IWD forums debate feminist issues
In preparation for International Women's Day, forums on issues confronting women have been held in Perth and Adelaide.
In Perth, Shannon Buckley writes, approximately 30 women and men participated in a one-day seminar held at the University of Western Australia on February 7.
The first plenary session covered the issues of indigenous women. Colleen Haywood, from the Aboriginal Legal Service, spoke about the relationship between women and Wik, native title and the stolen generation, describing the far-reaching effects across all generations.
Margot Boetcher, president of the Association for a Legal Right to Abortions, addressed the current attack on a woman's right to have an abortion. As a result of the discussion it was decided to hold a protest outside the Perth Central Law Courts on February 14.
Workshops covered issues such as the situation of women in developing countries, migrant women and body image and the media.
The final plenary, entitled "Women and Justice", was addressed by Ruth Ellis of the Australian Services Union and Ana Kalis and Angela Luvera from the IWD collective. They discussed the effects of the Liberal government's cuts to services which disproportionately affect women, such as child-are.
Melanie Sjoberg reports from Adelaide that 50 activists attended a forum at the Governor Hindmarsh Hotel on February 7.
The panel of speakers comprised Connie Frazer from the Democratic Socialist Party and Tuesday Afternoon Group; Debra McCullough representing Women's Electoral Lobby; Silva Moon, compere of radio 5UV No Frills program; Sky Mykita, Adelaide University student vice-president and former NUS officer; and Dana Chen, a young woman of Aboriginal-Chinese background.
The perspective from most of the panel reflected some confusion and disorientation, with an emphasis on individual experiences.
Sky Mykita, for example, stated that she held a "girls can do anything" ethos. "Most young women don't call themselves feminists and they are not part of the feminist movement", she claimed, adding that most don't "feel oppressed". She described her understanding of feminism as growing out of a victim mentality, which was a negative.
Debra McCullough's contribution meandered into an apology for WEL, which she said was now being sustained by a small group of people "who don't even have a battle cry". She concluded that in the end the movement is all about stuffing envelopes and suggested, "Maybe the change would have happened anyway".
Dana Chen had been invited to speak about feminism and Aboriginality but said that she was unable to contribute on these matters because she personally had never been deprived.
Connie Frazer challenged the new language of "chick, babe and girls", saying that it was precisely this derogatory framework that the liberation movement had fought against. She pointed out that the DIY feminism and Generation F offered the notion that there were a plethora of feminisms that women could choose from, but that essentially this was based on an individual and liberal world view.
Frazer argued that while a few individuals may make gains, the system maintains oppression of women as a group. She concluded that women could not merely choose individual solutions, but that we need to raise demands that link with Aboriginal and migrant struggles, and the broader social and economic issues confronting our lives.
The meeting also heard a contribution about the importance of supporting the maritime workers against attacks from the National Farmers Federation and the government, and the relationship to defending the rights of all workers and other campaigning groups.