women's centres
Asian Women's Institute
c/o Lucknow Publishing House, 37 Cantonment Road, Lucknow, India.
An institute which coordinates nine centers for women's studies in Lebanon, Iran, Korea, India, Pakistan, India and Japan. It is an "organization for growth equality and justice for all Asian Women", with three main activities: documentation, research and communications. The nine colleges are coordinated to ensure the sharing of ideas and plans. The Institute publishes a quarterly newsletter informing of its activities. It is especially supported by the Association of North American Cooperating Agencies of Overseas Women's Christian Colleges.
"Proyecto de Investigacion-Educacion para Mujeres"
CEDEE, Juan Sanchez Ramirez 41, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. 1979.
This project, presented in a pamphlet, is an elaboration of educational material for women in the sectors being researched. In the context of the Dominican Republic (capitalist, dependent country) the project tries to come closer to the reality of women of the working class (laborers, peasants, housewives, domestic workers) in the perspective that it is these women who know what reality is. The project consists of four parts: (1) a series of 9 testimonials on what it is like to be a Dominican woman; (2) Women and Society: comprising a four-part dossier on a) the situation of Dominican women, b) invisible work of housewives, c) factory workers, d) organisation; (3) Audiovisual on the situation of women; and (4) a play "Women in this country".
Centre de Estudios "Elsa Bergamaschi"
Via della Colonna Antonina 41, Roma, Italy.
This centre has been operating for 12 years as a training and study centre on women's issues. It carries out research on themes such as "women in the cooperative movement", "women and university". Has extensive documentation available for public use. Organises seminars, debates, workshops and has a library which is also a meeting place for women to work and have discussions.
Centro Culturale Virginia Woolf"
Via del Governo Vecchio 39, Roma, Italy
This centre was started in January 1980 by a group ,of ten "historical" feminists who also call it the "women's university". It is self-financing, with a registration fee of 10,000 Lire (US$10) per year. Most of the classes are conducted after 5 p.m. The aim is to focus on traditional courses on history, anthropology, economics, literature, psychology etc. from a feminist perspective. It also organises study groups, research, conferences.
Centre for Research on Women in Higher Education and the Professions
Wellesley College, 828 Washington Street, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02181, USA.
The centre is co-sponsored by the Federation of Organizations for Professional Women at Wellesley College, focussing on policy studies relating to women's needs. It is committed to developing research and innovative programs which will expand the range and quality of education and work open to women. It focuses on 3 areas: patterns of paid and unpaid work, higher education, and intersections between work, education and family, in the lives of women.
Centre for Women's Studies and Services
908 "E" Street, San Diego, California 92101, USA.
Begun in 1969 this centre is a non-profit, multifaceted organisation whose aim is to bring to the fore issues of women's rights, exposing all the factors involved in women's oppression. It has four sections:
1. The academic part which takes place on the Campus of the State University of San Diego. It was the first official women's studies programme in the USA.
2. A centre providing a wide variety of services to women, developing non-traditional activities and work programmes for women, helping battered wives, giving "emergency services" legal aid, employment and professional advice, information on educational programmes about women's benefits at work etc. One of the most important services is individual and group therapy on themes like pregnancy, abortion, drugs, family problems or other crisis situations.
3. Educational and cultural parts: the Centre organizes a large number of activities aimed at re-establishing women's lost heritage. For example, the annual festivals of women's art, monthly feminist forums, talks in schools, universities and clubs, cultural meetings twice a week.
4. Communication: publication and distribution of a wide variety of material on and by women, amongst which are the CWSS Bulletin (monthly), and The Longest Revolution: news and views of progressive feminism (weekly).
In addition, the Centre offers some special programmes like the free feminist university which takes place three times a year with voluntary professors, and a feminist library.
Centre de Estudios de la Mujer
Bulnes 2591, Planta Alta, Buenos Aires 1425, Argentina
The group conducts interdisciplinary meetings and seminars of topics related to women. For instance women and work, sexuality, pediatric and obstetrical practices, female psychology, motherhood.
GRIF University des Femmes
Place Quetelet la, 1030 Bruxelles, Belgium.
Bimonthly bulletin of the Women's University in Bruxelles, giving information on courses and workshops as well as other activities of the University, documentation centre, books and periodicals available.
Non-sexist Information Centre
N.S.W. Department of Education, Teaching Resources, P.O. Box 4439, North Sydney 2060, Australia
Deals with problems such as the different opportunities available in the education system for young boys and girls; isolation of teachers; scarce information on sexism, women's issues, women's history etc. The centre has a bookshop of non-sexist material, manifestos, pamphlets, non-sexist books for children, feminist literature. Also has audiovisual material and provides speakers for schools and colleges to introduce films and other teaching materials.
