WOMEN AND WORK; RESOURCES
"Women's Work Is ... " -- Resources on Working Women Bobbi Wells Hargleroad, editor Institute on the Church in Urban-Industrial Society
5700 S. Woodlawn Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60637 USA (ICUIS Bibliography Series N. 4) 1978
An extensive bibliography dealing with many aspects of women and work (hours, pay, health and safety, day care, history, change, the role of the church, etc.) interspersed with graphics, quotes, poems and graphs. Each book, periodical, article or film is abstracted, some at length. There is a section on women's work as an international concern, with many resources on Asia and Latin America in particular, but the rest of the book is primarily concerned with women and work as they pertain to the United States. There is also an extensive section on organizing, including names of US organizations of and for working women. In all, an excellent and Well organized resource for working women in the US; interesting reading as well as a useful source book. Several of the resources from the international chapter have been noted in this section of the Bulletin. Photocopies of many of these articles are available from ICUIS if there is no original source cited. When this is the case, the ICUIS identification number is included in the entry.
International Labour Organization CH-1211 Geneva 22 Switzerland
The ILO has a very extensive library whose titles from the last 7 years are stored by computer. Bibliographical print-outs of titles and abstracts on specific topics are available on request from ILO. They also have a Department for Women Workers which produces a bulletin in French and English, Women at Work/Femmes au Travail. Works available at ILO dealing with women workers cover many areas of employment including trade union ism, legal questions, maternity laws, occupational health, and equal pay. Among the ILO publications on the subject are the following.
Women Workers, 1976. An anthology of papers prepared during International Women's Year, dealing with aspects of the division of labour and sexual inequality and equal pay both from a general point of view and in the European Economic Community, Japan, USSR, the Nordic countries. Two of the more interesting papers are: "The participation of women in the labour force of Latin America : fertility and other factors" by Juan C. Elizaga, and "Handicrafts: a source of employment for women in developing rural economies" by Jasleen Dhamija. (Price SFr.22.50)
Equality of Opportunity and Treatment of Women Workers, Report No. VI 11 to the International Labour Conference 60th Session 1975. A report prepared for the meeting of the ILO Governing Body for the discussion of equality of opportunity and treatment for women workers, covering such areas as protective legislation for women only, the right to maternity protection and family planning, social security, and UN action to date. Also gives a summary of the activities and campaigns of International Trade Union Organizations on behalf of women workers, and the results of an international survey on part-time employment. (Price SFr.15.00)
Problems of Women's Employment in the textile industry, Report No. II. (Price SFr.10.00)
Bibliography on Women Workers (1861-1965). (Price SFr. 85.00)
Conditions of Work of Women and Young Workers on Plantations, Report No. 111, 1970 in English, French and Spanish (Price SFr.3.00)
All these publications including the latest catalogue are available from the ILO at the above address.
AFRICA
Ukubamba Amadolo - Workers' Struggles in the South African Textile Industry Bettie du Tait Onyx Press Ltd. The Clerkenwell Workshops 27 Clerkenwell Close London ECIR OAT England
"Ukubamba Amadolo (lit. to hold the knees, go slow) chronicles the day-by-day struggles of the South African textile workers for better working conditions over a period of more than 40 years ... " Du Toit, a worker and trade union organizer for many years, has put together a history from 1930 to the present of South African textile workers' fights for unionization and improved wages and working conditions. It is introduced by a brief overview of the trade union movement in South Africa. This is a thorough, well documented and readable history. Though there is no specific analysis of women workers per se, the fact that so many textile workers are in fact women makes this book relevant, at least tangentially, to studies of women workers.
Black Women - Durban 1975: Case Studies of African, Colored and Indian Women in the Durban Area Fatima Meer, editor Department of Sociology
University of Natal, Durban, South Africa
This straightforward book is simply a collection of the results of interviews with 92 women carried out by first year students for the diploma of nursing education in the department of sociology. These 92 women include housewives, domestic workers, factory workers, nurses, teachers and doctors. Each section also includes general data about the profession or work discussed, the history of women in that field, generalizations about the responses of women interviewed, and some comments by the interviewers themselves on the women they spoke to. It is jam packed with information on these women, and although is not terribly readable straight through, it is fascinating to skip around and sample these bits of women's lives.
Women: Producers and Reproducers in Underdeveloped Capitalist Systems Marjorie Mbilinyi University of Dar Es Salaam, Paper N. 75 of the 12th Annual Social Science Conference of East African Universities University of Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, December 20-22, 1976 (38 pages, mimeo)
ASIA/MIDDLE EAST
Women in Dependent Capitalist Societies: East and Southeast Asia Youngja Yang Women's Workshop Europe-3rd World Center 103 Gower St., London WCI, England (10 pages, mimeo)
Using primarily the examples of Thailand and Korea, Yang explores the relationship between outside capitalist exploitation of a country and the consequent modification of social sex roles and increasing exploitation of working class women within those countries. Yang provides here a good picture of the transformations in women's status and roles as a society moves from a self-sufficient, agrarian form of organization to an industrialized, dependent, colonial one.
Asian Women c/o Dwinelle Hall University of California Berkeley, CA 94720, USA 1971, 144 pages, US$2 (from Women's Work Is ..., ICUIS n. 2251)
A collection of writings by and about Asian women. Sections include Herstory, Reflections, Third World Women and Politics of Womanhood . We have not seen this book, but it is reviewed as "diversified", "highly readable", "creative", and "well written''. The section called Politics of Womanhood includes an article on women working in fruit picking and canneries.
Cotton Pickers' Cooperative? Ela R. Bhat in: Free Labour World May/June 1977 (from Women's Work Is .. .)
"An estimated 20,000 women are engaged in picking cotton in India's Gujurat region. Although their work is physically light, hours are long during the three month season, and conditions are unhealthy : no toilet facilities, constant sitting with eye and back strain; and no protection against bleeding cuts from removing the bolls. Weighers often cheat the already poorly-paid workers. A study by the Self-Employed Women's Association of Bhadra, Ahmedabad recommends that such traditional sources of income for poor women must not be eliminated by new technology, however, the women should be organized into a single cooperative to augment their negotiating power, facilities for child care should be provided, and health and safety conditions should be investigated and improved".
