" - I. W , L ~ _ A h _ A The Cadre, March 25,1975, page_3 McGill Women View” 'IWY The Greatest Snow Job susie Homemaker adverti- . V

sments on television and L . offer childrens books

that depict little girls as something else than squeamish princesses or fragile creatures that hold tea parties. For an "

incentivefito adult women, IWY could put its money

*towards scholarship funds ‘in law and medicine facil— ities.

A half-million dollars was initially intended for

‘a seris of four conferences to be held in various Canadian cities to discuss the needs and wants of women. The IWY officials

are still bent on "discovers hing women's problems," / .forgetting the Royal CommiL lssion on the Status of Women in 1968 that tabled more than 160 recommendati- ons for immediate action,. only half of which have been delt with.

I The idea of further discussionkis a joke.

The needs are clear: subsidized community daycare,’abortion on request, maternity benefe its, open access to all/ 'jobs - what's needed now

is action both in the law books and in practice.

A fifth national confer- ence shows the worst gall

' .on the part of the IWY officials. They called on big-business executives ,and high-ranking civil serVants to review their treatment of women in the A Ioffice. and sug§§§;ed the' promotion of token women” to the managing boards of big corporations and \top government ranks.

When women's groups across the country protes— ted this waste of expense and energy, saying that the programme would be of no benefit whatsoever

,to the majority of working,

Equal Opportunity

KCandign women are again getting 1sheddy treatment by a federal government that has an excellent history of selling women short. The latest and' greatest snow job is the government's plans fOr‘ International women's Year (IW-Y),

The United Nations decl- ared 1975 to be Internati— onal women's Year, hoping that this gesture would satisfy the increasing _number of women who were objecting to the exploita- ltion and discrimination they faced in virtually - all sectors of life, empl— oyment, education, sexual double standards, child- care, the list is endless. All member countries in the UN were obliged to set aside money for projects that would attempt to tackle women's oppression.

On the surface, it“ seems ,like an admirable idea, but looking a little deep- .er, International Women's Year is ridden with flaws.

The federal government established two departmen- ts, the IWY Secretariat of the Privy Council and the Women's Program in”the Secretaronf State's' 'Department,'togtskegcharge of the programme. The people appointed to these departments are mostly well paid civil-sevents who have been shielded to a large degree from the hardships that working women face, and aren't really prepared to deal with these problems.

The planning for IWY started off on the wrong note..Rather than consult- ing those who are most aware of women's needs, like a woman in a lineup at the welfare office or a young mother who doesn't have enough money to feed herself Or her children "properly,-the IWY officials,

drew up programmes and budget allocations without. ‘lthese considerations.

Of a five-million dollar budget, $750,000 was allocated to a male—staffed advertising company that came up with the "Why Not" campaign. The main thrust of this campaign was to take out full-page ads in newspapers like the

.‘ NhnorluL woMENN

MYEAK

to officially boycott the IWY grants in protest of the governments half-hearted recognition of women's centres. Some people are even

saying that International

, women's Year might be used against the women's movement. in future years. Feminists disillusioned with the government predict that in 1976 MP's will slough off ‘reforms by saying women are now equal: "All that sexist business was solved last year, you realize." I I iThe government's campaign 'is too glossy and superfic-' ial to really attack sexism at its roots. LWY is pushing ineffective and unnecessary' programmes in order to pacify women who are growing discontented with their position in society. The government has shown that it doesn't take women seriously: it's up to women to take action now.

women in Canada, IWY directors modified their plans somewhat to allOW‘ for smaller "information meetings" The intention remains the same, though. The discrimination most women face is not earning $20,000 rather than $60,000 unfortunately.

In another major progra-

Imme, a million dollars‘ is proposed to go directly to women's groups in the Vform of grants, to be “spent over two years, For Quebec, $75,000 was alloc- ated from April 1974 to 'March 1975, and the same amount is to be allocated from April 1975 to March .1976. When divided up among 'all the women's centres, ,the grants will be so small ‘that no group will receive ‘enough money to plan any effective projects for women.

In a national caucus of feminist groups in Thunder _Bay this spring, Internati-' _onal Women's Year is expec- ted to come under fire and the groups might decide

What Cost?

' by Joan Shields-

Cost to whom -- men, women children, the community? How can we measure cost -_no Vin dollars, but

in frustration, boredom

or guilt? Even the libera- ted married woman who has 'achieved-a career is still 'haunted by a sense of

If equal opportunity is there —- at what cost do we take it? Come to discuss this theme with a panel

of speakers -- professional /men and women from the university and from the community and students who will soon be entering '

i

Star and ask mind-boggling,

- questions like "Why can't

Your daughter grow up to

'be a docor orha lawyer?"

. Rather than assumE"that women rarely go into these

'fields becausefltheir par-

ents didn't stop to ask "Why Not?" a more useful tactic would be tofban

v'guilt»because of the atti-

tude<of the community at large. The young married woman without children

is lboked at askance; the young mether who continues in her career is condemned

.the grandmother is expected -to.devote her time to her .LszemeQEAszesaiac

' Meet to ask questions and _air your opinions on

the professions.

Tuesday, April lst at 2:00 p.m. in the Marion Hall. Lounge.

,vL. Newnham a Committee Focus on Campus / Women, f