BATTLING THE BIGOTS FOR ABORTION RIGHTS NEW ZEALAND’S FEMINIST MAGAZINE SEVENTEENTH YEAR OF PUBLICATION 1989 DEC/JAN ISSUE 174 $4.50 MM the eivie seven eights tymimideight ISPBISSB cairn mats 303-4653 BYB SUMMER READING FROM VIRAGO Conversations With Will You Still Love Me Maya Angelou Tomorrow Edited by J M Elliott by Greig Maya Angelou’s intensely full life as a poet, Female groups from the 50’s on, from the autobiographer, composer, dancer, singer, Supremes to Debbie Harry, fully illustrated teacher, actress, black activist and filmmaker and packed with fascinating detail. has made her one of the world’s most Virago large format paperback $35.00 admired black women. Virago paperback $18.00 The Illustrated West With The Night Forgetting’s No Excuse The spellbinding story of Beryl Markham, in The autobiography of Mary Stott, journalist, a beautiful new edition, including 60 campaigner and feminist. photographs. Virago paperback $25.95 Virago hardcover $55.00 Balancing Acts — On being a Mother Edited by Katherine Gieve Thirteen women explore motherhood in this RH eloguent and moving book. Virago paperback $18.00 RANDOM HOUSE NEW ZEALAND ♦ C * 0 »N»T»E»N»T«S ♦ DEC 1 989/JAN 1990 ISSUE 174 FEATURES___________________________ 11 Playing With the Big Boys How women manage in the male culture of organisations. Gill Ellis talks to Pat Rosier 14 Ngahuia te Awekotuku The life of a Maori woman Ngahuia te Awekotuku 20 Beach Culture Gearing up for summer Margot Roth 24 “We don’t need you any more” Women made redundant Susan Grimsdell 28 Dykes in the Dailies How the mass media constructs lesbian lives Jenny Rankine REGULARS____________________________ 2 Herspective 3 Letters Cartoon 5 Broadcast Hell’s Angels (abortion) 0 Feminist and Other Publishing in Australia 0 Femina Cones 0 To be or not to be? (DSW) 0 Women take over Local Body Politics 0 New Women’s Studies Certificate 39 What’s New 40 Classified 41 The Spots on the Appaloosa Lyndsay Quilter’s Cartoon 32 ARTS The Politics of Breastfeeding 0 New Women’s Fiction 0 No Body’s Perfect 0 Angry Women 0 The Last of the Green­ toed Fruit Bats 0 Ann Oakley interview 0 Autobiography of a Baby 0 Hen’s Teeth 0 Listing Cover picture: Candace Bagnall SUMMER’S COMING BROADSHEET 1989 DEC/JAN 1 BROADSHEET BROADSHEET is published by Broadsheet RSPECTIVE Magazine Ltd, P O Box 56-147, Auckland 3. Registered office: 476 Mt Eden Rd, Auckland. Telephone (09) 608-535. Publication date: 1 December 1989 he notion of privilege has been adhere to the very letter of their partic­ HERSPECTTVE... this month’s writer, Athina Tsoulis, is a member of the Broadsheet bandied about lately and cropped ular theories in a fundamentalist sort of Collective and a trainee filmmaker. up at the recent Socialism and way. Marx really meant this or said that TFeminism conference in Wellington.doesn’t evoke a favourable response These women helped around Broadsheet The concept of privilege, which comes from me. And this is not to reject this month: Cathy Hall and Liz Caughey. out of Radical feminism, is the idea that Marx’s work at all. But what about the Articles and illustrations remain the property certain groups in society have more work of socialist feminists of the period of the contributor. Permission must be sought “privileges” than others. For example, who influenced Marx and Engels? Why from Broadsheet and from the contributor heterosexuals - whose sexuality is seen aren’t we so ready to quote them - or before any item is reprinted. as ordinary or “normal” - are privi­ do we even know who they were? BROADSHEET COLLECTIVE leged over homosexuals - whose sexu­ Rigidly following one body of thought Martine Bouillir, Helen Courtney, Jan Cowan, ality is seen as either deviant or sick. closes rather than opens the mind. Edith Gorringe, Claire-Louise McCurdy, Some feminists are more economically If our belief as feminists is that Pat MacKay, Pat Rosier, Lisa Sabbage, Shirley Tamihana, Athina Tsoulis, Lewis Williams. privileged than others and so on. women as a group have been oppressed The idea of privilege led to two ten­ due to their gender then every avenue Editorial and policy decisions are made by the dencies. One was to argue for a hierar­ for understanding this should be collective. Main areas of responsibility are: chy of oppression - at the “top” of this explored. We may focus on one area, Design and layout, Helen Courtney; Editorial, Pat Rosier and Lisa Sabbage; would be a black disabled lesbian perceiving it to be more important, but Finances and accounts Athina Tsoulis, woman. Or internationally, women it shouldn’t exclude others. Nor should Subscriptions, Edith Gorringe; Advertising, Lewis Williams. from other cultures would be seen as we fall into “guilt