Experiences in Organizing Working Class Women Sujata Kanhere (nee Gothoskar) Women's Unit The Institute of Social Research and Education 28 Altamount Road Bombay 400 026, India (9 pages)
This article uses the experiences of working class women in a Bombay slum to analyze the parallels and contradictions between their roles as women and that as members of the working class. Through various experiences (the discussions of a rape, participation in fights for wages and housing) it becomes increasingly apparent to these women that the two roles are inseparable and influence one another deeply. Through this process of realization. the women find the strength and support necessary to challenge both the private domination of drunk husbands and rapists and the public domination of oppressive employers and sexist attitudes within male-controlled working class groups. This is a good portrayal of the relationships between the personal sphere and that more conventionally considered 'political'. as well as an encouraging account of women using their experience to heighten their consciousness and challenge domination in all facets of their lives.
The Working Class Woman Women's Unit The Institute of Social Research and Education (see address above) (6 pages)
This is a clear and well-written Marxian analysis of the role of women in the working class and the importance of household (unpaid) labor in fixing the value of labor. It examines, in theoretical terms, the effect capitalism has on the working class family and on the labor demanded of the working class woman. This is a good introductory work to the area of socialist feminism and socialism in general.
The Day is Breaking in : Voices, N. 4, Jan/Feb 1978 CCA-URM, 2-3-18 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku Tokyo 160, Japan (from Women's Work Is ... , ICUIS N. 3785)
"The 'Terpedo' Textile factory in Indonesia is a prominent one. There is no insurance for the 300-500 workers. Day workers earn between 25-75 cents per day for nine hours of work ; a 12 cents incentive is given to each worker who completes a day of work. After consulting with an organizer, two workers began setting up a worker's meeting to discuss the poor working conditions in the factory . Twenty-nine workers were present at the first meeting . After being informed of their legal rights under the labor laws, they decided to: set up a basis board for a labor union in the factory; have each participant seek at least three more members for the union; and have a follow-up meeting the next week. The group went to the City Labor Federation to inform them of the new union and of the suffering of the workers in the factory. The Federation promised to help the laborers by sending a letter of union recommendation to the factory managers. As would be expected, management was angry at the formation of the union and tried unsuccessfully to reshuffle the union board to let staff persons sit on it. 'The sun doesn't rise yet in Terpedo Textile Factory, but at least the day is breaking .. ."
Foreign Capital Invasion and Thailand's Textile Workers (Case Study by a Thai Group) in: Japanese Women Speak Out, 1975 (from Women's Work Is ... )
View From The Bottom: Problem of Japan's Women Factory, Workers Miyoko Shiozawa in: Impact, vol.13 n. 5, May 1977 P.O. Box 2950 Manila, Philippines (from Women's Work Is ... , ICUIS n. 3422)
"'In the past we used the machines, now the machines use us'. This statement expresses but a part of the problem of women factory workers in Japan today . Work routines are monotonous and very fast, with a worker sitting in one spot, working with small parts at high speeds, for eight hours at a time. Women are often expected to rotate weekly between the morning and afternoon shifts; thus they cannot adjust to a standard schedule. All of this leads to a perpetual state of exhaustion and damaged health . Cultural pressures still prevent women in Japan from taking an active role in the labor unions even though they comprise up to 80 per cent of the labor force in some factories. Salaries are good now for women workers, but the stress of the work provides unjust working conditions".
The Proletarianisation of Palestinian Women in Israel in : Women's News Service, March/April 1977, n. 14 AUS Women's Department 97 Drummond St. Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia (Article originally from : Middle East Research and Information Project Report n. 50 P.O. Box 3122, Washington DC 20010, USA)
When Will It End? Exploitative Tourism, Slide show Ms. Takahashi Kikue c/o Fujiin-Kyofukai, 2-23-5 Hyakunin-Cho Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, Japan telephone: (03) 361-0934
Japanese male tourism has risen enormously in the past few years in countries such as Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines. This phenomenon is both a cause and an effect of the corresponding increase in prostitution in these countries. But this cycle has another, even grimmer aspect; Japanese economic activity is understood to be one of the contributing factors to the poverty in Korea, Thailand and the Philippines which often forces young girls and women into prostitution in the first place. The Women's Christian Temperance Union of Japan has produced a slide show exposing this exploitative tourism. The slides, with narration (Japanese only) are available for sale or rent.
Malaysia's Women Electronic Workers: Target of U.S.Corporations Ted Chandler Liberation News Service 17 West 17th Street, 8th floor New York, NY 10011, USA (2 1/2 legal pages, mimeo; in Packet n. 902, March 10, 1978)
This is an excellent and up-to-date description of what faces Malaysian women who work for American electronics corporations in Malaysia. It includes quotes from women workers, descriptions of health, safety and living conditions, etc.; with much emphasis on the fact that the workforce is composed virtually entirely of women. Photos to accompany the article are available in the next packet, number 903.
AUSTRALIA | NEW ZEALAND
"But I Wouldn't Want My Wife To Work Here ... " A Study of Migrant Women in Melbourne Industry Des Storer Center for Urban Research and Action (CURA) P.O. Box 94 Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia (from Women's Work Is .. ., ICUIS, n. 3421)
"This study, prepared by the CURA for lnt'I Women's Year, is an attempt to describe the situation of migrant women workers in manufacturing industry in Melbourne. The report paints a dismal picture of generally poor working conditions, long hours for poor pay for economic survival, poor union representation due to language barriers, lack of active participation and fear of 'communist unions', and inadequate provisions for child care . Recommendations of the project are based on the premise that improvement can only come when women migrant workers express their needs and demands. The report then presents fourteen recommendations on improving union relations, workers' language and job skills, child care, welfare assistance, income and working conditions. Photographs, quotations from interviews, and survey results are arranged within the text to create a powerful testimony to the plight of the migrant women in Melbourne industry.
Growing from the Grassroots, Anne Else in: Broadsheet, April 1977, n. 48 The Broadsheet Magazine Collective P.O. Box 5799 Aukland, New Zealand
A report on the first Working Women's Conference, held on March 12-13, 1977 in Wellington, which was organized by and around both home and paid working women.
