Questions following reflection after the first visit, the visit to the west coast

  • What is consciousness-personal, political, critical, women's, feminist?
  • What about the men? Who is responsible for the men's consciousness?
  • What does it mean to do research? What are the costs and benefits?
  • What is "natural" for women? Are women- only situations natural?
  • What is the difference between teaching, counselling, therapy, social work, and community development?
  • What is the difference between the "we" of women literacy students and the "we" of women literacy workers in terms of consciousness, disclosure, responsibility?

Questions following reflection after the second visit, the visit to the east coast

  • What is "advocacy" and what is "service delivery"? Who thinks advocacy and service delivery are different issues?
  • How is "women's" experience different than the experience of poor "people"?
  • What risks of violence are involved in talking about "women"?
  • How do we work with the economic, physical, sexual, spiritual, emotional violence in women's lives?
  • What does this work have to do with "literacy"?
  • Of what earthly good is research? Why don't "we" do a revolution instead?

3.1 The words women spoke during the visits have been organized into 21 interconnected themes

Some women want to understand the similarities between us all. Some want to make sure we recognize the differences. Others would simply like to be treated as a person.

Women believe that there are some things they know about how women learn, and how they work alone and in groups. They also know what they have been told about women.

Women have a lot of ideas about how they are able to learn what they want to learn by building on their strengths-particularly building on their strengths in community.

Women talk about the different reasons why they and others cannot come to literacy and upgrading programs. Usually women face more than one barrier.

Many women feel the way in which we have set up our social systems works against us. They stop us from moving forward and keep us entrenched in poverty.

Like most women who have to leave their homes to do what they want or need to do, women involved in literacy have difficulty with finding good, affordable childcare.

When women start to talk about some of the things that make it hard to get to programs, very often the first comments focus on responsibilities in the home, with their families.

Often, women realize that, for many women, the overwhelming responsibilities at home indicate that the real problem may be a lack of support from other family members.

Women are clear that this lack of support is not only passive resistance. Many, many women face violence from men if they dare to go back to school.

Despite the many barriers to their participation, women have no difficulty talking about why they want to take part in literacy and upgrading programs.

Some women indicate that they are very uncomfortable with the idea of women-only programs. It doesn't seem "natural" for women to talk alone together or work on their own.


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