France Young women and feminist resurgence of struggles for women's The last few years have seen an rights, which now occupy a real place on the national political scene. Laurence Ruimy
In the early 90s, the centre of activities was the abortion and contraceptive rights coalition CADAC (Coordination des associations pour le droit à l'avortement et à la contraception). A couple of years later it was possible to form a broader National Collective for Women's Rights (Collectif national pour les Droits des femmes), bringing together more than 150 feminist, political, trade union and voluntary sector groups and associations.
Although young women are present, they are not the motor of this movement. There has been little, if any, transmission of experience from the 1970s feminist movement to today's young generation. This is, of course, linked to the lack of feminist struggles in the 1980s.
For many young women, the struggle for women's rights does not seem necessary. After all, a number of rights were won, and laws passed before we were even born. These were struggles of a previous generation. History.
Abortion and contraception are good examples. It is difficult to mobilise young women to demand the application of a law which exists. Though, of course, where reproductive rights laws have been threatened directly, like by anti-Abortion commandos, a number of young women have recognised the threat to their rights, and participated in mobilisations to confront the commandos and defend abortion rights.
A number of anti-sexist or feminist groups have been formed recently, as well as women's commissions in student unions and other youth associations.
Some of these groups are fragile and fleeting, others dynamic and determined. They all show that feminist 32 [Viewpoint #300 thinking is still present among young women, and that there is a larger circle of young people who are at least open to feminist themes, despite the widespread prejudices and caricatures about 1970s feminism.
Most young women's first awareness of the inequality of men and women comes from their own family. The unjust division of labour within the tamily becomes visible long before discrimination in the education system or the workplace.
Many young women say "I won't do the same as my mother. I won't tolerate that kind of thing." These are individual, rather than collective reactions, but they do show that many many girls and young women are aware that male-female equality is not automatic. Many young women living with a man expect to avoid reproducing their parents behaviour patterns. But, when the first baby arrives, these illusions begin to disappear.
In the various young women's groups, collective discussion facilitates other kinds of awareness and mobilisation about street violence against women, the degrading treatment of women's bodies in advertising. One of the first activities of the Paris (nonmixed) group Marie Pas Claire was the
VIABSTEN
HE BE PIS organisation of self-defence classes. ...and at work
Not until they start working do young women tend to reflect directly about workplace inequality.
Young women's relationship to work has certainly evolved. Today, they take for granted that they will work. They realise the importance of women's financial independence. But this desire to work is challenged by the worsening working conditions facing women Women face a higher threat of unemp loyment than men, and at least 32% of women under the age of 25 are out of work. Women also face particular problems of job instability, and are often forced to work part time. The average female salary is 70% of the male wage.
There is a great potential to mobilise young women in defence of their rights The concerns of younger women should be given their full importance now that we are experiencing a renovation on struggles for women's rights
The challenge facing us is to make the link between the widespread per ception of the existence of inequality and oppression, and the current strug gles to win real equality with men, fo contraceptive and abortion rights, in the workplace, and in society as a whole. *
booknotes
Student occupations When Campus Resists: The Politics of Space, Power, and the Culture of Resistance in the Guelph Occupation Helen Hudson, Tom Keefer, Lana Rabkin, Andrew Thompson (editors) (Occupation Press, 1997, C$10.00).
The last few years have seen an important wave of student activism in Ontario, Canada's most populous province, focusing on tuition increases linked to cutbacks on campus. The high points of the struggle were the pan-Canadian days of action called by the Canadian Federation of Students on January 25, 1995 and February 7, 1996 when tens of thousands of students mobilised, shut down campuses, and held marches.
However, the 1996-1997 school year did not see mobilisations of that scale. Instead, students at a number of campuses occupied key administrative sites (particularly Presidents' offices) to protest against tuition hikes and cutbacks. At Guelph, students occupied the President's office, sat-in at the University Centre, and shut down a meeting of the Board of Governors between February-March 1997.