanding of women's suffering to those who read it.
The movement does not stop here, however. Although these women have incredible talent and incredible motivation, their works still need to be published, printed, produced, and studied in a primarily male-dominated field. Thankfully, with the development of Gender and Women's Studies in colleges and Universities across the country, the women's literary movement both by writers and readers alike has begun to grow exponentially. And, in 1985, W.W. Norton and Company released The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: The Tradition in English. However, syllabi of traditional English classes seem to remain unchanged.
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote, “A child very soon contracts a benumbing indolence of mind, which he has seldom sufficient vigour afterwards to shake off, when he only asks a question instead of seeking for information, and then relies implicitly on the answer he receives (http://www.bartleby.com/144/103.html).”
Although these words were written many years ago, they still ring true to this day. It is absolutely necessary to pursue knowledge beyond what sits in front of you, and it is absolutely necessary to pursue literature beyond the canon. So, how is it possible to reach this understanding? In my opinion, albeit farfetched, I would like to see an elimination of the canon altogether. Doing so would open the gates to millions of authors who didn't quite "make the cut," and would provide the literary world with a much broader point of view. However, there aren't many people out there with the time and/or willingness to search through millions of authors in order to find the few that are worth reading. So, the authors should be narrowed down at least enough to eliminate those who aren't worthy of the majority's standards (and by majority I mean a plural group of editors).
Another maybe not quite so drastic approach to this problem would be to expand the criteria of the literary canon to include writings such as letters and diaries (http:// www.victorianweb.org/gender/canon/litcan.html). This would make way for varying forms of influential texts such as Marie Antionette's Letter to Her Mother from the Enlightenment Period, which describes an appreciation of the poor which appropriately coincides with the Enlightenment movement. (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1773marieantonette.html). There is also speculation that an entire different canon be recognized, which is what I am assuming The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women was attempting (http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/canon/litcan.html). However, my criticism of this movement is that while it is wonderful that these texts are being recognized, they are simply being recognized as great women's literature instead of great literaturein general. By putting a separate label on women's literature, we are weighting the feet of women's literature, and prohibiting it from moving freely throughout the educational system. We are also reinforcing the idea that studying women's literature should remain reserved for only those who are interested in women's studies, and therefore, those who do not seek women's literature specifically are not exposed to it.
So, I propose, as the most logical and influential idea that I can conjure, that Norton at least combine both the regular anthology with its less recognized female counterpart to provide its readers with a much better understanding of all of the literary geniuses throughout history. Also, I would like to challenge professors and teachers of literature all over the world to consider the idea that perhaps the canon that has been so relevant in their curriculum, might actually need a few adjustments in order to adhere to the plural society that studies it.
Also, though literature and the arts have not always been the primary issues of the women's movement, I think it is important that there are feminists out there who pursue equality in these fields. So, if I can achieve anything through this article, I would like to encourage women artists, writers and musicians everywhere to keep at it and push to get yourselves past that gate that separates the well known from the unknown.
Works Cited
A Vindication of the Rights of Women. 2005. Bartleby. 14 June 2006. <http://www.bartleby.com/144/103.html>.
Internet Women's History Sourcebook. 25 February 2001. Fordham University. 14 June 2006. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/women/womensbook.html>.
Modern History Sourcebook: Marie Antoinette: Letter to Her Mother, 1773. November 1998. Fordham University .14 June 2006. <http://ww.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1773marieantonette.html>.
The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2006. W.W. Norton and Company. 14 June 2006. <http://www.wwnorton.com/nawol/index/site_map.htm>.
The Victorian Web. 1989. Brown University. 14 June 2006. <http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/canon/litcan.html>.
Wikipedia. 25 June 2006. 14 June 2006. <http://www.wikipedia.org/>.
Website Launched to Close the Wage Gap
The WAGE Project is a new national organization dedicated to closing the wage gap. WAGE stands for Women Are Getting Even. The WAGE Project is led by former Massachusetts Lt. Governor Evelyn Murphy, whose book, Getting Even: Why Women Don©t Get Paid Like Men and What To Do About It, will be published by Simon and Schuster in October.
