A few women said that if CCLOW described the activities as feminist, they would have assumed that women participating in the research would have to change in particular ways for the activity to be seen as successful. They would not have felt comfortable setting out with a preconceived understanding of how women should behave.

Most women, including some who did not identify as feminist, replied that they would have been equally interested in research that involved activities labeled as "feminist." They would have enjoyed working with other women and they would have been curious about what might happen, both personally and professionally, because of this work.

I almost think of myself as a feminist in a very, very tiny, tiny, tiny part of my life. So I don't think it would have turned me off. I think I would have come to listen, anyway, and then made up my mind. Because when I talk about CCLOW and talk about doing feminist research, people that know me don't really seem that surprised! (Nicole Jessop, WEST)

Of these women, however, only a few said their programs would have been comfortable with their participation. Most believed that their program administration, staff, and students would have been reluctant to engage in something that was actually labelled "feminist." In contrast they might be willing , to ignore "woman-positive" because it sounds harmless.

A few of the women who would have proceeded despite the anticipated reluctance of their administration or students, said they might not have immediately identified the activity as "feminist." Others said they would have named the activity "feminist," with the consequence that students would have been much less likely to participate. These activities would have focused more on women already interested in feminism and these women, in most cases, would have been staff and volunteers.

Many women said they would not want to face the anger and resentment that an openly feminist activity would elicit from their co-workers, administration, or students. The possible benefits would not have offset the costs, particularly since their primary interest was in actually doing something they felt might benefit the women in the program. They might have had to spend a lot of time doing education around feminism unless they decided to do something completely outside the mainstream of the program or institution. They might have had to begin an entirely new activity, rather than building on existing classes, groups, or activities. As Mary Ann Tierney (College of New Caledonia) said, " All the battles can't be fought together."

Some women pointed out that even working with other women who identify as feminist can lead to a struggle over what "feminist" means in any particular context. In non-feminist groups it becomes that much more difficult. If your agenda is to do woman-positive literacy work, then that requires one strategy. If your agenda is to make a feminist statement, then that requires another strategy. If your agenda is to find a support group of feminist women, then that is a different strategy again.