Women in one program talked around a table about what they see happening in their community-with other women and with themselves-as change begin to happen.

• They think of themselves in roles-the man's role and the woman's role-they don't know how to get out of that role.
• Because I was reared up at the time it was and boys were boys and girls were girls and this was what girls did and this is what boys did.
• But I think that's the way people see themselves: This is my life and this is what I'm here for
• But I don't think we do. Well, I certainly don't. I can't speak for anyone else around the table. But I certainly don't. And my daughter doesn't .
• This is how they think: This is my life work. Look after the house, look after the man and that's it. But they're not of much other use. That's how they think of themselves. And this is what causes a lot of women to have such low self-esteem. They don't think they're important. We found that out through coming through this program. It took a while to really see the writing: That I am important. And what I do is important and what I say is important...
• I married back in the 50s. It was still the standards. You stay home and you look after hubby. And I did for seventeen years... I really feel that I got stuck in this role and don't know how to get out of it.
• I believed it all 'til I came over here. Supposed to be a mother, a good wife ...
• It's not easy letting go of it. Especially when you leave it so late in life...
• I always believed that women were the same as men. But you get into a rut and you can't get out and the opportunity don't arise, it will stay until you die. What can you do about it? I always believed since I was thirteen or fourteen that I was just as good as any man walking around... I thought I could do any job a man could do.

  But, I just fell into a hole with the children. Waiting for my husband to pass me a five dollar bill to go to bingo if I was lucky and if he decided to stay home with the children, right? And I always thought he never had to stay there and that was it.

  Until you get on your own and you got money, you're depending on him and that's it. Even the women who do know it. If they don't have a chance to get out of it they'll stay there ...

• I'm more my own woman than I ever was ...
• I still feel the same thing, but now it feels more important, that myself is more important than anything... It's only now I know what I really want to do. Without violence...
• This is it. If you don't see other women living differently then how would you know ...
• [So how did you change?] I think it was from seeing other people, especially from seeing A, she was my influence...
• She was my influence too. She sort of lives an independent life...
• And not just A, there's a lot of women living... there's M too...
• I'm still struggling with it...