Visit WAGE©s new, interactive website, http://www.wageproject.org for one-of-a-kind tools to eliminate gender bias in the workplace:
*Getting Even Calculator enables women to measure how much
the wage gap costs them
*Sex Discrimination Cases
*State and federal sex discrimination laws
*Tell Us Your Story: A Living Archive of Stories of Sex Discrimination
at Work
*Guide for establishing WAGE Clubs and for working for job equity
Pre-Order your copy of Getting Even: Why Women Don©t Get Paid Like Men and What To Do About It today at http://www.wageproject.org. Syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman has called Getting Even "the book to jumpstart the movement" to close the wage gap.
Skirting Tradition - Women in Politics Speak
to the Next Generation
It is important that we recognize the significant progress women have made over time in politics-and also how that advancement can continue. Today, 79 women hold only 14% of the seats in the Congress, 1,662 women hold 22% of the state legislature seats across the country, and 79 women hold 25% of statewide elective executive offices. Internationally, the United States ranks 60th in women's political leadership. Although we have made progress, more must be done to increase female representation in our government.
Unfortunately, young women do not enter politics in equal numbers to young men, and fewer women than men turn to politics as a source of creating change or solving problems. While 75% of young women believe that having more women in office would make things better, they don't know who to turn to or how to get involved in politics.
"Skirting Tradition - Women in Politics Speak to the Next Generation," a new book, features essays from prominent women in politics aiming to inspire young women to careers in the political arena. This collection of essays, anecdotes, speeches, and research data shows firsthand how a wide range of distinguished women have created their own paths into politics. The book was conceived, compiled, and edited by current female Harvard undergraduates and sponsored by Harvard's Institute of Politics.
Skirting Tradition: Women in Politics Speak to the Next Generation, edited by Lia Larson, Naomi Ages, Elena Matsui, Anat Maytal, and Kate Nielson
Gains in Learning, Gaps in Earnings for Women
AAUW Educational Foundation Highlights Women's Educational Gains and the Gender Earnings Gap
WASHINGTON Women have made significant strides in education during the past three decades, but these gains have yet to translate into full equity in pay. In research launched today, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation reports that nationally, college-educated women earn only 72 percent as much as college-educated men, showing a wage gap of 28 cents on the dollar.
"On the one hand, there is some very good news," commented Elena Silva, director of research for the AAUW Educational Foundation. "Women have made great advances in higher education, particularly in earning four-year college degrees. That degree makes a huge difference in their typical salaries college-educated women earn about 80 percent more than women with only a high school diploma."
"Yet, there is also disturbing news," continued Silva. "The gains in education have not translated into equity in earnings. In every state, a persistent and significant gap exists between the earnings of college-educated, full-time working women and college-educated, full-time working men."
The AAUW Educational Foundation's Gains in Learning, Gaps in Earnings: A Guide to State and National Data is an online resource that examines these discrepancies. It was prepared in partnership with the Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR). The resource features
o An interactive map for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the
District of Columbia showing the earnings ratio between college-educated
women and men who work full time, year round
o Detailed reports for four profile states (California, Texas,
Michigan, and Georgia) selected to reflect geographic, demographic,
and economic diversity
o AAUW's answers to five frequently asked questions about university
and college women
o College degree attainment by race and ethnicity
o An online press kit with links to the report and related AAUW
resources
The report also lists the five highest and five lowest ranked states for the gender earnings gap.
Top five states with the smallest gender earnings gap for college-educated
women and men:
1. Nevada
2. District of Colombia
3. Hawaii
4. New York
5. Alaska
Bottom five states with the largest gender earnings gap for
college-educated women and men:
48. Utah
49. Oklahoma
50. South Carolina
51. Mississippi
52. Puerto Rico
"This report sends a strong message: Equity is still an issue," said Mary Ellen Smyth, president of the AAUW Educational Foundation. "It is time to look at these glaring inequities and examine the ways we can make change and effectively close this gap through education, legislation, and grassroots outreach the cornerstones of AAUW's work."
Visit http://www.aauw.org/research/statedata/ to view the online resource, related materials, and press kit.
The Equal Rights Amendment:
Sect. 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Sect. 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Sect. 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
Valuable Activist Links
National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran
The National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran is a non-profit organization advocating since 1990 on behalf of women's rights in Iran. NCWDI was formed to fill the vacuum of a women's organization devoted specifically to monitoring and promoting women's rights in Iran. Our tasks range from accurate reporting, to public appearances, to engaging in discussion and exchange with relevant authoritative bodies.
Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran
E-ZAN VOICE OF WOMEN AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM IN IRAN
First issue: JUNE 15, 2004 VOLUME 1
Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran is committed to promote a greater awareness of the challenges women face living under the fundamentalist regimes like Iran. Our tasks ranges from raising public awareness, conducting research projects, initiating outreach programs, to policy discussions and analysis. We firmly believe the political presence, participation and leadership of women are the essential elements in achieving social, political and economic equality. We are a group of individuals concerned with the growing threat of fundamentalism worldwide. We submit to the definition of fundamentalism explained in the comparative study of religions, as embodiment of backwardness in its host cultures or religion .Our primary area of focus is the Islamic Fundamentalism in Iran, established as a form of government in 1979. For more information, please visit http://www.wfafi.org
Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)
"RAWA was established in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1977 as an independent political/social organization of Afghan women fighting for human rights and for social justice in Afghanistan. The founders were a number of Afghan woman intellectuals under the sagacious leadership of Meena who in 1987 was assassinated in Quetta, Pakistan, by Afghan agents of the then KGB in connivance with fundamentalist band of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. RAWA's objective was to involve an increasing number of Afghan women in social and political activities aimed at acquiring women's human rights and contributing to the struggle for the establishment of a government based on democratic and secular values in Afghanistan. Despite the suffocating political atmosphere, RAWA very soon became involved in widespread activities in different socio-political arenas including education, health and income generation as well as political agitation."
Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq / Equality in Iraq
Organisation for Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI) - a women's a women's political organisation working in Iraq, advocating Iraqi women's rights and setting up women's shelters etc. Publishes a regular newsletter. http://www.equalityiniraq.com/
The Feminist Peace Network is dedicated to building an enduring peace, with the ending of violence towards women and children as a first priority. This group is dedicated to the urgent need to immediately work towards providing shelter, food, education, and a safe environment for women and children in all parts of the world, as well as creating economic conditions to ensure these rights in the future. A strong bias towards matriarchal thinking is assumed.
FPN is a global network, open to pacifists and feminists of all denominations, nationalities, and persuasions willing to share ideas and work together across borders and cultures to achieve these goals. At the present time, the group is open to women only.
Women are emerging on the global stage, as their voices echo through the halls of power. From Kosovo to Colombia, women are deeply involved in peace efforts in some of the most violent areas of the world, developing innovative strategies and creating new paradigms to resolve age-old conflicts:
Women Waging Peace recognizes the essential role and contribution of women as a valuable resource in preventing deadly conflict, stopping war, reconstructing ravaged societies, and sustaining peace in fragile areas around the world.
Women Waging Peace supports the work of individual and collective groups of women working in peace-building capacities in areas of violent conflict and does not align itself with individual government leaders or the actions of their respective governments.
Women Waging Peace works with a network of women activists, educators, health professionals, political figures, entrepreneurs, religious leaders and journalists who represent a wide variety of often opposing political views. With varied backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, our members bring a vast array of expertise to our network.
Women Waging Peace supports the efforts of these women as they work for peace in their respective fields; it does not necessarily advocate the political views of network members.
Women Waging Peace recognizes that even in situations of tragic wrongs committed on all sides of a conflict, women can be critical agents toward reconciliation.
4ERA is the only national single issue ERA organization in the country. We are a non-partisan group and have members of both sexes, all political parties, across all age groups and from 45 states. Our site is the most current, up-to-date and only interactive ERA site on the internet. We send out news announcements, news alerts and action alerts to our members sometimes within minutes of our receiving the information. Membership is free and the only obligation is that you support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. We do however, urge members to support our mission and goals.
We are either leading or assisting with ratification efforts in 11 of the unratified states and will be hosting a Conference of ERA Unratified States in June.
Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counseling
"The WCLAC established in 1991 in Jerusalem as an independent Palestinian organization, aims to contribute to the establishment of a democratic Palestinian society, based on social justice and equality between women and men. To achieve this aim, the Centre has developed and is further developing, through its activities, a new Palestinian feminist discourse."
