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The C1 ity L Iniversity Graduate Center

33 West 42 Street, New York City 10036 212 790-4435

Volume III, No. 2 December, 1981

ACTIVIST WOMEN AND POLITICAL PRIORITIES

Dr. Marilyn Gittell opened the Graduate Center's Dinner Seminar Series
on October 6, with a talk on"Activist Women and Political Priorities", a
discussion of how different types of women leaders define women's issues.
She began her talk by pointing out the vitality and importance of women's
traditional participation in community voluntary organizations, despite _
popular beliefs that women have been inactive politically, She went on to
describe her current research, a study of the motivations and life styles
of female community leaders in lower income areas, and an investigation of
how they relate to women's organizations, the women's movement and feminist
issues. In order to understand the roles of women community organizers, and
their relationships to other female leaders, Gittell interviewed three
types of leaders: 1) elected and appointed women leaders in city government;
2) leaders of women's organizations; 3) leaders of community organizations.
In her research Gittell travelled to 6 U.S. cities -- New York, Denver,
Oakland, Houston, Chicago, and San Francisco -- to interview over 200
women leaders.

While middle-class activists have often stressed their primary role as
mothers and homemakers, Gittell reported that leaders in lower income community
groups were less concerned about maintaining impeccable households, and that
they assumed that their families would adjust to their roles as community
leaders. Gittell described the kinds of family backgrounds and personal
expertences that brought women into leadership, and noted the changing nature
of community organizations -- how many advocacy groups took on service
functions during the 60s and 70s, softening their demands for social change.
(Under current budget cutbacks, some organizations predict a return to their
original advocacy roles.)

The identification of women's issues varied for the three groups that
were interviewed. Community women leaders saw women's issues as the issues
of importance for the community at large: housing, health care programs,
daycare, and employment. While most were supportive of feminist demands for
ERA and affirmative action, they placed primary importance on the basic needs
of their communities. However, for younger women especially, sexism within
local organizations was a concern, even though they might question the rhetoric
and priorities of the feminist movement.

Women's movement leaders defined their community as the community of women,
and stressed the importance of the ERA, equal pay, affirmative action and
reproductive rights. They also shared some of the concerns of community
organization women: childcare, family violence, birth conttfol information and
teenage pregnancy. Despite the overlap on some issues, Gittell found very few
examples of coalition buiiding between the groups.


Among elected and appointed city officials, women's issues were defined
more narrowly -- as affirmative action and equity demands. Their ties to
community organizations were not strong and their participation in feminist
organizations was often limited to networking for professional advancement.

Despite their differences, Gittell pointed out the important strengths
and resources of each group of women leaders. Female community leaders have
experience in advocacy, large numbers of members, and sensitivity to the
needs of lower income women. Leaders of feminist organizations know how to
reach middle class women, and have the education and resources to help them
organize. Elected or appointed officials have valuable expeience within the

formal political system and are likely to have access to information and
administration skills.

Gittell concluded her talk with a discussion of the possibility of coalition
building among these groups, and the need to overcome class and race differences.
She stressed the need for new strategies, for a broader definition of issues
and for mutual understanding and respect among all types of women leaders.

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Announcements

The Women's Studies Division of the Western Social Sciences Association calls
for papers for their 1982 meeting in Denver, Colorado. Send two copies of a
one-page abstract plus a self-addressed, stamped envelope by December 1, 1981

to Elizabeth Nelson, WSSA, Department of Sociology, California State University,
Fresno, California 03740.

Women and Health: Taking Care and Taking Charge is the title of a conference
on September 30--October 2, 1982 in Morgantown, West Virginia. Proposals

for the conference should include name, address, and affiliation of person(s)
presenting, format, and estimated time of presentation. Please send paper
abstracts and ideas for workshops, and demonstrations (1-2 double-spaced
typewritten pages) to: Judith Stitzel, Women's Studies, Stansbury Hall, West
Virginia University, Morgantown, W.V. 26506. Deadline: March 1, 1982.

The Center for the Study, Education and Advancement of Women at the University
of California, Berkeley, plans a research conference on Women and Work in Third
World Countries for March, 1982. Interested researchers should send copies

of their resumes and research papers to Dr. Nagat El-Sanabary, Center for the
Study, Education, and Advancement of Women, Bldg. T-9, Rm. 112, University of
California, Berkeley, California 94720. Deadline is December 1, 1981. For
information, call (415)527-4773.

The Fourth Annual National Symposium on Sexuality and Disability will take place
on June 18-20, 1982 at New York University. Proposals for programs should include
a 250 work abstact and indicate the specific audience: general or advanced.

Please submit three copies, typed and double-spaced to Deryck Calderwood,

Human Sexuality Program, 51 South Building, New York University, New York, N.Y.
10003. Participants will be expected to register for the Symposium. A limited
number of scholarships will be available. All papers become the property of

the Symposium.