Outworkers and Homeworkers, WNSM!orking Women's Center in: Women's News Service, n. 15, May/July 1977 AUS 97 Drummond St. Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
" ... Not only are homeworkers the most exploited sector of the workplace; they are almost always employed on work which has traditionally been connected with poor wages. It is a vicious circle ... "
Working Women's Center, 423 Little Collins Street Melbourne 3000 Australia telephone: 67 -3047 Opened in September 1975, the WWC
" ... is open to all women seeking information and support concerning work related problems, whether they be union members or not ... It sends monthly reports and discussion papers to every union in Australia ... " The WWC has drawn up a Working Women's Charter, it runs one-day training seminars for women unionists on relevant subjects, houses the monthly meetings of a Working Women's Group (a support and information exchange group). produces a monthly newsletter with articles in several languages containing news and views of working women ("Women at Work") and answers questions on a variety of subjects such as pay and promotion, maternity leave, English lessons for migrants, legal rights, etc. Its discussion papers have in the past dealt with such areas as occupational health, migrant workers and their health, women and retirement, child care and industrial democracy for women. ·
EUROPE
Women At Work IUF/UITA/ IUC 8, Rampe de Pont-Rouge CH-1213 Petit Laney Geneva, Switzerland
A quarterly multilingual publication which gathers articles from union publications and the general press concerning women, work and unions.
CORREF: Centre d 'Orientation, de Reinsertion Professionnelle et de Rencontre pour les femmes Case Postale 88 1224 Chene-Bougeries, Geneva, Switzerland.
This center called "retravailler" (going back to work) is a training and information center for women who either have never had professional work or who want to go back to work after being out of the paid work force for some time. Training sessions last five weeks part-time and include group work and stimulation exercises as well as psychological and professional preparation for specific jobs. Set up and run entirely by women.
Document du Groupe Suisse de Preparation a la Rencontre International des Femmes a Paris (28, 29 & 30 mai,1977) (13 pages, in French)
Analysis of women workers in Switzerland in terms of pay, unionization , industrial distribution and composition of work force (Swiss and immigrant women). It also deals with related issues such as unemployment and the economic crisis.
Migrant Women Speak, Churches Committee on Migrant Workers, Working Party on Women Migrants. 150 Route de Ferney 1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
December 1976, 148 pages, available in English, French and German (from Women's Work Is ... , ICUIS N. 3825)
"'While the problems faced by the migrant women cannot be isolated from the problems facing all migrant workers, it is nevertheless true that their situation is considerably harder than that of the men and reveals even more of the inhuman conditions most migrants are forced to live in. To an even greater degree than the men, the women are alienated, exploited and oppressed: ... as migrants... as wives of migrants... as women workers... as foreign women... as women ... as mothers'. This report, compiled after several years of work with migrant women in Europe, is composed mostly of personal accounts by the women themselves-their housing and working conditions, their sorrow, their strength, their story of exile and hope for the future. Specifically the women tell stories of North Africans in Marseilles and Belgium, Portuguese women in France, organizing Arab women, a women migrants' manifesto from Switzerland, and Italians returning home. Concluding reflections point to the issues which emerge in the women's stories, policy which needs to be formulated, and a role for the church, particularly the Churches Committee on Migrant Workers in 'putting an end to this type of economic Nazism created by a master race of 'haves' ruling over a mass of underfed 'have-nots' .. .'." (A revised edition, 170 pages in English or French; is £3 or SFr 12 from the address above or from: British Council of Churches, Community and Race Relations Unit, 2 Eaton Gate, London SWI 9BT, UK)
Blow For Blow (Coup Pour Coup) 16mm Film, color, 90 minutes, in French (available with English subtitles) Rental, US$75 and up Red Ball Films, Inc. P.O. Box 298 Village Station, New York, NY 10014, USA (from Women's Work Is ... )
"This film tells the story of a group of women garment workers who experience poor working conditions, authoritarian and callous management, an ineffective union, and not much help at home. The firing of two female workers convinces the women to occupy the plant, thereby discovering themselves, each other, and their strength".
Equality?, Films de L'Olivier 104 Boulevard Arago 7 5014 Paris, France
This film concerns equal opportunity in work in the EEC and how customs and attitudes are slowly changing to correspond to the legal reality of equality. Information on purchase and rental (free of charge) in 9 European countries and the US is available from the above address.
Vindicaci6n Feminista, Napoles, 105, 4° c Barcelona 13, Spain
This monthly magazine contains a regular section on work, and has run several relevant articles in the last year or so on women and work. Among them:
El Desafio de las Obreras, Lidia Falcon/Anna Estany n.14,1 agosto 1977; 12 paginas
"Durante el ultimo aiio, los estallidos de la ira contenida de la clase obrera se han multiplicado por diez, en relacion al ano anterior. De diez millones de horas perdidas por huelgas en 1976, se ha pasado a cien milliones en 1977. El proletariado industrial de los grandes centros urbanos, Barcelona, la ciudad con mas conflictos colectivos, Madrid, Bilbao, San Sebastian, Valencia, vuelve a hacer oir su voz, despues de los largos aiios de silencios y susurros".
Textil: El Paro Acribilla A las Obreras Maite Goicoechea n.16,1octubre1977, 2 paginas
"--Una especie de moda corrosiva esta invadiendo el mundo empresarial. Consiste en declarar de la noche a la maiiana expediente de crisis y por la via expeditiva, dar al personal con las puertas de la fabrica en las narices al tiempo que se le anoja al seguro de desempleo".