Women's Action for New Directions (WAND)
"The genesis of WAND was captured on film in the documentary about Helen Caldicott, "Eight Minutes to Midnight." It shows Helen speaking out, and women approaching her to see what they could do. Her reply, "We must start a women's party!" ...
WAND is now a major presence on Capitol Hill both with members of Congress and with peace groups. The grassroots pressure for a reduced military budget and greater attention to human and environmental needs continues unabated, especially after the unusually draconian program cuts of 1995 and 1996."
Women's Caucus for Gender Justice
"The Women's Caucus grew out of the work of a last minute organizing effort of a small group of women human rights activists at the February 1997 Preparatory Committee for the Establishment of an International Criminal Court at the U.N. These women realized that without an organized caucus, women's concerns would not be actively defended by the mainstream Human Rights NGOs or the NGO coalition monitoring the proceedings for the establishment of the ICC (the CICC), although it must be recognized that the latter played an important role in the creation of the caucus.
Building on the work of previous caucuses formed around the Vienna, Cairo and Beijing Conferences, and due to the success of this ad hoc caucus in integrating a gender perspective, in brackets, into the definition of crimes against humanity and war crimes, these women decided to form a permanent caucus which would be part of the CICC but autonomous in its function."
"The Women in Black stand in silent vigil to protest war, rape as a tool of war, ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses all over the world. We are silent because mere words cannot express the tragedy that wars and hatred bring. We refuse to add to the cacophony of empty statements that are spoken with the best intentions yet may be erased or go unheard under a passing ambulance or the wound of a bomb exploding nearby.
Our silence is visible. We invite women to stand with us, reflect about themselves and women who have been raped, tortured or killed in concentration camps, women who have disappeared, whose loved ones have disappeared or have been killed, whose homes have been demolished. We wear black as a symbol to mourn for all victims of war, to mourn the destruction of people, nature and the fabric of life."
Female Genital Mutilation Education and Networking Project
The website has undergone a lot of changes, including changing its name to the FGM Education and Networking Project. Excellent resources and information.
Feminists Against Violence Network
FAVNET Feminists Against Violence Network (favnet@otd.com) is a fully moderated email list dedicated to ending domestic violence & violence against women through networking & direct action for feminists & pro-feminists women & men within a feminist environment and based on a feminist perspective. Counselors, legal advocates, survivors, and all feminists & profeminist women & men who seek to redress violence against women are welcome!
National Council of Women's Organizations
The National Council of Women's Organizations is a bipartisan network of more than one hundred women's organizations, which together represent more than 6 million members.
Sisterhood Is Global Institute
Sisterhood Is Global Institute is an international non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the support and promotion of women's rights at the local, national, regional, and global levels. With members in 70 countries, and a network of more than 1300 individuals and organizations worldwide, SIGI works toward empowering women and developing leadership through human rights education.
National Council of Negro Women
Extraordinary educator and political leader Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955) founded NCNW in 1935 and envisioned it to be an "organization of organizations" that would represent the national and international concerns of Black women. It would also give Black women the opportunity to realize their goals for social justice and human rights through united, constructive action.
Today, the National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a council of 39 affiliated national African American women's organizations and over 240 sections - connecting nearly 4 million women worldwide! Our mission is to lead, develop and advocate for women of African descent as they support their families and communities. We fulfill our mission through research, advocacy and national and community-based health, education and economic empowerment services and programs in the United States and Africa. Through section and affiliate volunteers in 34 states, NCNW addresses local needs while impacting communities nationwide.
Human rights violations against women have for too long been denied the attention and concern of international organizations, national governments, traditional human rights groups and the press. Meanwhile, hundreds of millions of girls and women around the globe continue to endure debilitating and often fatal human rights abuses.
National Council for Research on Women
The National Council for Research on Women, founded in 1981, is a working alliance of 92 women's research and policy centers, more than 3,000 affiliates and a network of over 200 international centers. NCRW's mission is to enhance the connections among research, policy analysis, advocacy, and innovative programming on behalf of women and girls.
"The sites in the Men Against Violence Webring give examples of how men can get involved in the struggle to end rape and sexual assault. Sites are by men and women who recognize that rape and sexual assault are not merely a 'Woman's Issue' but everyone's issue. Men are perpetrators, survivors, and friends of survivors, and need to get involved."
