have done so much already in bringing me home to me. I now begin to understand that what we need to do with regard to the political climate (their political climate) in this country and elsewhere is tantamount to fighting off snakes at our feet. It is crucial, and yet it is also trivial, if we remember why we battle: to create the space that we need (and that is continually denied) in order to discover our WomanSelves.

This discussion is necessarily too brief, especially for those who have not yet thought very much about this. Here are some of the writings that (along with countless others and always my woman friends) have influenced the preceding thoughts:

Mary Daly's Gyn/Ecology, a mind-opener beyond measure; Susan Griffin's Woman and Nature; Marilyn Frye's article "Some Reflections on Separatism and Power" in Sinister Wisdom No. 6; and Judy Grahn's poem "A Woman is Talking to Death".

Rural Feminist

means. Sexism is blatant-there is still that absurd positive reponse by women when men make sexist comments, further supporting the ethics of machismo. Abortion rights are not only never discussed, they never make the newspaper, even when the most controversial bills stand before either the state or national congresses. Birth control is not accessible, and sex education is not allowed in the schools. Women's health books are banned, projects against rape and incest are non-existent. Wage discrimination is evident in the traditional positioning of women in subordinate jobs. High school women in this town often find themselves pregnant and married before they finish their education.

My town is not unique; there are hundreds and probably thousands of towns like this one. Living as a feminist here sets me apart from many of these women. Whereas I am used to swinging an arm around a woman friend and openly espousing my feminist beliefs, my actions nowadays are restrained by the lack of social support. This does not mean I have abandoned my job (as a feminist) to educate others. Feminism has always meant conviction to me, and I stand as strongly behind its ethics as I have in the past. Only my approach differs. For me it must begin by meeting and talking to people-establishing relations. I love to talk and there is always time (and a way) to slip in feminist beliefs. Opening people up to non-sexist language is one step. But people here are somewhat afraid of "political women"--we are a breach in the comfortable patriarchy that has existed for years. Establishing mutual trust is a necessary step in the process of change. I haven't yet encountered opposition in my conversations with people, only silence and avoidance.

At times it would be easier to be frustrated by the feminist depression here than to be understanding-basically because I don't want to go back to understanding, I want to go forward to change. But right now there is no one else to struggle here; that seems reason enough to stay.

The work is hard. It's hard to watch my new women friends fall into old traps; there is a lot of picking up to do. I try to offer refreshing thoughts, . new ideas. My hand is always out, but I too grow tired. There are so many fronts to address—so many injustices but I cannot stop. The wheels of change have finally been oiled; I can't leave before they turn. Coping as a feminist in rural America has major drawbacks. There are no institutions to fall back on, no organizations to do theorizing or lectures, no money to begin any sort of centers for women's activities. All education is left to that grass roots level of communication. It is the magnetic and supportive interchange between women's minds that facilitates feminist education. Therefore, it is that natural, sisterly bonding that I work and struggle for and always embrace emphatically.

BITS & PIECES

Women and Unions

Although women comprised 27.4 percent of all union members in 1978, up from 24 percent in 1970, they are not proportionally represented in union leadership positions.

A study by two Temple University researchers isolated two main causes for the statistics: "Women are less likely to run for office because they don't think they can win, and incumbent officers and members are less likely to support women for office." The reasons for the lack of support, the study says, are sexist stereotypes harbored by male union members and leaders.

Interviews by the researchers showed most male unionists did not believe women to be as qualified for leadership posts as men. Women were said to lack the aggressiveness the men respondents said was essential for labor-management negotiations and internal union business. Men interviewed also said child and home care responsibilities would not allow women to attend to union business.

Only a handful of unions in the U.S. have addressed the problems cited in the study, but most have refused to take affirmative action to promote women leaders. The Communications Workers of America has organized "assertiveness training seminars" and other activities for women interested in developing leadership skills. But the attitude of the United Steel Workers union (USW) leadership is characteristic of the vast majority of unions. It has refused to establish a women's department to address women's concerns, despite appeals to do so from rank-and-filers. The USW says such a department would promote "divisiveness”.

-The Guardian September 2, 1981

Women Vets Benefit

(HerSay)-Women will be the major beneficiaries of the rcently extended funding for the Veterans' Outreach Program, which addresses the needs of Vietnam-era military veterans in dealing with their Indochina experience and adjusting to civilian life. Outreach Program regional centers recently began to take up the problems experienced by women veterans as well as men.

Lynda Van De Vanter, national women's director of Vietnam Veterans of America, says that only 15 to 20 percent of the present outreach centers have special services for former women soldiers. However, she says, under the funding program passed unanimously by. Congress over Reagan Administration objections, services to women veterans will be extended to all outreach centers. These will include educational programs and the setting up of rap groups where the women can evaluate their experiences and help each other.

Women for Women

(HerSay)-A Salt Lake City woman is putting together a directory of professional and blue-collar workers for people who don't trust men when they're looking for someone to give out a bank loan or repair their appliances. Karen Shepherd says she's already found women electricians, printers, carpenters, lawyers and doctors but it still looking for a plumber. So far, the directory has 1,000 entries. The directory is to be published in September and is a project of Network, a monthly newspaper for working women in the Salt Lake City area.

Shepherd says some women don't feel safe having men coming into their homes to repair things. The directory, she says, will help them find women who can do the job just as well.