Trabajos a Domicilio- - Confortables Campos de Concentraci6n Anna Estany n. 16, 1 octubre 1977; 9 paginas
"Pero no es su casa, en realidad, un confortable campo de concentraci6n? Las mujeres que viven de acuerdo con el modelo de la mistica de la feminidad, no han quedado aprisionadas dentro de las estrechas paredes de sus hogares? Han aprendido a 'adaptarse' a su papel biologico. Se han vuelto pasivas, infantiles, dependiendo de lo demas: han renunciado a su estructura adulta, para vivir en el mas bajo nivel, basado unicamente en cosas y alimentos. El trabajo que realizan no requiere facultades propias de un adulto, es interminable, mon6tono y sin compensaciones. Las norteamericanas no estan siendo preparadas, desde luego, para una exterminacion en masa, pero estan sufriendo una muerte lenta de la muerte y del espiritu, como ocurria con los prisioneros en los campos de concentracion. (Betty Friedan, la Mistica de la Feminidad)"
Cooperativas Textiles de Mujeres en el Pia de lleida: Si Nosotras Producimos, Tambien Oueremos Dirigir n. 17, 1 noviembre, 1977
"En la comarca del Urgell y alrededores de la provincia de Llei'da, la mecanizaci6n de la agricultura ha alejado a la mujer de las labores del campo para devolverla a las del hogar, o convertirla en mane de obra que cumple el cargo de ejercito de reserva".
Equality of Treatment between men and women workers, 1975 Commission of the European Communities, Rue de la Loi 200 B-1049 Brussels Belgium
tel: 723 00 40
This 50-page memorandum contains a short analysis of the problems affecting women at work in the countries of the European Economic Community (EEC), as well as some guidelines for action in each of the areas specified in the EEC Council resolution on the subject (access to employment, vocational guidance and training and work conditions and pay).
The Commission of the European Communities also has an office on Information for the Press and Women's Organizations, which publishes a bi-monthly newsletter in French and English, called "Women of Europe". Carries items on all countries of the EEC, and especially concentrates on the European parliamentary elections - women's participation.
EOC News, EOC, Overseas House Quay Street Manchester M3 3HN, UK
This is a bi-monthly bulletin published by the Equal Opportunity Commission. This seems to be a very establishment organization but the bulletin is free and may be informative, if not revolutionary.
CRISIS: CIS Special Report n. 15; Women Under Attack Counter Information Services 9 Poland Street London WI, UK
An issue concerning women's status in the UK; it includes articles on the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act, part time workers, lay offs and unions.
Women Factory Workers--The Case Against Repealing the Protective Laws Anna Coote National Council for Civil Liberties 186 Kings Cross Road London WCIX 9DE, UK (12 page pamphlet; February 1975)
Women's Liberation in Labour History-A Case Study from Nottingham Jo O'Brien Spokesman Pamphlet n. 24 The Partisan Press
Bertrand Russell House Gamble Street, Nottingham NG7 4ET, UK (15 pages)
A brief look at the " ... economic, social and political roles of women and children in working class life in Nottingham and elsewhere in the 19th century ... "
The Brush Off Jil Sullivan Low Pay Pamphlet n. 5 9 Poland Street London WIV 3DG, UK
A study of the contract cleaning industry, explaining how cleaning firms exploit women workers.
Virago Books 4th Floor, 5 Wardow Street London WIV 3HE, UK
Virago Books is a feminist press which has produced a number of books related to women and work. Among the most recent releases are:
Woman and Labour Olive Schreiner
" ... Olive Schreiner looks at women's economic position in relation to men ... tracing historically the division of labor, she eloquently describes on one level the parasitism resulting from imposed unemployment and on the other how too often women work at degrading jobs". First published in the early 1920's, this book has been republished this year by Virago.
Life As We Have Known It; by Cooperative Working Women Margaret Llewelyn Davies, editor; with an introductory letter by Virginia Woolf
This book, first published in 1931, is a collection of the memoirs of the members of the Women's Cooperative Guild (founded in 1882). The Guild was a strong and important factor in the education of working women. Davies herself served as its secretary from 1889 to 1921, and Virginia Woolf was involved with it over the course of many years.
Maternity-Letters from Working Women Margaret Llewelyn Davies, editor Published in 1915,
this book consists of letters from working women about their own experience, in their own language, on the taboo subjects of childbirth, infant death and abortion. It was originally intended as part of a national propaganda campaign launched by the Women's Cooperative Guild (see above) for better maternity care and benefits and the wider spread of contraceptive knowledge
Working Class Women's Newsletter Working Class Women's Liberation Collective c/o Evelyn Farrer 43 Eastwell House, Weston Street London SEIV 4DH, UK
Dissatisfied with publications dominated by middle class women and by their neglect of issues of immediate concern to working class women, a group of working class women in England have decided to produce their own newsletter. So far, three issues have appeared with a bibliography of materials on working class women, articles, poems and stories. Price £1/year (six issues).
Working Women's Charter Campaign Linda Smith 97 Caledonian Road London NI, UK
The WWCC is an organization dedicated to the support of the ten points of the Working Women's Charter, a list of the rights of working women adopted in March 1974. It also publishes a newsletter, "Women's Charter", and has sponsored various other activities such as a trade union school seminar. For further information about the campaign, copies of the charter and fact sheets on various pieces of British legislation affecting working women, contact the above address. Also see Women's Report, vol. 6, issue 5, Aug/Sept 1978 (Box 48, Rising Free 182 Upper St. London NI, UK), page 14 for a recent commentary on the role of the WWCC today.
Fightback Fightback Team c/o Hounslow Hospital Occupation Committee Hounslow Hospital, Staines Road Hounslow, Middx., UK phone: 01-570 4448
"At least 75% of the workforce in the NHS are women. Think of domestics, nurses, linen-room workers, technicians, kitchen workers, clinical workers, clerical and secretarial staff. This means that any cuts, closures or worsening of conditions will inevitably affect us as women workers ... Think who is going to care for sick and old people when waiting lists run into years, and geriatric and psychiatric beds disappear? Most of all it will be women at home, home helps, district nurses, the women who run meals-on-wheels who will carry the hidden and often unpaid burden of caring ... " Fightback is a newsletter devoted to the fights and campaigns against cuts in the British National Health Service. Since so many health workers are women, this must obviously be a concern for British working women.
The Amazing Equal Pay Show 16mm Film, 50 minutes, color, in English Produced by the London Women's Film Group in 1974 Available for purchase or rental from: DEC Films 121 Arenne Road Toronto M5R 2G3 Canada tel. (416) 964-6901
A film about the British Equal Pay Act of 1970.
Women Against The Bill 16mm Film, 20 minutes, B&W, in English, 1972 Directed by Esther Ronay and members of the Notting Hill Women's Liberation Group
for information write: London Women's Film Group 38 Earlham St. W.C.2. London, UK
Made as part of the campaign against the Industrial Relations Bill, this film examines how and why women opposed the bill and worked together against it.
