_ w: m r‘O'RG-E‘AHEAD '

.by Susan Satterthwaite '*thunism. The word has beccme a very meaningful \ and important part of our

evogabulary«.,...k1u§t.what‘ -. constitutes a feminist? _ What does the word feninism mean? Beninism is basically a set of principles which embrace the industrial, political, social, mental and sexual_equality of' vmnen with men. A feminist is an individual who advocates those principles and.vflx3 acts in sanavmny to carry on the struggle

- to ensurelequality for 7 all umnen; V

Many individuals un—

familiar with the meaning of feminism hold the mistaken belief that all feminists are a'mass of "loud—mouthed"— ‘pole'climbing and ditch I digging",voverly aggressive, "masculine", "uppity" wcmen

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who want to béccntanmgn But no idea could be

:further fron the truth!

~ These individuals are completely unaware of the fiery faces of feminism which

exist in society today. Feminists are not just Men are feninists, too, and more and more men (and‘mzmxn arelmaxnung feminists as their consci-

'ousnesses are raised con-

cerning the plight of women in our exploitative and sexist culture. With each new individual who joins the fight, the move- ment gains strength and the march for liberation moves steadily onward. The im— portant thing to remember here is that a fEHunist is an individual who pro— fesses EElief in and support for the equality of MKmEthdth men in all

.( , I Light ,,

aspects of life. Feminists range from-radical positions, to moderate orientations, to more conservative positions. There are leftist fem-

inists who believe the road to equality for women lies in a socialist re- volution. There are feminists who are fighting to gain equal rights through established legal and governmental channels (such as the National Organization for WCmen and Status of Women Canada). There are feminist psychologists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists who help to raise women's own consciousnesses about who

’ they are and their ultimate worth as human beings in a society which, only until a few deCades ago, did not even consider vmneh as persons (legis— lation Was passed —both in

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1.8.1289. Page

A FEMINIST' S PERSPECTIVE

the USA and Canada — to give women that status which they were wrongly excluded frtnu.

Some feminists choose to pursue a career, be it in business, politics, education, or whatever,

,while others choose to be

homemakers and enjoy their work (and it is work),

but want it to be recog— nized as one of the many choices that a woman

can make for herself and not as the only position vmneh are fit for, are capable of, or were cre— ated for. Black feminists fight a two—fold battle against the combined forces of racial and sexist discrimination. (The contemporary Women's Liberation Movement grew out of the civil rights move— ment of the 1960's and early 1970's)r

Women (and men) from all walks of life are joining the fight for liberation and equality of women in all aspects of society. Some are middle class, some are lower middle class, and many are poor (poor women must also fight dual— discrimenation resulting from their sex and their low economic status).

Some are married, some are not and some don't want to be. Some have children, some do not and some don't want any.

There are many more faces which I do not have room to mention. But as you can see, it is by no means a single concept or a single type of individual WhO’iS a feminist. There are many different individuals and groups who advocate numerous methods of working to es— tablish women's equality. There is no one single road to any of the ends. And next week I will be talking about some of those major issues of the feminist nrnnanent.