National Women's Education Centre
728 Sugaya, Ranzan-machi, Hiki-gun, Saitama-ken, Japan.
This institution deals with education outside school, encouraging women to take up positions of leadership in society. It also carries out investigations in the field of female education. The centre is a place of study, research and exchange for women concerned with education, both inside and outside Japan. The centre is used by individual women, as well as feminist organisations.
periodicals and articles
Al-Raida
University of Beirut, Lebanon.
A bulletin dealing mainly with the work and research of the Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World of the University of Beirut. Frequently touches on the theme of education - analysis of the image of women in Lebanese text books, access of women to university education, women artists, sex-role stereotyping in schools.
"Capacitacion: para que y para quien?"
Elisabeth Dasso, Mujer y Sociedad no. 3, Jr. Manuel Moncloa 2654, Of. 401, Lima, Peru
A brief article dealing with training poor women at different levels. Training is seen as a process with specific objectives and as something which should help women's organisations develop towards fighting for their basic rights and social recognition.
Convergence
P.O. Box 250, Station F, Toronto, Canada M4Y 2L5.
An international adult education journal. It is written in English, but the most important articles are summarised in French and Spanish. It forms part of the information network of the International Council for the Education of Adults, a non-governmental association formed in 1973 and which now includes more than 55 educational organisations from all over the world. The journal includes articles on the most important themes, practices and new developments in the field of education.
A special issue on women and adult education called "Women speaking and learning for ourselves", came out in 1980 (vol. XIII no. 1-2). It is a collection of articles from all over the world on women and adult education, which reflects different understandings and attitudes to the subject. The articles cover topics such as the need for women's studies programmes, women in development programmes for western women, specific needs of third world women, lessons learnt from women's organizations. The articles reflect well the different international viewpoints on the topic and thus makes useful reading.
"Education an Community Self-Reliance"
Assignment Children, no. 51/52, Autumn 1980, Unicef, Villa Le Bocage, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneve 10, Switzerland
Assignment Children is a multidisciplinary publication which deals with social problems related to development with special reference to children, women and youth. This issue is devoted to how people's educational needs can be fulfilled. There is an analysis of the main problems in the education crisis: increase in educational needs, quality and importance of education, inequality and disparity in education, lack of resources to invest in education systems, education and employment, new problems arising from linking informal and formal education, relationship between education, culture and politics including the problem of language.
Gives examples through case studies on: pre-school communities in Panama, half-time in primary schools in India, other studies on Nepal, Bangladesh, Honduras, Tanzania, Somalia. Also includes a list of material on the subject.
"Education-Women: A Critical Study"
Swarna Yayaweera, Pacific and Asian Women's Network, PAWF, 529 Bauddhaloka Mawata, Colombo 8, Sri Lanka
This short article discusses the theme of women's education from two angles: 1) access to education, and 2) the impact of education on their lives and quality of life. It presents both positive and negative aspects, and deals with the reasons why women in Sri Lanka enjoy a relatively favourable position in the field of education compared with other sectors and with women in other developing countries, even though they are disadvantaged in so many other ways. Includes statistics.
Equal Treatment of the Sexes
Guidehnes for Educational Materials, Resource Centre, YWCA of Canada, 571 Jarvis St., Toronto, Ontario M4Y 2JI, Canada.
Pamphlet prepared by The Provincial Advisory Committee on Sex Discrimination of the Department of Education Victoria and reproduced by YWCA of Canada. "The Provincial Advisory Committee on Sex Discrimination concerns itself with the principle of equality of educational opportunity for both sexes. Where social customs and outdated stereotypes negate the principle, change is necessary."
The pamphlet includes guidelines for evaluating sexism in arts materials, literature, different types of textbooks, in music and home economics, how to change this trend and recommendations for avoiding sexist language.
It is an excellent pamphlet for the orientation of teachers and other people interested in providing an equal treatment of the sexes.
"The Image of Women in Lebanese Arabic Textbooks"
Dr. Ilham Kallab, Al-raida, June 1978, Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World, P.O. Box 11-4080, Beirut University College, Beirut, Lebanon.
Brief article, an excerpt from a longer study, in which the image of women in arabic books is analyzed. The author maintains that in developing countries in which there is an interest in reorganizing the education system, modernizing the curriculum and training teachers, textbooks ought to be considered an instrument of the highest importance, principally in elementary education, the stage at which children acquire the images of the world around them which will influence their future life. This study is limited to the images and concepts referring to the condition of men and women in school textbooks.
"Mujeres y Educacion"
ISIS Boletin Intemacional no. 6, Via S. Maria dell'Anima 30, 00186 Roma, Italy.