On Wednesday, February 17, N.Y.U. will host a conference on “Women and Work,"
sponsored by the New Directions for Women, Gallatin Division. Panelists
include Betty Friedan; Elizabeth Holtzman; and trade unionist Lillian Roberts.
The event will take place in John Ben Snow Memorial Room, Bobst Library at

8 p.m. For information, call 598-7077.

The Women's Caucus for Art's national conference will take place in New York
City on February 23-26, coinciding with the annual meetings of the Coalition

of Women's Art Organizations (CWAO) and the College Art Association (CAA).

The WCA will sponsor a series of panels on "Women and Art in Society," and an
exhibition, "Views By Women Artists"--thirteen separately curated theme

shows, to draw attention to the diversity of women's art. Contact WCA, New York
Chapter, Joan Turken, 464 First Street, Brooklyn, New York 11215. (212)499-
3319.

The Center for Athlete's Rights and Education is organizing a "Speak Out for
Title IX" rally on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on December 7, Between

11 a.m.-2 p.m. For information on transportation or on the rally, contact
The Center for Athlete's Rights and Education, 391 East 149 Street, Suite 319,
Bronx, New York 10455 or (212)665-0602.


Book Reviews

Comparative Perspectives of Third World Women: The Impact of Race, Sex,

and Class edited by Beverly Lindsay
(New York: Praeger, 1980) 334 pp., cloth, $23.95.

This book was conceived by a group of Third World women scholars, in
response to the need to compare the positions of Third World women in both
developing countries and from the viewpoint of these women themselves. The
first of the book's two sections includes: an overview of African women's
status (by Shelby Lewis), a treatment of women's legal and economic status
in Zaire (by Lois Adams), problems faced by professional women in Kenya
(by Beverly Lindsay), a comparison of women in the People's Republic of China,
in Taiwan, and in Malaysia (by Bee-Lan Chan Wang), a discussion of women's
attitudes towards politics and political participation in northern India
(by Tonia Devon), a description of lifestyles and coping skills of working
class women in the Caribbean (by Gloria Joseph), an account of women's changing
position in Cuba (by Johnetta Cole), and a review of four films on Latin
American women (by Nora Jacquez Wieser).

The second section includes a summary of problems for native American
women (Laura Waterman Wittstock), an analysis of cultural attitudes towards
Mexican and Chicana women (Sylvia Gonzales), a treatment of social and
economic discrimination against black women (Gwendolyn Randall Puryear),
and a study of sex role typing in educational programs for Vietnamese immi-
grants (Gail Kelly). Lindsay ties the whole together with introductory and
concluding discussions of alternate conceptual frameworks for dealing with
relations among race, sex, and class, and a summary of commonalities in the
Problems of Third World women.

This book is written in a straightforward manner, with a minimum of
jargon. As “an introduction to vital issues that profoundly influence the
lives of Third World women," the book should lend itself well to use in teaching.
Among issues it touches on are the following: the nature of class differences
among women in different countries, and distinctions between "work" and
"career" for women; ihe limitations of "culture of poverty" stereotypes
(the vignettes describing categories of working class women in the Caribbean
are most relevant here); the contradictions between general acceptance of
patriarchal norms and forms of resistance (it gave me pause to read that in
1977 the Indian Housewives Federation submitted a resolution to Mrs. Gandhi
demanding "as many seats for women as men in the Parliament, State Assemblies,
municipalities and panchayats"); and the progress and the stumbling blocks
for women under socialism (the comparison among groups of Chinese women was
particularly useful for dealing with differences between capitalist and social-
ist "modernization"). Even the chapter that is out of step with the rest of
the book--that on "La Chicana" which is unfortunately devoid of firm data on
Chicana oppression and resistance—offers an interesting counterpoint in its
psychological assumptions about universalistic gender roles.

I intend to use this book in my own course on women cross-culturally
when I give the course again, and recommend it to others for this purpose.

--leanor Leacock, Ph.D.
Department of Anthropology, City College, CUNY

The Guide to Women's Studies, a listing of over 200 women's studies courses
offered in New York City, is available for Spring, 1982. For a free copy, write
to Lisa Kassel, N.Y.C. Commission on the Status of Women, 250 Broadway, NY, 10007
or call 566-3832.


WOMEN OF SPIRIT: FEMALE LHADERSHIP IN THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS edited
by Roeemary Ruether and Eleanor McLaughlin
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979) 400 pp., paper, $5.95

In Women of Spirit: Female Leadership in the Jewtsh_and Christian Traditions

editors Ruether and McLaughlin have selected a series of essays which document the
ways in which women have been active participants in Western religious movements.
Although this book has received excellent reviews elsewhere, I found it to be
disappointing. ‘

There were several reasons for this disappointment. First, the title of the
book is misleading; of the fourteen essays, only one deals with Judaism. Second,
I found many of the essays lacking in critical analysis of the issues. The first
three essays deal with women and early Christianity. The core idea that is common
to all three is that the monastic and ascetic life enabled women to defy. the
established famiidy and social expectations. The vow of virginity is equated with
political independence. This idea is an engaging one, and I would have ewelcomed
more attention to the embeddedness of the Church within the social-cultural order
of the day. Instead, these essays read like the "lives of great early-Christian
women".

