Therefore, we have three different definitions for basic literacy, functional literacy, and employment-required literacy. Governments are only prepared to accept responsibility within the limits of their own definition, and are often unwilling or unable to understand the problem from any other perspective. One only has to read the most recent catalogue of course offerings for adult learners from almost any educational agency, to understand that one must be able to read, to read English or French, and to follow the complexities of a catalogue (a functional skill) before one can find a functional literacy course. What is even more frightening is that some of our politicians take the view that "those people" should have these skills before they can benefit from learning the same skills, and certainly before they are entitled to any public money. This type of logic, taken to its logical end point, could lead to making illiteracy a crime against the state.

Beyond literacy levels, we then encounter the problem of responsibility for occupation-related training, including professional training; and liberal education, including all those learning opportunities for personal development. Arguments for or against public responsibility in these areas were traditionally made on the assumption that such education was for male learners. CCLOW may need to review the arguments involved and to restate them from a female perspective, under present-day conditions.

10. Question-asking is an interesting problem. Most women appear to have been raised to answer questions or to wait for others to provide both questions and answers. If we cannot figure out what questions to ask, we will remain totally ignorant of the existence of problems in our lives; and if we are unwilling to pursue, with dogged determination, the answers which provide information about our problem, we will never change anything.

The hardest part of the process is the discovery of the best question to ask. Anyone can answer a question if he/she has the information; but discovering the question which best elicits that information is a matter of skill and practice. If you don't get the answer which reduces your confusion or lack of knowledge (i.e. the theoretical definition of information), then either you have asked the wrong question or the answerer did not answer the question you asked.

There are several different kinds of questions, such as:

a.) The open-ended question which allows the respondent to answer over a wide range of possibilities, each presumably related in his/her mind to the question. This is useful as a discussion opener. An example might be -- "Tell me your opinion about women in Manpower training programs"

b.) The probe question which zeros in on specific areas of interest, which are introduced through open-ended discussion. The trick here is to probe as far as you can without arousing hostility, until you clearly understand what the other person knows or thinks. This is useful as a way to explore issues. It is not useful when the question-asker is perusing her own agenda or is looking for confirming answers to her own opinions. An example might be: "You talked about women being short-changed by the unemployment insurance scheme, could you tell me more about that?"

c.) The clarifying question which is used to get the same information in another form or by another method or in a different context. Questions of this sort are often redundant and can cause aggravation, but they are absolutely essential if you are attempting to reach consensus or just full understanding about the other person's position. An example might be: "When you talked about confusion about policy related to immigrant women, did you mean the Commission is confused, the counselors are confused, the women are confused or you are confused? What does confusion mean for you?"

d.) The closed question which is used to get a specific answer to a specific question, usually from someone who tries to avoid giving clear, specific answers, such as politicians. This type of question tends to be a conversation stopper, so it should be saved until the last possible minute. An example might be: Will you vote for increases in Manpower Training allowances, yes or no? In this type of questions the choices must be clearly defined and limited.