This issue of ISIS presents an analysis of the ways in which women encounter and adapt to educational problems. School systems above all restrict women's possibilities. Female illiteracy and drop-out rates are much higher than for boys, and there are less women in professions and universities, except in those areas specifically designated as female - nursing, obstetrics and primary education. From infancy on women are bombarded with a series of norms, prejudices and styles of behaviour which are in line with a certain image of the archetypal female.
The Bulletin reproduces articles which show how education is riddled with sexist values, and that there is a difference between the ways in which values and ideas about men and those about women are transmitted in school.
Also reproduced are examples of popular education using alternative methods directed at changing social structures through awareness building and organising of the working classes in Latin America.
"The Right Time to Be a Woman"
Hilka Pietila, Intercambio Overseas Education Fund, year 13, no. 1, 1730 M Street, N.W., Washington D.C., 20036, USA
The author maintains that profound cultural changes are necessary in order to liberate men and women, including profound^ changes in education. Equal access to education cannot be the sole objective. The content and attitudes of education have to be changed. The false images of men and women presented in literature, the arts, film and magazines have to be analyzed and new ones created. This article is in Spanish.
Women and Education
24 St. Brendan's Road, Withington, Manchester 20, U.K
A newsletter brought out by a group of feminists who between them have practical experience of all levels of education, as mothers, students and teachers. The newsletter is termly and is a digest of information for students and others developing an awareness of how the education system discriminates against women and girls.
"Women in Religion: Past, Present, and Future"
Boletin Documental sobre las Mujeres, vol. II, no. I, CIDHAL, Rio Fuerte N. 3, Apartado 42-A, Cuernavaca, Mexico.
The struggle of women within the Church has become an interesting phenomenon. Will it be possible for religion - an alienating mechanism in the majority of cases - to be converted into an important form of liberation and one of the more prominent fronts of struggle for feminism? The material on this theme is vast. The Boletin contains articles on the role of women in the Scriptures, and in various religions, analyses of women and religion from different perspectives, and conclusions on the emphases in theological reflection in relation to the nature and role of women in society. The importance of popular religiosity and the role of the Virgin in establishing the traditional role of women in Latin America is emphasised.
"Women in Society and the Church"
Mision Abierta, vol. 73, no. 3, June 1980, Fernandez de los Rios, 2-3 a izquierda, Madrid 15, Spain.
Open Mission (Mission Abierta) is a Christian publication in Spanish. This particular issue is dedicated to the problems of women. It describes the different aspects of the problems from the search for women's own identity to a critique of the patriarchal and capitalist system. The principal interest of the magazine however is the role of women in society and the Church.
This publication contains opinions of feminist collectives, articles on the oppression of women, the images of women in the Church and in the Bible, and articles on "women clergy", the mass media, and antimilitarism.
Women's Collective Newsletter
Northwestern University Library, Evanston, Illinois 60201, USA.
Bulletin of the Northwestern University Library which includes a list of new acquisitions with a brief resume, recent important events such as conferences, research, new books.
Women's Educational Equity Communications Network (WEECN)
Women's Educational Equity Act Program, U.S. Department of Education, 1100 Donahue Building, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington D.C. 20202, USA.
A newsletter which contains book reviews, research reports on women and education, news and other useful information.
books and studies
Comparative Analysis of Schooling and Illiteracy in Women and Men
UNESCO, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris, France. 1980
The two studies presented in this document summarize and analyse the inequality between men and women in the two key aspects of education: illiteracy and schooling. Both studies conclude that although the situation in general for women in developing countries and in Latin America is improving, the inequalities continue in Africa and South Asia. Study of interest to those who want statistical data on this theme.
La Educacion Popular con Mujeres en America Latina
CEDEE - CELADEC, Juan Sanchez Ramirez 41, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Extensive report on a meeting of women's groups from Colombia, Dominican Republic and Mexico held in Santo Domingo in March 1981, on the subject of popular education and women, in which all participating groups were active. Population and natalist policies, women and the mass media, the role of women and change processes, were the three major themes dealt with.
Also included is the work of Michele Mattelart on women and liberation processes, based on the ideas of Agnes Heller with the notion of socialism founded in self-management.
Non-Formal Education for Women - The Grihini Training Programme
Jessie Tellis-Nayak, The Indian Social Institute, Department of Publications, Lodi Road, New Delhi 110003, India
An interesting book focusing on a unique non-formal educational programme for women and girls. The first part of the book highlights the need of education for women and girls. Four different training approaches are analysed. A step by step account of planning such a programme follows. The second part of the book is devoted to practical aids that will assist in planning these programmes.
Role of the University in the Women's Movement
Eva I. Shipstone and Norah Shipstone (Eds.), Asian Women's Institute, 37 Cantonment Road, Lucknow, India. 1979.