Huber's essay on Quaker women discusses how, despite the non-hierarchical
structure of this religion, women were pushed back into subordinate woles. Againz,
some individual women were able to transcend restraints, but the analysis of
how this was possible lacks a dynamic component. Several other essays detail

women's leadership in non-mainstream religions: Shakers, Christian Scientists,
Mormonism and the Salvation Army. According to these essays, women were able to
achieve full participation. Yet, as these religions developed and the leadership
became more professionalized, "daughters did not follow in the footsteps of their
preacher and professional mothers and grandmothers; thus these role models were
lost."

The issue of professional leadership also emerges in the ordination of women
within Protestantism. Although women began to be ordained in the 1950's, their
numbers have been small. Those who have been ordained are under-represented in
actual leadership positions as pastors of parishes. As in other male-dominated
professions, women have been locked out of collegeal networks. The authors
question the maturity of the feminist viewpoint in being able to “integrate women
more fully into the life of the church" without "diminishing the richness of
Christian life". I find this lack of confidence in feminism to be rather disconcerting.

The last two essays on the feminist contributions to both Judaism and to
Episcopalianism/Roman Catholicism present a more analytic view of women in
these religions. First, they acknowledge that women who have "made it" are the
exceptions to the rule. Second, they maintain that the achievement of leadership
by women is not to be viewed in individual terms. Rather, they trace the
social and political changes that need to occur (and have begun to occur) within
the structure of the religions:themselves: the development of new rituals and
theologiaal orientations which will allow women to experience religion as
meaningful and relevant to their lives.

Ruether and McLaughlin, in their introduction, maintain that historically
women have gained leadership in religious movements by virtue of their holiness
and charisma. This has allowed women to participate in the eschatological
sphere. These concepts are embedded within theology. An integration of these
concepts with social-nvsychological analysis would have permitted a deeper
understanding of where women have been (and need to go) within the world of
religion. Despite these criticisms, readers who are interested in the history
of theology and women's contributions to that history, may well find this
a valuable anthology.

--Ann Saltaman, Graduate Student
Soctal Psychology/Personality, Graduate Center


Conferences

The Women’s Therapy Centre Institute is sponsoring a lecture series for 1981-82.
Held on Friday evenings at the New York Academy of Sciences building, 2 Fast 63rd
Street from 7-9:30 p.m., the lectures will run through March 1982. Topics include
"Women's Conflicts About Success," "New Childrearing Arrangements and their Impact
on the Psychology of Women," "Women's Anger Against Women," "Women's Terrain,

The Body: Compulsive Eating and Anorexia," 'Women: Sex and Sexuality," and
"Passionate Attachments: Fathérs and Daughters." For a complete program contact:
The Women's Therapy Centre Institute, 80 East 11th Street, New York, N.Y. 10003,
or call 420-1974.

The Women's Studies International Quarterly seeks material for a new section,
Forum. The section will include news, notes, discussion, debates and reports
about events in Women's Studies. Send reports of conferences, courses, and
research as well as opinions about any controversial issues in Women's Studies
to Cheris Kramarae, Department of Speech, University of Illinois, 244 Lincoln
Hall, Urbana, Illinois, 61801.

The Alliance of Independent Scholars is a new group of women scholars in the
Boston area who hold doctoral degrees or are completing dissertations. Their
interdisciplinary colloquium meets twice monthly to provide members with a
professional forum in which to present and discuss their work. They also
provide career information and support groups. Vor information about the
Alliance or to learn about organizing similar groups elsewhere, contact Clare
Nunes, AIS, 6 Ash Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138.

Chrysalis: a magazine of women's culture has ceased publication due to finan-
cial difficulties. However, back issues of the magazine may still be ordered
from Peggy Kimball, 2026 Palm Drive, Hermosa Beach, California, 90254. The
editors of Chrysalis urge former readers to support other feminist publications,
such as Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics. For information,
contact Heresies, Box 776, Canal Street Station, New York, N.Y. 10013

The Women's Studies Program and Policy Center of George Washington University
invites applications for the Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public
Policy. The program includes one year's work tor a Member or congressional
committee staff on policy issues affecting women. Applications will be avail-
able from the George Washington Women's Studies Program by February 5, 1982.
Write to Phyllis Palmer, Women's Studies, George Washington University,
Washington, D.C. 20052.

The Business and Professional Women's Foundation announces the Lena Lake
Forrest Fellowship and BPW Foundation Research Grant programs for doctoral
candidates or post-doctoral scholars. The programs focus on contemporary
studies and studies that provide historical perspectives on economic issues
of importance to today's working women. Application deadline is January 1,
1982. Contact the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, 2012
Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036, or call (202)293-1200.

The Lesbian-Feminist Study Clearinghouse promotes the exchange of information
and scholarship on all aspects of lesbian feminism. For a list of avail-
able reprints, or to submit articles, write to the Clearinghouse, Women's
Studies Program, 1012 Cathedral of Learning, University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, Pa., 15260.