LATIN AMERICA
Employer Power Kate Young in The New Internationalist, n. 56, October 1977 62a High Street, Wallingford OXON. OX10 OEE, UK (2 pages)
Young uses case studies of Mexican women agricultural workers to examine the causes of low female wages and concludes that they derive "from the unequal relationship between the sexes as well as the nature of the western brand of economic development".
NORTH AMERICA
USA
Ideology and Women in the Economic Sector Corporate Responsibility Action Group Justice and Peace Center 3900 N. Third St. Milwaukee, Wis. 53212, USA
A kit of materials to assist with analyzing "how ideology related to women plays an important role" in the US economic system, with emphasis on communications media, especially television. It contains, among other materials, a booklet called ''Women and Corporations" produced by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, articles, a group discussion guide, a paraliturgy on the image of women, and a fact sheet on women workers. It is very basic and perhaps a bit dated, but could still be quite useful as a discussion starter.
Union WAGE (Union Women's Alliance to Gain Equality) P.O. Box 462 Berkeley, CA 94701, USA
Union WAGE is a California based "non-profit , politically non-partisan organization of working women, including housewives, those unemployed, retired and on welfare, fighting discrimination on the job, in unions and in society. It is dedicated to achieving equal rights, equal pay and equal opportunities for women workers. Union WAGE is also dedicated to building an organization which will properly represent working women on a national (US) level". (from Union WAGE pamphlet) This organization, in addition to holding meetings and airing a radio show in California, offers the following publications:
Union WAGE Newspaper bi-monthly; US$3.50/year for individuals; US$7 .50/year for institutions.
This newspaper is devoted to news of women's activities in unions, and union .women's struggles to improve women's working conditions. It often focusses on a particular issue, such as clerical workers or women in prison. It is limited for the most part to US issues, but does provide good coverage of the problems and activities of minority and migrant women within the US union movement, and occasionally produces an issue devoted to international concerns (for example, the March-April 1977 issue, n. 40).
Labor Heroines: Ten Women Who Led the Struggle Joyce Maupin (31 pages, US$.75)
Short biographies of Sarah Bagley, Rose Schneiderman, Mother Jones, Agnes Nestor, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn and five other key women in the US labor movement.
Working Women and their Organizations-150 Years of Struggle Joyce Maupin (33 pages, US$1.00)
A history of the US women's labor movement from 1824 to the present.
Jean Maddox: The Fight for Rank and File Democracy Collectively written ( 42 pages, US$1 .00)
The story of a major labor leader of the San Francisco area.
Organize! A Working Women's Handbook (43 pages, US$1.00)
A practical guide to union organizing in the US; of, by and for women workers. It is in fact a collection of articles previously published in the Union WAGE Newspaper, covering organizing, writing and negotiation of contracts, women's issues, health and safety, building a caucus, newsletter writing, bibliography, etc.
All Union WAGE publications can be ordered from the above address. For mail orders, add US$.35 postage and handling (1-4 pamphlets). All four publications, including postage, are available for US$4.50, which is quite a savings.
Silicon Valley: Paradise or Paradox? The Impact of High Technology Industry on Santa Clara Valley Pacific Studies Center California, USA October, 1977
pages 24-38
This is a segment of a well-written, well-produced article which is primarily concerned with issues revolving around Santa Clara Valley, California. In this section, however, descriptions of the production process of semiconductors and the threats this process poses to safety and health are detailed . The authors also include extensive data on the labor force and its composition by sex (assemblers, the lowest paid and most dangerous occupation, are approximately 95% women), race, occupation and pay (with graphs); a section on worker organization (or lack thereof) and the various methods management has at its disposal to counter moves towards organization; and finally, a section on the internationalization of the industry and the ways in which the Asian women workers, as well as their native countries' economies, suffer from and are exploited by these industries. Physical as well as cultural damage is described. A map of Southeast Asia is included showing the numbers and locations of semiconductor assembly plants having parent companies in Santa Clara County. It is essential that the relationship between US companies and their workers, both American and Asian, is understood, since, as the authors point out, " ... The situation of the Korean workers points out the common problems Asian and American labor face. Essentially, they are on different sections of the same assembly line. Workers experience the same dangerous health and safety conditions, the same repression of unionizing attempts, the
same inadequate wages, and the same lack of control".
Women Today Today News Service Inc. National Press Building Washington DC, 20045, USA
A rather mainstream, but possibly useful, bulletin on various US news and developments relating to women, women's organizations and the state of legislation. Often contains reports on legal and union developments relating to women and work. {p. 38)
WEAL Washington Report WEAL (Women's Equity Action League) 805-15th St., N.W ., n. 822 Washington DC, 20005, USA
A supplement to Women Today (see above), this brief newsletter contains much the same sort of information-again, very conventional and government oriented, but informative. Provides a useful table of pending legislation affecting women.
Unions, Women and Economic Justice: Litigating Union Sex Discrimination In: Women's Rights Law Reporter, Fall 1977, vol. 4 n. 1 (US$3.50) 180 University Ave. Newark, NJ 07102, USA
This issue of a quarterly publication of Rutgers Law School contains a 24 page article dealing with the above topic. It is quite technically and case-study oriented, as well as obviously being limited to the US, but still can provide a comprehensive view of the legal issues involved in American labor unions and sex discrimination.
Hazards in the Workplace and Equal Rights in : "Job Safety and Health", May 1978 (published by OSHA) Single copies (US$1.20) available from: Superintendent of Documents US Government Printing Office Washington DC, 20402, USA
This is an article concerning work hazards affecting the human reproductive system and how to eliminate them while maintaining equal rights.
The New Frontiers in Labor Organizing-Labor Law Reform and Clerical Employees Liz McPike Midwest Academy c/o Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church 600 W. Fullerton Chicago Illinois 60614, USA (September 1977; 7 pages)
Quest: A Feminist Quarterly Vol. Ill, n. 3, Winter, 1976-77; "Work, Work, Work" P.O. Box 8843 Washington DC, 20003, USA
An issue devoted to work related issues. It includes some very competent studies of sexual harassment in the workplace, the feminist workplace, and other general issues of the interfaces between feminism, work and marxism. It is a US publication and as such is limited in that sense, but many of the articles have a theoretical value that can be applied to any industrialized situation.