This book is an anthology of papers presented at a seminar entitled "Asian Scholar" which was organised by the Institute of Asian Women in Seoul, Korea, in 1978. The global theme of the seminar was the role of the university in the women's movement. Some of the arguments dealt with were: Asian Universities as an ideological force for the women's movement; the imposition of sex-role stereotypes in higher education, the introduction of courses reflecting a feminist perspective in the university curriculum.
Women for Women
Women and Education, Bangladesh Books International Ltd, Ittefaq Building, 1, R.K.Mission Road, Dacca 3, Bangladesh. 1978.
The book traces the social attitudes towards women's roles and status and its relation to the type of education received by women in Bangladesh. It goes on to examine the participation of women in the various stages of formal education, both as students and teachers. The last part of the book deals with the question of women and non-formal education.
"Women for Women" gives us a good idea of the relationship between the social status of Bangladesh women and their participation in the education system. It emphasises the need to involve women in development education in order to "tap" the resources of one half of society.
Women's Culture: The Women's Renaissance of the Seventies
Gayle Kimball (Ed.), The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Matuchen, New Jersey, USA. 1981
An excellent collection of essays, and interviews on different aspects of women's culture. Divided into six sections, it starts with the evolution of the various definitions of women's culture, and goes on to examine the visual arts - women's imagery, women's art, language, humour, goddess imagery in ritual, women's theatre, women's images in film, women and fashion.
Subsequent sections cover women's music including composition, literature and dreams, religion including feminist theology, goddess worship, and finally a part on organisations - feminist therapy, feminist women's health centres, institutions of women's culture.
This book is a valuable source of information and very stimulating to read. It goes beyond the usual critique of a woman's place in society, and the tales of every woman, to study the emerging women's culture which has been evolving as a potential source of revolutionary change to human society.
Women's 'True" Profession
Nancy Hoffman, Feminist Press, Box 334 Old Westbury.New York 11568, USA.
This is the first book in a series about the history of woman's participation in development education in the USA. In an anthology of letters, personal diaries, journals, autobiographies, government information, short stories and photographs, the author provides a comprehensive analysis of women's position in the field of education during the 19th and 20th centuries.
bibliographies
Feminist Resources for Schools and Colleges
Edited by Merle Froschl and Jane Williamson
A complete bibliography listing more than 500 books, pamphlets, articles, audio-visual materials etc., aimed at teachers and students of all ages.
Inequality in Female Access to Education in Developing Countries: a Bibliography
C. Epskamp, CESO (Centre for Studies in Education in Developing Countries), Badhuisweg 251, The Hague, Netherlands. 1979
Bibliography of literature published mainly between 1968 and 1978. It is divided into three broad sections: a general bibliography, publications of various United Nations agencies, and documents pubHshed by other organisations and individuals.
Non-Sexist Resources
Lynn Berberich,Non Sexist Education Studies Services, Metropolitan West, P.O. Box 62 Wentworthville, Australia
An excellent list of non-sexist books, films and other materials which are very useful for understanding and changing the sexist language of education.
Women in Development: A Selected Annotated Bibliography and Resource Guide
Linda Gire Vavrus, Ron Cadieux and the Staff of the Non-formal Education Information Centre, Institute for International Studies in Education, Michigan State University, 513 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA. 1980
The bibliography has a section on women and education, containing a list of annotated documents dealing with the education of women for development.
women's studies
Canadian Women's Studies / les Cahiers de la Femme
Centennial College Women's Studies, 651 Warden Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario, MIL 3Z6, Canada
Publishes articles where women describe the obstacles they meet in their efforts to improve their lot. A very useful bi-lingual journal (english/french) containing lots of information relevant to, for example, women and work, day care, unions.
Institut d'Action Culturelle (IDAC)
27 chemin des Crets, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneve, Switzerland.
The research centre formed by Professor Paulo Freire in 1974, concentrates on education and development through research as well as workshops, courses, and seminars. Publishes a quarterly - Documents IDAC on different themes. No. 21 "F^minin Pluriel" is on education and women.
International Journal of Women's Studies
Eden Press Women's Publications, Inc., 245 Victoria Avenue, Suite 12, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3Z 2M6; and P.O. Box 51, St. Albans, Vermont, USA 05478.
Publishes 5 issues a year, each issue containing articles of scholarly research, critical analysis and speculative studies on women. Also contains substantial reviews on books about women. A valuable source of information.
Women's Studies International Quarterly
Pergamon Press, Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, New York 10523, USA or Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall, Oxford, 0X3 OBW, UK.
