Women's Education des femmes:
Survey of Readers

The official tallies of the readership survey, conducted early in 1989, are - finally in. We promised to let you know what you said, so here is a report of the results.

We received 110 responses in all, which amounts to a return of about 14%-a rate that would knock the check marks off most other surveys. Not everyone answered all the questions, so the percentages given in each reflect the number of respondents out of the total rather than the number responding to that question.

The questions you graciously answered about yourselves gave us a good picture of the readership of Women's Education and the membership of CCLOW. Ninety percent of respondents have a university education, the other 10% having college or vocational training. Most work in education (63%) or a related field (14%). Eighty-four percent are urban dwellers (including those in a small city or town), with only 10% saying they live in a rural area. As for service to the community, 85% are active in organizations in areas such as non-traditional occupations for women, peace, education, literacy, and the problems of sexual assault.

Everyone answered the first question (it was easy) and we found that 83% received Women's Education through membership, 12% through subscriptions, and 5% in some other way. That does not necessarily reflect the way most readers come to Women's Education, however, as 60% of respondents said other people read their copy, 14% estimating that the number was more than four. The high percentage of second readers may indicate the number of libraries and women's resource centres who receive the publication. Eighty-four percent of respondents said they keep each issue for 6 months or more, primarily for use as reference material, and 63% said they had used material from Women's Education in either their teaching, research, or in a group they belong to. It's greatly encouraging to know we are providing, in an accessible way, valuable information that can be used by women to educate themselves and others in the work towards equality.

The majority of respondents who are members (65%) feel that Women's Education is an essential part of their membership, while 18% think of it as supplemental. In terms of the other work that CCLOW does, 69% rated the magazine as important; 8% said it is more important and 6% said less.

Most of the respondents are experienced readers of Women's Education and, one would assume, consequently good judges of its growth and progress. Seventy-nine percent have been reading the magazine for at least two years, with at least half that number having read it for more than three. And that's not just skimming. In another question everyone answered, 62% said they usually read each issue cover to cover. After that, it's more likely to find someone reading bits and pieces (24%) than searching out the feature articles (14%).

In astute judgments on the respective quality of each section contained in Women's Education, the majority of respondents in every case said things were excellent. However, "majority" does not necessarily mean overwhelming approbation. A significant dissention was collected from those who felt parts of the magazine only Fair, especially where Interviews was assessed. Not many felt that any of the sections actually Needs Work; however, it will remain a priority of CCLOW and the Editorial Board to maintain high quality throughout the magazine. In the Additional Comments portion of this question, many voiced their appreciation for the theme issues that have recently been produced.