Pink Collar Workers Louise Kapp Howe G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977 (301 pages)
" ... A comprehensive collection of empirical evidence that women are the most exploited socio-economic group in America today ... " Includes statistics on pay and unemployment, information on advancement, and sexist attitudes. But " ... more than the dreadful statistics this book offers, it's the words of women themselves that sound the reality of exploitation and insecurity, lonliness and fear".
Pauline Newman: An Organizer's Story Susan Beadle, editor 33 in: WIN Magazine, March 9, 1978 (vol. XIV, n. 9) 503 Atlantic Avenue, 5th floor Brooklyn, NY 11217, USA
Excerpts from interviews with Newman, an early activist, socialist and union organizer in the US. These are actually taken from the transcripts of interviews for the following, more complete work:
We Were There: The Story of Working Women in America Barbara Wertheimer Pantheon Books, NY, 1977
Women and Global Corporations - Work, Roles and Resistance Conference held mid-October, 1978, by the American Friends Service Committee's Nationwide women's Program Linda Nunes/Conference Organizer Nationwide Women's Program 1501 Cherry Street Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA
This conference attempted to examine corporate impact on women and women's responses. Three multi-national industries were focused on : agribusiness/food, electronics, and textile/garment, owing to the high proportion of women workers in these areas. Although the emphasis is on the US, there were workshops and firsthand accounts planned from Chile, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Puerto Rico and Southern Africa; and the nature of the conference itself makes it easy to see its global applications. We have yet to receive information as to the outcome of this conference, but interested women are advised to write to the above address.
off our backs vol. VIII, n. 9, October 1978; "Work, work, work" 1724 20th st. N.W. Washington, DC 20009, USA tel : (202) 234-8072
Includes articles on job-sharing, blue collar work, coal strike, etc., and one entitled 'Feminism is Work'--hear, hear! 008 is published 11 times yearly; one-year subscription US$6; Canada, $7; overseas, $13; businesses and institutions, $20; one-year contributing subscription, $12.
With Babies And Banners: The Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade Film directed by Lorraine Gray; produced by Anne Bohlen, Lyn Goldfarb and Lorraine Gray Sponsored by the Women's Labor History Project 16mm color, 45 minutes Rentals-$60-$100; sales, $500 available from: New Day Films P.O. Box 315 Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, 07417, USA tel : (201)891-8240
A film about the participation of women in the General Motors Sit-Down Strike of 1938. Also, for a review of the film with excerpts, and an interview with the filmmakers, see off our backs, vol. VIII, n. 9, Oct. 1978, pp. 14-15.
CANADA
Organized working women c/o Evelyn Armstrong and Deidre Gallager 15 Gervais Drive Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Founded in 1975, "the purpose of OWW has been defined as follows: to integrate more women into the ongoing activity of trade unions and to get more of women's demands met in contracts ... The right to bargain collectively with full dignity for the jobs that we do is key to the fight for women's equality and key to the trade union struggle. They are inseparable. Full dignity for the jobs that we do involves struggle on a number of issues, given the multitude of ways employers have fostered and profitted from discrimination against women. The problems women face as workers are legitimate trade union demands because they are central to the problems all workers face --problems of full employment, wages based on skill, not the sex of the operator, and being able to advance to positions consummate with skill, experience and seniority. They involve our right to be able to work without fear of being fired, without anxiety as to whether or not our children are safe, without fear of industrial diseases and occupational hazards--the list goes on . All this and more is included in our legitimate demands as workers ... "
SORWUC: A Union for Working Women in: Upstream, vol. 2, n. 3, April 1978 227 Laurier Ave., W., suite 207 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada KIP 5J7
SORWUC (Service, Office and Retail Worker's Union of Canada) was formed in the early 1970's in response to the need of the 65% of women in the labor force of Canada who remained not unionized. These were primarily waitresses, office workers and store clerks, who were often the lowest paid and most unprotected of working women. For a brief, but thorough, history of SORWUC and the various confrontations it has had with Canadian commerce and bureaucracy, see the above issue of "Upstream".
New Hogtown Press 12 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario, Canada
This publishing house offers a number of books related to women and work, among them:
Honest Womanhood--Feminism, Femininity and Class Consciousness Among Toronto Working Women 1893-1914 Wayne Roberts (1976)
A short book (60 pages) examining the role of the concepts of femininity in the organizing efforts of working women. It contains chapters on women in the workforce, as servants, laundry workers, waitresses, in printing, offices and shops, as teachers and garment workers, and in the labor movement. The final chapter focuses on an analysis of feminism and class consciousness as they relate to work. Though the book's focus is Toronto, its observations and analysis are much more widely applicable
Women's Work-A Collection of Articles by Working Women Working Women's Association (1973)
Women At Work: Ontario 1850-1930 Women's Press (1974)
Also, for another extensive listing of resources dealing with women and work, see ISIS Bulletin n. 6, 'Feminism and Socialism 11'.
RESOURCES!
Europe
NETHERLANDS
Library of the International Archives for the Women's Movement Herengracht 262-266 Amsterdam Netherlands tel: 020-246671
Open from 10.00 16.00 Monday to Friday, this impressive archive on the women's movement lends books which have been published since 1950. Books, articles, journals and posters can all be consulted also at the IAV at the address above. A valuable place.
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
"Die Eule - Diskussionsforum fur feministische Theorie" Verlag Frauenpolitik GmbH Hafenweg 2-4 D-44 Munster tel : 0251/60363
"The Owl" is a new German language journal dealing with feminist theory. Appearing twice-yearly, it is intended as a forum for discussion of feminist theory which will attempt to put forward many varying viewpoints. The first (nr. 0) issue appeared in November 1978 and deals with women's liberation strategy and the capitalist state (Heide Heinz). and the genesis and logic of Herbert Marcuse's theory of feminism (Karin Bruns-Weingartz). Future issues will continue the marxist-feminist analysis in the areas of work, house-work, production etc.