This Journal has been established to aid the rapid dissemination of important works of scholarship and criticism in the multidisciplinary area of women's studies. It reflects the international nature of the subject, the wide variety of disciplines represented and the extensive range of interests of those involved. It presents multidisciplinary work of academic excellence related to the field of women's studies and includes such disciplines as: anthropology, archaeology, art, communication, economics, education, health, history, law, linguistics, literature, the media, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, science, sociology and urban studies.
Women's Research and Resource Centre
190 Upper Street, London Nl, UK
Collects information about women's studies, research and education, and publishes a women's studies newsletter. They have also produced a book. Women's Studies Courses in the UK, 1980.
Workers Education Association
9 Upper Berkeley Street, London Wl, UK
Produces a WEA Women's newsletter and also conducts many local women's studies courses.
the media: women's groups
Affirm — Alliance for Fair Images and Representation in the Media
c/o Women's Arts Alliance, 10 Cambridge Terrace News, London NW1,UK.
Acts as a central body through which British women can channel complaints. AFFIRM like many of the American organizations issues a newsletter. Women's Media Action Bulletin, and provides information on which particular agencies to address complaints on media imagery, as well as providing advice on how to lodge them. It was instrumental in bringing about the redesign of a particularly offensive popular book cover in 1979. Also produces stickers which can be used on advertisements - "This degrades women" and "This exploits women".
Association intemationale des joumalistes de la presse feminine et familiale (AIJPF)
Boulevard Charlemagne 1 Bte 54, B-1041 Bruxelles, Belgium
Recently started taking up the issue of the way in which women are treated by the media, and published a survey in 1978, "How the Press Treats Women", covering France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Great Britain and Switzerland.
Cine Mujer
Apartado Aereo 2758, Bogota, Colombia
Cine Mujer is an organisation of professional women who make films with the prime concern of promoting a different image of women in all ways. Among the themes which interest this organisation are: education of women from childhood, the roles women play, women whom history has overlooked, prostitution, machismo, themes related to women and health (e.g. reproduction and abortion). Their aim is to raise consciousness about the situation of women in Colombia and Latin America.
The group was started at the end of 1979 by Eulalia Carrizosa and Sara Bright who were later joined by two others: Rita Escobar and Dora Cecilia Ramirez. Their first film was called "A primera vista" (at first glance) - a documentary dealing with the daily life of a woman and the contradiction between this image and the images presented by advertising. It's a film full of humour, where the structure is clear: daily life is in black and white while advertising is in colour.
Deutscher Frauenrat
Augustastrasse 42, D-5300 Bonn - Bad Godesberg 1, Federal Republic of Germany
Also working for better presentation and representation of women in the media, the German women's council recently launched an appeal to all media directors to stop programmes where women and men are presented as stereotypes, and where women are presented as luxury products. They are encouraging women to write as often as possible to producers and editors whenever women are presented as caricatures.
Federation of African Media Women Newsletter
Abigail Ngara, c/o Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency, P.O. Box 8166, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe
The Federation of African Media Women was formed to provide a forum for joint planning and action, a channel through which media women can share news and information about developments within the media and among media women. As the newsletter of this organisation, the FAMWN will carry information on training and employment opportunities, ideas on how to improve the image of women in the media, and any views, ideas and concerns that members of the FAMW wish the newsletter to carry. Published in French and English, the first issue carried stories on the launching of FAMW, a workshop on African Women Features Service, and women and the media in Kenya.
Medienkartie
c/o Rita Schmidt, Hauptstrasse 97, 1 Berlin 62, West Germany
Has files on everything pertaining to media, particularly addresses of women working in video, film, photo and theatre.
Voice of Women
16/1, Don Carolis Road, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka
"The Voice of Women group has for the past year been conducting a campaign against sexism in advertising. By this we mean the use of women as sex symbols to advertise all kinds of products such as whisky, fans, tiles, tin foods, leather and rubber goods. These products are totally unrelated to the women in the advertisements whose only role is to attract the eye of the reader to the advertisements.
We have felt it necessary to start such a campaign as sexist trends in advertising have been on the increase. In our first letter to Lanka Walltiles Ltd., we expressed our regret that a subsidiary of a government corporation like Ceylon Ceramics should indulge in vulgar advertisements. Our campaign was successful and this advertisement was withdrawn. Next we sent a letter of protest to a firm advertising a packaging service, which had taken a large half-page advertisement figuring a girl tied in ropes and dumped in a packing case. We sent copies of this letter to other firms indulging in similar advertising and copies to all advertising agents in our country, calling their attention to this type of advertising which we said was "vulgar and degrading". In all these letters we also indicated that a copy was addressed to the President of the Republic.
We received no replies to our letters but were pleased to note that many of these advertisements disappeared from our daily papers. We were also heartened to note that one Sunday newspaper reproduced our protest on the front page.