tripping”. worse off en masse. This assumes a Women as a group suffer an excess LETTERS POLICY: The Broadsheet Collective cultural superiority: we are judging by of guilt. It is time it were assigned to may not agree with or endorse views expressed western standards, as if our society is the emotional scrap heap. Guilt leads to in letters. Some letters are edited in consultation with the writer. We do not publish personal homogenous. It would be truer to say becoming defensive and rationalising attacks. Letters from men are published at the that women’s experience of oppression our behaviour. It is much better for discretion of the Collective. We welcome letters varies. Some women in Arab countries every woman to assess her own circum­ about the content of the magazine. Letters that are addressed to the collective or to the editor are for instance are worse off than most but stances and to work out in which ways assumed to be intended for publication. Please there are women in Arab countries who she is privileged rather than to have indicate clearly if they are not. are better off than some women in our someone else do it for her. Not all het­ society. And the ways third world erosexual women are privileged, nor ADVERTISING POLICY: Advertisements are accepted at the discretion of the collective and all women are oppressed is different to the are all lesbians less privileged. There copy and artwork is subject to approval by the ways western women are. For instance are many single parent working class collective, which reserves the right to decline or western white women may fight for women whose heterosexuality does not cancel any advertisement. We do not advertise cigarette or alcohol products. We ask readers to abortion whilst women in other coun­ grant them many privileges. And imag­ support our advertisers as a way of sharing your tries (or indeed black women within ine the privilege of lesbian women not enthusiasm for Broadsheet. white dominated countries) are fighting having to worry about contraception! against being pressured into having Therefore if you begin to feel guilty BROADSHEET annual subscription $50 Overseas surface $62. Overseas airmail: abortions. (I would say that most femi­ do something about it or accept your Europe $107, America and Asia, $90, nists have rejected the hierarchy con­ decision and live with it. Australia and South Pacific, $71. cept.) If you discover that you are econom­ The other tendency has been to use ically more privileged, donate some of Printed by Rodney and Waitemata Times, Mill Lane, Warkworth, the word “privilege” in an accusatory your income to a cause you believe in Electronic pagination by Paradigm. way. This has led some socialist femi­ (many of the women who did just that Thanks to Print Centre for the use of their camera. nists to reject it as a radical feminist recently in response to a plea from concept which has no validity. Broadsheet weren’t economically privi­ However, whilst I would not call leged) or buy a Broadsheet sub! And if, BROADSHEET is on file at the Women’s myself a radical feminist and, if we like some feminist women on good Collection Special Dept, Northwestern must have labels, would consider incomes, you feel Broadsheet has “little University Library, Evanston, myself a socialist feminist, I do think of interest” for you now buy a sub for a Illinois 60201, USA the concept of privilege has its uses. woman on a lower income who is stuck It is important as feminists that we in a rural community with little sup­ be open to ideas from whatever source port. But don’t get caught up with guilt if we can see their relevance. I don’t or denying the concept of privilege and have a particular guru nor do I feel one allow your politics to become simply ISSN 01 10-8603 body of thought (theory) holds all the an intellectual exercise, losing sight of Registered at the GPO as a magazine answers. I don’t react too well when the struggles of other women, whoever feminists haul out Freud or Marx and they might be. 2 BROADSHEET DEC/JAN 1989 l( d f k ^ LETTERS GOOD GRIEF - CONTINUED lawns, arranging the funeral, the other in their claims on Ruth’s was still a struggle to be honest Dear Broadsheet, sound system, the venue, trans­ time. without inflicting pain, to be I found the article “Good Grief’ port, drinks and “sammies” ... And Ruth, wishing to retain unifying without sanitising, to in your October issue rather odd At different times, preparations control, as was her wont, had to be true to my vision of her, reading. Having read it three or had the air of a working bee, a make decisions which she knew without denying the vision oth­ four times, I still feel it must be bottle drive, a play reading, might be hurtful to others.