BOOK

TOOLS FOR CHANGE: A CURRICULUM
ABOUT WOMEN & WORK

Compiled by Ministry of Education, Continuing Education Division,
Women's Skill Development. Society. Burnaby, B.C.; $20.

Reviewed by Sharon Filger

The facts are discouraging. The message is familiar:

• Women and mother-led families are disproportionately represented among Canada's poor.
• Unemployment is increasingly a women's problem as the recession and new technologies take their toll on sectors dominated by a female work force.
• Women are often sexually harassed and underpaid at the work place; undervalued and overburdened in the home.

Despite the rhetoric of change, women's status has not substantially improved over the last decade. This is part of the message of Tools for Change: A Curriculum About Women and Work an impressive collection of materials exploring the full range of interlocking issues surrounding women and work.

Two features distinguish this work. One, the manual presents serious problems in a context of optimism. Interwoven throughout the chapters on barriers facing women workers are stories of individual success and practical suggestions for individual and collective action - "survival tips". These serve to balance what would otherwise appear as insurmountable problems.

Secondly, the curriculum is founded on an orientation which clearly respects the strength of women and acknowledges the significant role that social and economic structures play in blocking the individual woman's advancement. Throughout, there is an attempt to connect the personal and collective needs of unemployed or underemployed workers. In their own words:

The materials emphasize that
structural change must occur
before women can achieve full
economic equality. A balance
is struck between encouraging women
to enter non-traditional jobs and
encouraging women to work for
improved conditions in traditional
fields.

The author's stated goal is to address the challenge of "preparing women to understand and gain some control over their role in the work force to help (women) individually and collectively to plan wisely in the face of it". Tools for Change attempts to educate in the fullest sense of bridging knowledge and action.

The curriculum begins with an overview of general issues facing women who work inside and outside the home. The reader is first encouraged to take a critical look at the concept of work. Through humorous cartoons, facts and probing questions the reader is exposed to the inaccurate but popular notion that women at home do not work. This assertion serves two functions. It immediately begins to build the self-esteem of the home worker by acknowledging her long hours and significant responsibility. As well, it leads us to the problems of economic dependency, and lack of financial security facing women outside of the labour force.

The chapter continues by exploding the myths surrounding the motivation of women workers (for example, "They work for pin money!"). The "double burden" of women who participate in the labour force and then assume full responsibility for children and home is discussed; problems of poverty and inadequate day-care are identified.

Section II provides a historical overview of women workers - Canadian work history that has been "largely unrecorded and unappreciated". From the stories of native women engaged in subsistence farming and fish preservation to the plight of immigrant factory workers, the tales serve to increase our pride in the strength, commitment and endurance of women at work.

This chapter and a later biographical section on contemporary women in non-traditional occupations were, for me, the most powerful in challenging stereotypes and encouraging action. For the educator/trainer, these chapters provide rich material to provoke discussion and to serve as valuable role models for women seeking advancement. Section II, as well, continues to encourage a critical social perspective by out-lining the various forms of economic exploitation of female workers and by asking the reader to consider the role of the state and church in this process.