7
Women's Movement and SCMs
by
Australian SCM
The ASCM has been heavily involved in the women's movement in
However, while ASCM has broken new ground in terms of gender equality,
there has always been a complex gender politics in the movement and power
issues between men and women have always been present. This paper focuses
particularly on the Women's Project set up in 1979 and attempts to outline some
of the chief concerns of SCM women in
1
A
Brief History of Women in the ASCM
The ASCM has provided good opportunities for women university students to take on leadership roles. Women were very much a part of the ASCM structure and some of the most significant work of the movement has been initiated and carried out by women.
From the early days of the movement. Area Councils were asked to nominate a woman and a man from each state to the General Committee (now National Executive) and the national movement has in the past employed a man and a
8
woman as co-presidents. In the 1920s the existence of men's and
women's chapters meant that women could be fostered and encouraged to be
independent, while taking on significant leadership positions.
The opportunities for leadership given to women in the ASCM have been quite remarkable particularly considering these roles have generally not been open to women in secular organizations until the 1960s. However, male and female roles and responsibilities were not equivalent in many ways. There was often the assumption that for instance the male co-president of the movement would chair public meetings, while the woman would take minutes and complete administrative tasks. Women in leadership positions contributed a great deal, however they were not given the opportunity to take command, and speak on behalf of the movement, this being seen as the natural role of the men.
Women in the movement from
the 1920s to the 1950s have said they weren't aware of sexism in the movement,
but in discussion they have indicated that, while unnoticed, there certainly
were instances of gender bias at the time. And although there was a great
social justice awareness on the part of the ASCM
women in the earlier days of the movement, there was little action for
structural societal change to improve women's position.
Gender equality had clearly not been achieved, however there was no discussion of the ways in which women were disadvantaged in the SCM, the university, the church and society in general. The history of women's positions in the movement is clearly a complex one.
As the Women's Liberation Movement grew in strength throughout the 1960s, so the women of the ASCM became more and more involved in gender inequality issues. Many of the concerns of SCM women sprang from their position as women in society, so the powerful social movements for change at universities in the '60s were very influential.
In 1979, after many years of work and discussion on women's issues, and as a result of years of commitment to feminism from Australian SCM women, the ASCM formally began its Women's Project.
There were a variety of reasons for creating a Women's Project, yet the decision to begin the project was not
9
understood by all members of the ASCM and
some men found the move intimidating.
It was felt that SCM was one of the few church organizations that managed to do things together, and that the creation of a separate women's project would be divisive. Others saw the ASCM as an egalitarian group where women took on many of the leadership and decision-making roles and that there was no need for women’s project.
While some of the men of the
SCM had mixed feelings about the project, there was still an understanding that
the women should be able to meet together and create a specific project dealing
with women's oppression, and the women of the late '70s and early '80s were
generally supported and respected in their decision to begin the project.
2
The Roles, Aims and Activities
of the ASCM
Women's Project
The Women's Project was set up to challenge the injustices faced by women in society, the church and the SCM. The project attempted and still attempts to listen to and respond to women and to encourage, support and empower them in the following ways:
• Increasing the participation of women in the ASCM, particularly in leadership and decision-making roles;
• Affirming the value of women's input, including and taking seriously women's concerns in all aspects of ASCM's work;
• Raising issues of women's oppression in ASCM and in the wider church and society;
• Bringing the challenge of feminism to bear on Christian theology and practice;
• Encouraging the awareness of the experience of women other than white middle-class women and critically evaluating the priorities of our theology and feminism in the light of race, class, ability, sexuality and other inter-related issues;
10
• Building a network of ASCM women and other interested Christian women throughout
Australia, and actively supporting ASCM women in
their participation within the wider church and women's movement;
• Providing opportunities for women to share their experiences in women only space, as well as in mixed space;
• Developing theology and liturgy which are inclusive of and relevant to women's experiences, and acknowledging the full potential of women; and
• Resourcing
ASCM women with information on women's and feminist
networks, conferences, courses, church activities and actions around
The activities of the
Women's Project have included women's conferences, gender caucuses and gender
days, forums and discussions, worship services, various actions and
publications. Some of the publications
produced include special issues of Across the Currents,* occasional papers,
leaflets, reports and letters and Unfinished Business, a book produced in the
'80s about politics, Christianity and sexuality. Currently the women's officers produce a
women's page in Jubilee Grapevine.
At various times and situations, the issues of importance to women involved in the Women's Project have differed as the project attempted to respond to the needs of ASCM women. In the 1980s there was a heavy emphasis placed on women in the work place and there was much discussion of discrimination, the union movement, sweatshop labour, women's roles and sexist stereotypes.
In the '90s issues of representation in the media, body image, relationships, sexuality and the family have all been important. Nuclear disarmament, environment and women's involvement in other liberation struggles have also significant points of consideration as part of the Women's Project.
As the project serves to make links between women's experiences of the past and the present, so there can be no easy division made between issues of concerns to women in the past and issues of relevance today. It has been really important for some of the younger women in the movement to hear from the older women about their experiences and understandings and this cross-generational
11
sharing has been vital to the success of the project in encouraging
and supporting women.
In terms of the issue of women and the church, the Women's Project has been a place in which women were introduced to Christian feminism, particularly in the early '80s when many of the significant feminist theology was just beginning to be published. There has been a great deal of exploration of spirituality, theology, re-interpretation of the Bible and alternative imagery for God throughout the last few decades as well as more practical issues of inclusive language, women's involvement in the structure of the church, and women's ordination. The Women's Project has acted to challenge the conservative and misogynist aspects of the church, yet at the same time it has also attempted to increase awareness of some of the feminist and liberating works of the church.