However we are continuously monitoring the press, for we realise that vigilance and sustained effort is needed in a campaign of this kind. The Voice of Women calls upon all womens' organisations and other groups to protest against sexism in the media, whether it be in advertising, news reporting or in the publication of stories and reports which are directed against women."
Women in Media
22 Torbay Road, London NW6, UK.
Originally set up in 1970, this is a group of women working within the media in Britain. Their first campaigns were mainly directed at the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) since it is the biggest television channel and the images are created predominantly by men. They aim not only to monitor women's presentation in the media, but especially to push for more women working in responsible media positions, and to support each other in this.
In 1972 they mounted a successful campaign to ban advertising for vaginal deodorants on commercial television. In 1976 they organized a workshop on advertising, bringing together leading advertisers, media women and political figures to discuss this particular problem. Their report, "The Packaging of Women" has been widely circulated in Britain. Members of the group have also published a book containing their analyses of images of women as they are presented in the media: Is This Your Life? Images of Women in the Media, by Josephine King and Mary Scott, Virago/Quartet, London, 1977.
In 1979 they represented women's interests while the fourth television channel was developed. They particularly pushed for budgets for training and retraining women, and were successful.
Women's Press Bookclub
124 Shoreditch High Street, London El 6JE, UK.
"The Women's Press Bookclub was launched to ensure that around 50 books a year - our own and other publishers' reach readers at realistic prices and that worthwhile books can continue to be published. We offer savings of between 25-50% off the published price. Through our quarterly catalogues we offer around 50 book choices each year. We concentrate on the areas of fiction, feminist politics, art history and physical and mental health, as well as offering books, posters and calendars from publishers outside the UK."
Membership is available to people living outside the UK. Two selections from the latest catalog are Adrienne Rich's "Dream of a Common Language" and Anais Nin's Journal IV-VI. Write above address for further membership information and current book list.
books, articles & periodicals
"19 Sprecher und funfmal Dagmar Berghoff
Courage no. l,Jan. 1981, Bleibtreustr. 48, 1 Berlin 12, Federal Republic of Germany.
Report of a women's media meeting in Cologne (called "Frauen Medien Treffen") in 1980, on two different aspects of the women and media theme: women in the media and how women are represented by media. On the first, examples are given of there being 68 women journalists against 406 men at the West German Radio Station, but 91 women cutters and only 6 men cutters, or 312 secretaries and no men among them. On the second theme, it was emphasized that men are still the detectives and women the victims, or men the doctors and women the nurses.
There is also a self-criticism on "how women report on women", and a booby prize for the most misogynous television transmission. The choice was so wide they had to give some consolation prizes.
"Frau und Fernsehen - International"
Fernsehen und Bildung - Internationale Zeitschrift fur Medienpsychologie und Medienpraxis. Jrg. 14, Nr. 1/2, 1980, Projectgruppe Sturm-Grewe am Bayerischen Rundfunk, Rundfunkplatz 1, 8000 Munchen 2, Federal Republic of Germany
A realistic, if rather bleak, survey of women's position in the most modern of media - television. It points out the horizontal and vertical segregation women journalists are submitted to, the way non-occupational factors (such as being mothers) interact with their work, the "quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) way" of assigning to the traditional stereotypes of "women's interests".
The articles collected in this issue are written by highly qualified women professionals and come from different countries of the world (FRG, UK, USA, Australia, France), but contents are similarly depressing and reach the same conclusion: the "symbolic annihilation of women", that is their systematic absence both in TV from the "serious" programs such as network news, and from the "hard news" section of newspapers.
Specialized bibliography, which lists a great number of titles, from around the world.
Femmes Suisses
Mensuel Feminin Independant, B.P. 194, 1227 Carouge, Geneve, Switzerland
Alas, nothing's new under the sun! Even if the trade-mark image of Swiss women is one of efficiency and prosperity, they are (mis)represented by local media along the usual lines of dumb-housewifery and eternal seduction. To those who want to know more on the subject, the issue of October 1980 of "Femmes Suisses", the oldest Swiss feminist newsletter in French, founded in 1912 in Geneva, will give some information about the image of Swiss women in their media and their participation as professionals in the news-making business.
Fraue-Zitig
Nr. 21 Dezember 1980/Februar 1981, c/o Angela Koller, Spitalgasse 8, CH-8001 Zurich, Switzerland.
This number contains various articles on women and film, and films made by and about women (mostly Swiss). The films mentioned are: "Regarde, elle a les yeux grand-ouverts" on abortion and birth, "II valore della donna e il suo silenzio" about migrant women in Germany and their problems in daily life, and "Dienstjahre sind keine Herrenjahre" about Swiss German girls going to work for one year as au-paires in Frenchspeaking Switzerland. There is an interview with four of the film directors.
