describing the barriers

Naming the Barriers

By naming the barriers, we can begin to tear them down.

Violence permeates our society. It is something that any woman can experience; many women do. The report of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women confirmed what many women already knew--violence has many faces. It can be psychological, emotional, physical, spiritual, economic. It can be perpetrated by society, by institutions, by individuals.

Likewise, violence in all its forms has many effects. One area that is profoundly influenced by violence is education and a woman's ability to learn. Violence can raise barriers that prevent a woman from gaining access to an education; it can impair her ability to learn once she is there.

We asked women from across the country to briefly describe barriers to learning that they have experienced or observed. This list is a compilation of the observations of a number of women, both educators and learners.

We had the same or similar responses from a number of women. This reinforces our belief that all women potentially face these barriers, regardless of other differences in their lives.

By naming these barriers, we can begin to tear them down, to make the education systems of our country safer and more appropriate for women. By working together to tear them down, we make education safer and more available for all.