We put women at the centre of this curriculum

We asked ourselves from the beginning, “What ways of learning and instruction have we found to be most useful when working with women literacy learners?” We know that many of the same principles and methods are also successful when we work with men literacy learners. We also asked, “What issues are important to women?” Some of our chapters focus on the everyday lives of women, lives which are usually invisible, and where visible, often undervalued. About more general issues, we asked, “How does it affect women's lives?”

Furthermore, “women's issues” are not just for women. Some men want to understand women's issues and to learn how best to support women. For example, courses for women in trades and technology often prepare women to deal with sexism on the job; it is equally vital for men to learn how the traditional workplace discriminates against women and how a woman might feel to find herself part of a very small minority on the job. Men may also want to learn how to deal with men who hassle women at work and how to make the workplace a welcoming one for women.

We are concerned with issues of diversity

A feminist curriculum is not a uniform curriculum. It aspires to include voices, experiences and values of all women, whether or not they would define themselves as feminist.

We are concerned with issues of power

Who has power, and how do they maintain it?

Who has an opportunity for self-determination, and who is defined by those in power? The answers to these questions are not simple and involve race, culture, sexual orientation and ability as well as gender. They often raise problems of divided loyalties as we consider the various groups we belong to, some of which have more power than others.

Every one of these chapters tries to bring out hidden aspects of women's lives.

Many men have similar issues around power, identity and control, especially men who are not white, middle-class, heterosexual and well-educated. Our curriculum makes space for people to consider such issues.

We make space for women's experience

We do not assume that the generic “he” includes all of us. For example, in the chapter “Choosing Safer Sex,” we say, “Use a condom.” This is good advice for both men and women. However, we recognize that in reality men have much more freedom to make that choice than women do. We make sure we say clearly that in most heterosexual relationships, a man can say, “I'm going to use a condom,” without getting hassled, but if a woman says, “I want you to use a condom,” her wishes may be denied. Then we invite women to share techniques for getting their needs met or we offer some assertive stances that may work, always recognizing that for some women the actual or potential violence in the situation means she does not have a choice. We make sure we say it out loud because it acknowledges women's real place in the power imbalance. Very likely, someone in the class will be in that situation. If we don't say it, we conspire to silence her.



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