Killing Us Softly - Advertising's Image of Women
Jean Kilbourne, Cambridge Documentary Films, Inc., P.O. Box 385, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
A half-hour 16 mm. colour film in which, using hundreds of advertisements from magazines, newspapers, album covers and storefront windows, the author has produced a concise and important analysis of a US$40 billion industry that preys on the fears and insecurities of every consumer.
La cultura de la opresion femenina
Michele Mattelart, ERA, Mexico D.F. 1977
Three essays in Spanish based on the author's studies and experiences during her stay in Chile. The first essay entitled, "Remarks on modern life: a review of women's magazines", analyzes the image of "novelty" and "the modern" presented in these magazines and directed towards women. The author shows how these values only serve to obscure an ideology which they in fact sustain and which defends traditional values.
The second and longest essay, "Fotonovelas, reality pushed aside", is an analysis of this medium which is so popular in Latin culture. An examination of the contents of the "fotonovelas" (picture novels) reveals a message charged with the most conventional values and a constant polarization between rich and poor. At the same time it presents reality with conflicts only of an emotional kind, where injustice is something personal, without social dimensions.
The third essay, "When women of the bourgeoisie take to the streets", analyses the manipulation of women by dominant groups which use them as a reserve force, only to send them back to their traditional roles afterwards.
L'invenzione della donna — miti e tecniche di uno sfruttamento
Maria Rosa Cutrufelli, Edizioni Mazzotta, Milano, Italy. 1974
Written in 1974 by one of the most prominent and militant Italian feminists, Maria Rosa Cutrufelli, this strong political essay, now in its third reprint, can already be considered a classic of feminism. It demonstrates, through a series of examples referring both to European and American "imperialist" societies and extracted from the most popular media of the two continents, the "making" of woman, and the ways in which such an image is exploited. Unfortunately, we must say, nothing has changed and the book is still very much up-to date.
Media Report to Women
c/o Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press, 3306 Ross Place N.W., Washington D.C. 20008, USA.
This monthly publication is packed full of information about the extent and progress of women's media nationally and internationally. It also includes facts about existing media (monitoring studies, statistics, etc.), about changes being made (legal actions, agreements negotiated between media and women's organizations, the founding of new periodicals and media business and products like films and records, etc.). Also covers ideas and philosophies as to what media should do (for example, defining "news" to include all people, differences between male and female journalism, women's thinking on increasing the effectiveness of media in keeping the public informed, etc.). Beginning its ninth year, it is still the only source of this kind of information. The Media Report to Women is one of the publications of the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press. Other publications by the same organization are:
The Index / Directory of Women's Media
Consists of a five year collection of annotated indices of media activities and research by indexing the pages of Media Report to Women, and thus recording for history the progress of women in increasing communication both with each other and with the general public.
The Directory of Women's Media, which appears annually, is a listing of about 500 women's groups (periodicals, presses, film, video, music, multi-media, art, etc.) and covers 600 media women and media-concerned women. Entries include addresses, phone numbers, contact people, and descriptions written by the groups or individuals themselves.
Syllabus Source Book on Media and Women
Outlines reading lists and other data such as where courses are currently being taught, where students and teachers can find documents, special collections in the field, resource people and speakers.
"A Generation of Problem Pages"
Spare Rib no. 101, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London ECIR OAT, UK.
Witty analysis of the evolution of women's magazine mentality through the letters and answers of Woman's Own's "problem page" from 1960 to the present. Marriage, sexuality, abortion, women's work and later on social problems are the issues brought up by these letters, but in the answers the emphasis slowly shifts from' finding the man (usually the husband) always in the right, to urging women to be more independent. A revealing approach to how women's roles are portrayed by the media.
The Impact of Sex-role Acquisition: Mass Media Research
Linda J. Busby, Telecommunicative Arts, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA. (no date).
Study on the role that the mass media plays in shaping individual sex roles. It particularly deals with the media in the United States, but recognises that media impact is world wide. It is particularly interesting for the information given on the role of children's programmes on television in sex role socialization of children. Has an extensive bibliography, divided into three sections: media effects - sex role socialization; media content; and personal and social impact of sex-role acquisition.
The Media Game
Manushi, May/June 1980, Cl/202 Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi 110024, India.
A critical study of 3 popular women's magazines in an attempt to understand their influence or impact on women, and the social role that these magazines have come to perform, in reinforcing traditional values and attitudes about women. The way they manipulate women is also revealed in the study.