Friendly links with the
Australian Council of Churches Commission on the Status of Women, the WSCF
Women's Project, and women in other ecumenical student organizations have been
important to the women of the ASCM in that they
provide great support and resources.
There have also
been a few significant congregations throughout the country (for instance,
The Women's Project has not only been concerned about gender issues, but also the interface between gender, class, race, age and sexuality. International and local contact with non-Western women including indigenous women, migrant women and women of the Asia-Pacific region have been significant to the ongoing work of the Women's Project. It is through this contact that the women of the ASCM have had their predominantly white, middle-class understandings challenged.
At the
international level there has continued to be much discussion of the relevance
of feminism for women in the
12
Through the creative conflict at international conferences,
Australian women were able to see the power and privilege they had, and became
more conscious of the ways in which their feminism was partial and culturally
loaded. Most importantly, ASCM women gained a greater
respect for, and awareness of women's different experiences, especially in
relation to class and race. This has had lasting influence on the ASCM.
It seems though that the challenges flowed both ways. While re-evaluating their own feminist understandings, Australian women have also challenged others in the region to consider the gender issues that are relevant to their own context, despite the multiple oppressions that women face. In this way Australian women have partly helped to shape the analysis of women's positions in the Asia-Pacific region.
The ASCM
Women's Project has encouraged women both nationally and internationally to
look at issues of sexuality, sexual harassment and abuse, women and the law,
women and prisons, contraception, abortion, and reproductive technology
wherever they are. It is important to recognize that women haven't necessarily
agreed with one another in discussions, and indeed there should be no need for
them to do so. There are clearly different understandings from different women. There have also been cultural differences
which can strain communication at times, yet it has been vital for women to
share stories and understandings with one another.
3
Women's
Space
The ASCM has a commitment to the creation of women only space at all levels of the movement. We believe it is important that women are given the opportunity to spend time with other women in order to share and reflect on our experiences, talk about issues of concern to us, support one another, analyze our position in society and the church and work and argue together.
Women's and men's experiences need separate space and it is from a recognition of gender difference that women and men can meet and work in partnership. The creation of women's space is not only a temporary measure to give women space in a patriarchal society as women may
13
continue to need the opportunity to share their experiences with
other women even when there are positive changes made to the ways in which men
and women relate.
Some of the understandings we bring to women only spaces are listed below:
• In our society, women's interactions with other women are generally undervalued, their conversations are often spoken of as 'chatter' or 'gossip,' and not worthy of the serious consideration of men.
• Women's relationships with men are seen as more significant than those with other women and women aren't encouraged to spend time with women.
• Women who have had painful or humiliating experiences with men often feel uncomfortable or threatened in a group of men, and are better able to express themselves in a women only environment.
• Many women lack the self-confidence to speak in a mixed
environment, and are socialized into a more collaborative speaking system. Men tend to be socialized into different patterns
of speaking. They tend to interrupt more often, speak more and control the
topic of conversation more than women do, which leaves little opportunity for
women to contribute to discussions.
• Those women who do speak are often not listened to or their contribution is dismissed as irrelevant, or unimportant.
• Women need to meet with other women to work out what they think, and gain the confidence to articulate ideas.
• In the company of men and women who are hostile towards feminism, feminist women have to continuously justify their beliefs and actions, which leaves little opportunity to follow their own priorities.
• If women are constantly justifying their feminism, they are not in a position to be critical and challenge one another's feminist understandings. There is still much feminist work to do and thought to develop, and women should have the opportunity to disagree with one another, while in a supportive environment.
14
The men's project which has grown out of a positive response to the
women's project of the ASCM has also found it useful
to meet in an all male environment. One of its important functions is to work
through issues raised by feminism and to talk about issues such as patterns of
speaking, constructions of masculinity and inclusive language. It is important
that men have space away from women to carry out these discussions, so that
they can sort out their responses, problems and issues for themselves, and so they
can explore new ways of interacting with other men which are less exclusive of
women.
4
Structures
in the ASCM
In the '80s, the ASCM employed a Women's Project officer who was paid
through money granted by the Federal Government to the ASCM.
The other Women's Project positions of the National Women's Coordinator and
Regional Women's Coordinators were unpaid positions. Currently we have a
National Women's Officer who has the right to vote on the National Executive,
and two women's coordinators who also effectively act as regional coordinators.
In order to ensure the involvement of women throughout the movement, the ASCM has created a national policy as a result of the work of the Women's Project. The ASCM currently uses an affirmative action policy to ensure the representation of women on the National Executive and the participation of women as delegates to overseas programs.
The theoretical understanding of affirmative action is that it is necessary to include a quota of women on decision-making bodies until structures and processes are changed so that compulsory inclusion is no longer necessary. Other policy decisions that are currently applicable are listed below:
• 4-5 hours are required at each January General Committee to discuss and plan for the Women's Project;
• It is each Area Council's responsibility to ensure that the Regional Women's Coordinator maintains contact with the National Women's Coordinator.
15
• Branches and Area
Councils should give attention to feminist concerns and issues of gender, sexuality
and other related issues, and promote action and awareness through the use of
publications, the provision of full gender days training days and through other
activities.
• More experiential activities should be included in branches and Area Councils.
• Every branch should designate a women's contact.
• Separate time should be made for women to meet together.
• Branches and Area Councils should actively promote balanced representation in positions and decision-making processes, hi order to achieve this, two representatives, one male and one female, should be sought for all positions so that a gender balance can be achieved.
The Women's Project continually challenges the participation of women in all aspects of the ASCM, and the project can be seen as a radical force for gender change within the movement. As such its role is not necessarily to develop a 'comfortable solution' but to disrupt the processes which are exclusive of women. The Women's Project is fundamental in bringing about those changes, and will continue to respond to the needs of women in the ASCM into the future.