Month: March 2001

By Claire Cummings

While many of the male-dominated forces in society are now criticized openly, a nagging question lingers. Why do some women in our society support institutions that are destructively patriarchal? Members of the religious and political right, both men and women, seem bent on maintaining the institutions that, to outsiders, appear harmful and archaic. The popularity… Continue reading The gospel according to man

By Ruth Davenport

In ancient Hinduism, the abstract female genital symbol, the yoni, was worshipped as more powerful than its male counterpart, the lingam. Tantrism operates on a central tenet that man can only achieve spiritual fulfilment through sexual and emotional union with a woman’s superior spirituality. Buddhism teaches that Buddhahood resides in the female vulva and Sufi… Continue reading Patriarchal doctrine denies female sexuality

By Jan Creaser

Parading out statistics works both for and against champions of women’s rights. How does one interpret statistics? What can be taken as accurate? Consider the following a rudimentary lesson in questioning the numbers. The following facts were taken from Statistics Canada’s Education in Canada Survey (1999). Fact 1: In 1997, there were 8,083 men and… Continue reading Statistics 101

By Tammy Nelson

Many women feel confused and insecure about the health care they receive. The Commonwealth Fund 1998 International Health Policy Survey found that fewer than one in four Canadian respondents felt their health care system worked well. In addition, the level of public confidence in the health care system decreased in 1998 to 20 per cent… Continue reading Women take charge of the “old wives’ tales”

By Tracy Walker

Canadian women work a double workday. Since the 1970s, getting women into the paid workforce was a priority for feminists who observed that “whoever has the gold makes the rules.” As women streamed into the labour market, feminists dreamed the impossible dream–that men would gain respect for their wage-earning partners and help out with chores.… Continue reading Double duties mean double workday

By Ruth Davenport

“Know thyself” was the advice dispensed by the oracle of Delphi, the sanctuary dedicated to the Roman goddess Venus. That same advice is symbolized by the secular symbol for “woman,” the circle sitting atop a cross. The “handmirror of Venus” is the ancient astrological symbol of the planet Venus. In the mirror, woman is meant… Continue reading Reflections of Venus

By Aida Sadr

For decades, women of the so-called Third World have served as a giant reserve army of labour at the disposal of various globe-trotting multinational corporations (MNCs). Today, the country-of-origin labels found on digital watches, computers, clothes, shoes, and toys branded with the names of well-known American, Japanese, or European companies reveal that most of our… Continue reading The real cost of shoes

By Aida Sadr

On any continent, at any given time, a woman is being unfairly treated in the name of culture–a set of shared, learned behaviours and ideas constructed by a group of people, presumably to enhance/ensure their survival. How ironic that such a concept is used to endorse the mutilation, beating and murder of many women worldwide.… Continue reading Devastating abuse or cultural norm?

By Lawrence Bailey

Article 1: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is one of the most significant and influential documents to come out of the 20th century. It has formed the basis of and has been the legitimization for policies of democratization, humanitarian intervention and a… Continue reading Basic human rights are women’s rights

By Tracy Walker

The exercise of debunking the myths of feminism is a trap. Lisa Miya-Jervis of Ms. magazine writes, “As long as the yeti of the anti-feminist world–the hairy-legged, man-hater–roams the earth, we need to counteract her image.” That image is hauled out time and again to keep feminists and their concerns on the margins of political… Continue reading Sasquatch, Yeti, Bigfoot… Feminist?