Unequal Opportunities: the Case of Women and the Media
Margaret Gallagher, UNESCO Press, 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75700 Paris, France. 1981
An extremely important book. Based on worldwide analysis of research and action programmes in the area of women and media, this study examines the two very interrelated factors portrayal and participation of women in the media seeing them as mutually reinforcing elements of the wider problem of access to knowledge and control in society. The author shows that the overall picture is remarkable only for its consistency from one country to another, both in the lack of women's participation in media, and in the stereotypical portrayal. The author goes on to examine some of the alternatives women have started creating, in new communication patterns and media structures through which their authentic voices may be heard.
The book includes a valuable reference section, with a very full bibliography and a long list of feminist publications, groups, journals, etc. throughout the world.
"Women and the Media"
ISIS International bulletin no. 18, 1981, ISIS-Switzerland, CP. 50, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Presents a good selection of articles and resources on women and the media. The bulletin is a critical review of the role of media and its influence on the status of women. It also has a section on how the women's movement has responded to the negative influence of the traditional media through campaigns to counter it as well as the development of positive alternatives, by women and women's groups.
UNESCO women's features service
With the aim of increasing the flow of news and information on women in society and "to help remove prejudices and stereotypes reflected in the mass media and thus to speed up women's full equality with men", a women's features service was set up in Latin America in 1978. Sponsored by UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) the idea of the features service was to create a network of women correspondents in the region who would write articles concerning women. These would then be disseminated through the Third World wire service - Inter Press Service (IPS). IPS distributes the articles to newspapers and radio stations, and by March 1979, 235 features had appeared in 19 Latin America daily newspapers.
Since then, two other features services have been set up — the Caribbean Women's Features Syndicate (CWFS), and Depth News Women's Features Services (DNWFS) (covering Asia). These, however, do not use the IPS wire, but a postal distribution system. Two more are currently being set up, in the Arab States and in Africa.
Features cover a very wide variety of topics from women and development, economics and politics, to women and the law, illiteracy, infant malnutrition, etc. They also deal with women and the media from time to time: the CFS in September 1980 distributed a piece entitled "The Impact of broadcast media on values of Jamaican women", which looks at the way communication media, particularly radio, reflect the values of women in recently urbanized society, and shows how television and advertisements in particular still present women in stereotyped roles aimed at consumption. A DNWFS story of December 1980 reports on a "women and media" seminar held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) the previous month, where resolutions were made for improving portrayal and participation of women in media.
The services are currently funded by UNFPA (United Nations Fund for Population Activities), which means their future is precarious since the funding will not continue forever. There may be ways in which such services can be made self-sufficient ultimately, but problems arise in that it is not clear there is a guaranteed market for "women's" stories. Whatever happens, these features services are an interesting initiative which can be built upon.
Addresses of the different services:
African Women's Features
Service P.O. Box 74536 Nairobi Kenya
Carribbean Women's Features Syndicate
P.O. Box 159 Bridgetown Barbados
Depth News Women's Features Services
P.O. Box 1843 Manila Philippines
Officina Informativa de la Mujer
c/o Inter-Press Service Via Panisperna 207 Rome Italy (for Latin America)
Coordinating office:
Population Division
UNESCO 7, place de Fontenoy 75700 Paris France women
women and religion
Christian Women's Information and Resource Service (CWIRS)
c/o Blackfriars, St Giles, Oxford, UK.
Publishes a feminist newsletter.
Glastonbury Goddess Group
c/o Gothic Image, 7 High St., Glastonbury, Somerset, UK.
Journal of women and religion
c/o Centre for Women and Religion of the Graduate Theological Union, 2465 LeConte Avenue, Berkeley, California 94709, USA.
A bi-annual publication, containing articles on feminism and religion - a feminist analysis of the different religions, etc.
Roman Catholic Feminists
c/o 33 Arlow Road, London N21, UK.
pornography
Take Back the Night. Women on Pornography
Laura Lederer, ed.. Morrow Quill, 105 Madison Ave, New York, New York 10016, USA.
Probably the most important book available on women and pornography; it contains examinations of the political content of pornography; reports on the latest research on harmful effects of pornography; discussion on the First Amendment, freedom of speech, and pornography. Articles entitled "What is Pornography" has a good definition of pornography (at least for 'hardcore' porn). Also an excellent bibliography. However, perhaps the best description of the book is found within the book itself, in the afterword written by Adrienne Rich: that Take Back the Night deepens one's "perception not only of pornography itself and its omnipresence in our lives, but of the dynamics among racism, woman-hating, and compulsory heterosexuality; of the powerful economic interests which comprise the pornography empire and which are ranged against even the most moderate demands of women; of the institutional misogyny that underlies apparent permissiveness or tolerance towards feminism." Price: US$7.95 paperback, $14.95 hardbound.