FRANCE
Documentation Femmes 110 rue du Chateau 75014 PARIS France Tel: 322 34 79
Ten women documentalists and others have created a centre for feminist documentation in Paris. They collect information especially about the situation in France, and put out a quarterly Bulletin which contains listings of materials which they have reviewed for the period. This covers the French press, the latest books and articles about women, and a summary of the feminist press. An extremely practical and helpful bulletin, especially for those interested in or involved in the French movement. We need more centers like this!
IRELAND
WICCA: New Irish Monthly Feminist Magazine c/o Wendy Wells 21 Corsthwaite Park West Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Ireland
"WICCA is the brainchild of a group of women drawn together by the need we all felt for an Irish feminist magazine. Since the demise of Banshee there's been a void that can't be filled by the capitalist press. So we got together and with much discussion and laughter, produced this first issue. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed compiling it".
There are now three issues of WICCA out. Single issues are 15p, subscriptions are £1.40 for six months and £2.70 for one year. According to WI RES, they are "the only feminist magazine in Ireland apart from Women's Action, produced in Belfast, and speak of the problems of appealing to a broad spectrum of women, balancing stuff for feminists with things for women who haven't considered feminism before. They need all the support they can get".
DENMARK
News from Women's Lib ·· Copenhagen; Seminar on the Structure and Scope of Copenhagen Red Stockings (RSB)
"On the 5th, 6th and 7th of May 1978 the Copenhagen RSB held its fourth major seminar since the movement began. 130 women participated, a representative selection from most of the basis and working groups in the movement". For further information about this seminar, or for a copy of the five-page report of the results of the seminar, write:
RSB's International Group c/o Marianne Lorentzen Jagtvej 78 C 2200 K0benhavn N Denmark
For further information about Copenhagen RSB in general, also see ISIS Bulletin n. 5, pages 8-16.
UNITED KINGDOM
An Open Letter--Mothers and Daughters
Dear Sisters: We are interested in publishing a book about feminism designed to appeal to women not usually receptive to feminist tracts. The book will consist of a collection of letters between mothers and daughters. At the moment we are asking women to send us photocopies of any letters they have written to their mothers when wanting to explain developments that have departed from their mother's perception of 'normality'. These might include explanations of what feminism means and offers, of the adoption of non-conventional relationships, of lesbianism, of the decision to have an abortion, to join a pol itical party and so on. Since our intention is to publish material that will explain the experience of feminism to a readership that includes mothers, we have chosen the context of mother/daughter relationship -- both because of its intrinsic importance for all women and because of the appeal of identification it will offer to mothers. If you have access to letters written to and by your mother which are relevant to this area, we would be really pleased if you would send us copies. If you want the letters returned (please enclose self-addressed envelope) or confidentiality, this will of course be respected. Finally, if you haven't written such letters to your mother, why not write one (and send a copy to us whether you post it to her or not), attempting to explain why you are what you are and how you see feminism in relation to her and to her life. It would be helpful if you included some biographical data on yourself and your mother, and perhaps photos or other visual materials that are relevant and/or important. We would also be interested to hear your reactions to the idea and your suggestions about the book. Alison Watt and Karen Payne 45 Ashley Road London N19, UK (tel. 01 -272-8177)
SPAIN
Vindicacion feminista
The feminist magazine from Barcelona, Spain, is in financial difficulty. They have had to suspend publication for two months, and now make an appeal to all readers, feminist organizations, trade unions and political parties, to take out as many subscriptions as possible. Support subscriptions are also asked for. If you read Spanish, do get this magazine - it is well produced and covers many important feminist issues both in Spain and internationally. Subscriptions: 1,100 pesetas (1,500 support subscription) per year. From: Vindicacion feminista, Napoles, 105, 4° C, Barcelona 13, Spain.
latin america
BRAZIL
Movimento Feminino pela Anistia
"The Feminine Movement for Amnesty - MFPA - was organized in 1975 when a small number of women in Sao Paulo decided to commemorate the International Women's Year by launching a non-ideological struggle for amnesty. Ms. Terezinha Zerbini, (a 48 year old lawyer married to a retired general, who was 'cassado' (stripped of his political rights) by the military government soon after the coup of 1964) is the president of the movement. According to her, 'we thought it was time to raise our voices in the defense of political prisoners, exiles and 'cassados', victimized by the present Brazilian military leaders'. The latest data show that among the victims are over 3000 prisoners, about 5000 exiles and exactly 4,862 'cassados' for whom 'someone had to fight' . The Movement's first explosive initiative was to write a manifesto - The Brazilian Women's Manifesto - which was signed by over 12,000 women and taken to the Congress in Brasilia, where it was then read in the Senate by senator Franco Montoro, a leading member of the only official opposition party in Brazil - the MOB.
Today, the movement has the public support of many important organizations, like the ABI (Brazilian Press Association), CNBB (the National Conference of Catholic Bishops), OAB (National Bar Association), the SBPC (Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science) and of a new organization, Comite para Anistia , newly created". For further information about the 1\11F PA, please contact : Yara Peres Santestevan Radio Canada International 1400 est, boul. Dorchester Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2L 2M2 (North American MFPA contact) -- or -- Terezinha Zerbini Rua Jose de Freitas Guimaraes, n. 209 CEP 01237 Sao Paulo - Capital Brasil (President of Movimento Feminino pela Anistia)
MEXICO
CIDHAL (Comunicacion, lntercambio y Desarrollo Humano en America Latina), A.C. Apartado 579 Cuernavaca, IV'orelos, Mexico
CIDHAL has produced a series of leaflets in comic strip style to coincide with the meeting of Latin American Bishops this year in Puebla, Mexico. These leaflets, in Spanish, are easy to read, often funny, and deal with poor and working class women discussing the injustices, discrimination and problems they face, and suggesting solutions that they themselves can undertake. Each leaflet ends with a suggestion that women meet together and organize to take these solutions into their own hands (for example, "Tu! que leiste esta hojita, conoces a otras senoras · con las que puedas platicar para hacer algo sobre estas cosas?"). For more information, contact CIDHAL.