WomenWatch is a UN Internet gateway to information on women's issues. It was created to monitor the results of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.
"The first and largest women's activist group on the internet -- empowering women in politics, media, society, the economy and cyberspace. "
National Women's History Project
"The National Women's History Project is an educational nonprofit organization. Our mission is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs."
"WomenAction is a global information, communication and media network that enables NGOs to actively engage in the Beijing +5 review process with the long term goal of women's empowerment, with a special focus on women and media."
Women's Human Rights Resources
The purpose of the Women's Human Rights Resources Web Site is to provide reliable and diverse information on international women's human rights via the Internet. The site is developed by the Bora Laskin Law Library of University of Toronto, Canada. Women's Human Rights Database Group
National Organization for Women
International Directory of Women's Media: media owned and operated primarily by, for and about women. Print and internet periodicals, publishers, media organizations, and much more.
"Our mission is to build a support network for women radio producers and broadcasters worldwide. " We thank them for the article on their website about the founder of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press, Dr. Donna Allen: http://www.womensradiofund.org/dallen.htm
GenderPAC is the national advocacy organization working to ensure every American's right to their gender free from stereotypes, discrimination and violence, regardless of how they look, act or dress or how others perceive their sex or sexual orientation.
Women's Human Rights page of Amnesty International USA
National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran
The National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran is a non-profit organization advocating since 1990 on behalf of women's rights in Iran. NCWDI was formed to fill the vacuum of a women's organization devoted specifically to monitoring and promoting women's rights in Iran. Our tasks range from accurate reporting, to public appearances, to engaging in discussion and exchange with relevant authoritative bodies.
http://www.apcwomen.org/eng_index.shtml
We are a global network of women who support women networking for social change and women's empowerment, through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). We promote gender equality in the design, development, implementation, access to and use of ICTs and in the policy decisions and frameworks that regulate them.
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History of the Women's Movement
"Year of Living Dangerously: 1968" by Dana Densmore
A History of Women's Media, 1963-1983 by Martha Leslie Allen
For historical women's buttons, articles and more, Jo Freeman - feminist scholar and author - has a site for you to see: http://www.jofreeman.com/
National Women's History Project "The National Women's History Project is an educational nonprofit organization. Our mission is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women by providing information and educational materials and programs."
History of a women's martial art for self-defense and self-empowerment: Ja Shin Do
Black Belt Woman: The Magazine of Women in the Martial Arts and Self Defense Black Belt Woman
Historic Originals: Select early women's periodicals of the nineteen sixties, seventies and eighties still available.
Women's Studies & Women's Media: University of Wisconsin System Women's Studies Librarian http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/WomensStudies/media.htm
American Women's History: A Research Guide
A NOTE FOR WOMEN'S MOVEMENT PIONEERS:
Were you or anyone you know active in the women's movement (for the ERA and/or other issues) between 1963 and 1975? All who were should send in their stories to be included in the upcoming definitive reference work, "Pioneers of the Second Wave of the Women's Movement." Twelve hundred biographies have already been submitted -- this is no time for false modesty! To participate, go to the Veteran Feminists of America (VFA) website, www.VFA.us, scroll down to "Click here to access the print version of the Pioneer Directory Form," and follow the simple directions. Or, you can e-mail BJLove@msn.com, to request an e-mail application. But hurry, as the final deadline is fast approaching.
Quotations from Women About Women
Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.
-Lily Tomlin-
Laugh and the world laughs with you.
Cry and you cry with your girlfriends.
-Laurie Kuslansky-
A man's got to do what a man's got to do.
A woman must do what he can't.
-Rhonda Hansome-
Every time I close the door on reality it comes in through the windows.
-Jennifer Unlimited-
Whatever women must do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.
Luckily, this is not difficult.
-Charlotte Whitton-
Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.
-Caryn Leschen-
When I was young, I was put in a school for retarded kids for two years before they realized I actually had a hearing loss.
And they called ME slow!
-Kathy Buckley-
I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb . . and I'm also not blonde.
-Dolly Parton-
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and we are still going strong! |
to Voices of Women Living Under Fundamentalism
to Media and Issues of Peace, & Justice
web editor: Martha Leslie Allen
1940 Calvert Street, NW
Washinton, DC 20009-1502
phone: 202-265-6707
www.wifp.org