Ten Conclusions
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Lena Dominelli
Abstract
Communities are contested spaces, and women continue to struggle to claim their places within them. Equality for all women in every sphere of life has yet to be achieved in any country. However, this is not a statement for despair because much has been achieved in the decades since CEDAW was endorsed by the UN. Women are playing more important roles in their communities, whether these are located at the local, national, international or virtual level(s). Forming alliances across the many social divisions and physical boundaries that divide diverse groups of women becomes crucial in further progressing the goal of eliminating gendered inequalities (Mohanty, 2003). This chapter concludes by arguing for recognising and strengthening women’s engagement in public relational space alongside that occurring in private relational space in the home and community; encouraging women’s full participation in decision making at the local, national and international levels on all matters that affect their lives; creating the social resources to facilitate such involvement, such as childcare provisions; and engaging men in doing housework and caring work. Thus, I conclude the book by calling for women’s work in communities to become more visible, celebrated and valued and to involve men in delivering what has been traditionally considered ‘women’s work’.
Communities, however defined, specify women’s location and the spaces wherein they lead their lives, caring for and supporting others, while also seeking to realise their full potential as women wanting to engage with and contribute to wider society in their own right. Women are grounded in the locations wherein they reside among people with whom they have relationships.
Abstract
Communities are contested spaces, and women continue to struggle to claim their places within them. Equality for all women in every sphere of life has yet to be achieved in any country. However, this is not a statement for despair because much has been achieved in the decades since CEDAW was endorsed by the UN. Women are playing more important roles in their communities, whether these are located at the local, national, international or virtual level(s). Forming alliances across the many social divisions and physical boundaries that divide diverse groups of women becomes crucial in further progressing the goal of eliminating gendered inequalities (Mohanty, 2003). This chapter concludes by arguing for recognising and strengthening women’s engagement in public relational space alongside that occurring in private relational space in the home and community; encouraging women’s full participation in decision making at the local, national and international levels on all matters that affect their lives; creating the social resources to facilitate such involvement, such as childcare provisions; and engaging men in doing housework and caring work. Thus, I conclude the book by calling for women’s work in communities to become more visible, celebrated and valued and to involve men in delivering what has been traditionally considered ‘women’s work’.
Communities, however defined, specify women’s location and the spaces wherein they lead their lives, caring for and supporting others, while also seeking to realise their full potential as women wanting to engage with and contribute to wider society in their own right. Women are grounded in the locations wherein they reside among people with whom they have relationships.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of boxes and figures ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Preface: actioning our futures from our pasts xiii
- Introduction: community, an undervalued women’s space 1
- Creating and recreating communities as gendered entities 31
- Women and social action: social change at the individual level 49
- Women and social action: social change through group activities and networks 77
- Social change through collective action: campaigns and mass mobilisations 107
- Feminist action in the workplace 131
- Increasing women’s positions in parliament, governance and decision-making structures 159
- Sustainable community development 177
- International policy changes and mainstreaming women’s actions in communities 201
- Conclusions 221
- Bibliography 233
- Index 271
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of boxes and figures ix
- Acknowledgements xi
- Preface: actioning our futures from our pasts xiii
- Introduction: community, an undervalued women’s space 1
- Creating and recreating communities as gendered entities 31
- Women and social action: social change at the individual level 49
- Women and social action: social change through group activities and networks 77
- Social change through collective action: campaigns and mass mobilisations 107
- Feminist action in the workplace 131
- Increasing women’s positions in parliament, governance and decision-making structures 159
- Sustainable community development 177
- International policy changes and mainstreaming women’s actions in communities 201
- Conclusions 221
- Bibliography 233
- Index 271