North America
USA
Research Project: Treatment Abuse of Women "Many women complain that their doctor or dentist patronizes them by prescribing harmful drugs, refusing to take seriously their symptoms or adverse reactions to medication, refusing to fully explain the treatment process, or performing unnecessary and dangerous surgery. Such patronizing behavior, rather than being a trivial matter, may lead to serious, and often irreversible, damage. Other doctors or dentists harm their female patients by seducing them, or even sexually assaulting them. Where the patient is assaulted, she is either under the influence of a drug (i.e., anesthesia or gas). or is otherwise unable to defend herself (i.e., no female nurse is present or she has her legs placed in stirrups, as in the gynecological examination). Despite the acknowledged seriousness of treatment abuse of women, however, no systematic analysis has been done. Consequently, it is not known how widespread the problem really is. To remedy this problem, therefore, I have undertaken this research project, in which women are urged to share their information with me by filling out a questionnaire and being interviewed by me (interview is optional). This is a cross-national study and results will be shared, with all Personal Data Being Kept Confidential. To receive a questionnaire, write to
Research, 1st Floor 2509 Avenue K Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
Sojourner: A Third World Women's Research Newsletter c/o Harriet Mccombs Psychology Department University of Nebraska Lincoln, Nebraska 68588 USA
Contains booklists, details of courses, research, etc. being done about Third World women.
"Where on Earth are the Women?" International Women 's Tribune Centre 345 E 46 Street, Room 815 New York, New York 10017 USA Tel: 212-687 072837
An information kit containing listings of : women's international information networks; international journals, periodicals, newsletters, by, for and about women; development publications - free or low cost; media materials and publications available at the Tribune Centre; international list of films, filmstrips, slide/ tape sets, training materials related to women and development issues. An attractive layout and loose-leaf presentation makes this resource kit a useful tool. Pockets in the cover contain the IWY Tribune's first six newsletters which list extensive resources on women and development
CANADA
Caring for Ourselves, 1978 c/o Kleiber and Light School of Nursing University of British Columbia 2075 Wesbrook Place Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1W5
This is a report on the Vancouver Women's Health Collective by Nancy Kleiber and Linda Light, dealing with an alternative structure for health care. It deals extensively with the Collective's non -hierarchical structure, feminist politics and its emphasis on self-help and the participation of lay women in the delivery of care. The group's services - a health information phone line, community education program , women's self-help clinic, doctor directory, abortion counselling service, and diaphragm clinic are all discussed in detail. Available FREE from the above address.
The following paragraphs written by Fran P. Hosken, editor of WIN News, are being printed here at Ms. Hosken's request. They were written in regard to the publication of our article on genital mutilation in Africa (!SIS Bulletin n. 8, pages 12-13).
WIN - WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL NETWORK-NEWS
is an open participatory network where all people concerned about women's development, women's status or women's rights are invited to participate - which means to send news and information of concern to women. WIN NEWS serves the general public with news about women and with information about international developments affecting women. WIN NEWS is open to anyone who wishes to send information and news about any subject of interest to women regardless of political or religious beliefs, nationality, age group, origin or sexual preference. WIN NEWS is concerned with printing and distributing information on any subject that is of concern to women. Men & women from all parts of the world, from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, North America and the Pacific have repeatedly participated. WIN NEWS has reported from more than 130 countries--almost all United Nations members by now.
A NEWS SERVICE for and by women distributes information: if that is called a "campaign" or a "new kind of Imperialism" then this is news to me as editor and international journalist. Freedom of the press is the first concern and freedom of information is what WIN NEWS and its many world wide participants are concerned about. To try to curtail, diminish or abrogate freedom of information and the distribution of information about women worldwide under the fictitious label of "a new kind of imperialism" or any other label must be categorically rejected.
In reporting about genital mutilation WIN NEWS is concerned with health first and foremost and the right of all females to health as a basic human right. The mutilation of the human person, man or woman or child therefore must be rejected no matter what the culture, origin or reason given.
Sincerely Fran P, Hosken/ editor
WIN NEWS
WIN NEWS would like to state the following facts:
WIN NEWS has exchanged publications with Familie et Developpement since it started publication - it is supported by the Canadian Government (the Canadian International Development Agency - CIDA), I met with Marie Angelique Savane last year in Dakar - we have exchanged much useful information for years. Esther Ogunmodede is an active member of WIN NEWS - that is she has published with us twice including the article which she later sent to DRUM and which WIN NEWS sent to ISIS as well as all other WIN NEWS subscribers. Esther Ogunmodede was very gracious in referring to WIN NEWS in her article* as I supplied her with much information about genital mutilation--most of the information that is not from Nigeria and the medical facts, for which she thanked me as this information is not available in Africa. unfortunately the ISIS editors eliminated from their article most of the case histories from Nigeria that Esther provided as well as the reference to WIN NEWS and my work which reads as follows: " Fran P. Hosken, publisher and editor of Women's International Network News visited major African countries collecting information on girl's circumcision. Her report is of major importance, for never before has such a detailed study been carried out on this problem" . The same article was published elsewhere in Africa, besides in DRUM - which is not a magazine as ISIS states but a newspaper**. Perhaps ISIS should print the article in its entirety.
Finally it should be stated that TERRE DES HOMMES is a charitable children's foundation concerned with rescuing abandoned, orphaned and hurt children worldwide and is run by one man: Edmond Kaiser . WIN NEWS sent to Mr. Kaiser much of our research and I met with him last year in Geneva. Mr. Kaiser so far has refused to work with women or with any women's organization.
Fran P. Hosken WIN NEWS
I would appreciate very much if you would print this statement of facts by way of correction.
*The Article referred to is: Circumcision, by Esther Ogunmodede in : Drum, November 1977.
** Note: Drum refers to itself as " The Truly National Magazine "-ISIS.
ISIS would like to state here, as we have to Ms. Hosken, that there was never any intention on our part to present distorted information, defamation of character, or in any other way attack Ms. Hosken or WIN News in our article on genital mutilation. Ms. Hosken and WIN News have put great energy in bringing genital mutilation to light as a violation of women and a major health issue. It is for this reason that they were listed as the sole resource after our article.
ISIS would also like to state that nothing in our article on genital mutilation should be misconstrued to mean that ISIS in any way condones genital mutilation. In our opinion, genital mutilation of women is a violation of human rights and cannot be condoned under any circumstances or for any reasons.
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