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.

• It's hard for me to go back to school. My boyfriend disagrees with me coming back. He just wants me to give up all the time. And I want to go! That kind of tension...

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• We had another one. Her husband didn't want her to be here. "What are you doing down there. You should be home." That little thing she's doing for herself and she felt great about being here. Just being out of the house if for no other reason...

  She left the program and I would say it was troubles home. I mean what's the point? You stay at home. There's so much fighting about it, she decided it wasn't worth the effort...You start to feel like you're pulling her one way and her family's pulling her another way.

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• I think the people who need our help the most are the ones that aren't taken seriously. Not necessarily not supported, but they're not taken seriously. Because your family can sort of support you, but they don't show it because they think it's not important.

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• I keep figuring, well, I'm going to change. I'm not going to let them take over. I was going to complete my upgrading and I kept trying to tell myself that. I guess I shouldn't have kept telling myself that because they sort of still got to me. Jealousy and things like that kept getting in my way and every time I went home, I had to fight them. And it got to the point that I didn't want to go home, cause I knew once I got home I'd have to argue. So I just said OK-went out-got drunk for a week. And then it was too late. I didn't come back after that.

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• So it's usually somebody dumping on them [that stops women from coming]. It's usually men.

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• One woman talked about the difference between her husband who beat her when she couldn't do things he asked, and left her when he discovered she couldn't read, and her boyfriend who respects her for going back and trying to learn, and also helps her with immediate needs. He understands she can't read, but he doesn't think she is stupid.

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• The school's OK.It's my home life that's got to change. I've got to get rid of my child and my husband first! This school is OK-interesting.

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• H's husband was having a struggle with H. Watching her independence.
• That's right. He wouldn't peel a potato.
• He was having a hard time.
• I was peeling vegetables before I went to work in the morning. Putting on supper when I went home. I remember one day I got mad, told him he had to do the goddam wash alone. [Her daughter] said, "Mama, I wish you would have told me." Her socks were all over the place. Her clothes were stiff with detergent. [lots of laughter] .
• He was raised up in a family where they weren't allowed to touch-the right person to do the right thing...
• And they're getting there. Like last Sunday I felt like I was in the way...

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