1.0    THE POLICY-MAKING PROCESS AND VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS

"What I sometimes wonder is, without groups like CCLOW,
would we have any progress at all?"

(interviewee)

Policy planning for organizations like CCLOW needs to take place within a framework that allows for both short-term and long range planning. Short-term planning requires an accurate knowledge of present circumstances. Long range planning requires a vision -- a way of seeing beyond present conditions into a desired future. The framework itself must provide a bridge between knowledge of the present and a vision of the future in order to allow for integrated planning and for a general approach to policy development which is both proactive and reactive.

The analytical position of this study assumes that CCLOW and its members are committed not only to achieving greater equality for women under current social and economic conditions, but also to creating structural changes in society which will result in the development of a new and more equitable socio-economic reality for Canada. Education and training then, are viewed not only as critical to the improvement of women's situation in the short-term, but also as a bridge from current realities to a new and structurally different future.

Behind the approach to the research also lie some assumptions about the kind of information which is necessary for policy development, from the particular perspective of voluntary women's organizations. It seems that the kind of changes that CCLOW and similar organizations would like to see are unlikely to emerge as a 'natural' result of the continuation of current trends. It is important then, to examine not only what is with respect to policy, but also what ought to be, and where the impetus for needed policies and programs can come from.

It is also important to recognize that the policy development process for organizations like CCLOW, while it may take place internally, is frequently designed for external ears. That is, CCLOW and similar organizations develop policy not only as an internal tool as a basis for unified decision-making and action among members but also as part of an effort to influence the policy of other organizations and in particular, governments. For the purposes of this study then, it was important not only to generate the information necessary to develop policy positions in each of the identified focus areas of access, privatization and outcomes; but also to develop an understanding of how best to influence public policy in each of those areas.

CCLOW's own experience, that of other women's organizations, and available research regarding how voluntary women's organizations can most effectively influence public policy (6), was further corroborated by this own internal efforts to create better conditions for women. While they are of critical importance, identified factors such as maintaining a strong public profile; having a well-developed ability to build coalitions around identified issues; and having publicly credible leadership cannot be directly addressed by this study. However, other factors identified prior to and during the course of this research are directly relevant to its structure and use.