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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol. 37 No. 3. March 20, 1974

Up from Under! — Column from the University Feminists

Up from Under!

Column from the University Feminists

The article entitled "Women's Day Forum Ends In Chaos", published in Salient March 13, 1974, raises several disputable points.

A member of the audience, (David Tripe) is reported as criticising the women's movement for being middle-class and pakeha. For some reason this popular insult is supposed to invalidate groups such as University-Feminists.

University Feminists is aimed at women at university, and since the majority of women at university are middle-class pakehas, University Feminists can only be a reflection of this. The fault lies, not in the group, but in our sexist, racist and middle-class-orientated education system.

David Tripe seems to think that any liberation group which caters for middle-class pakehas is false. He does not consider that university women are as much in need of a feminist group as any other section of society. Is he suggesting that middle-class pakeha women are less entitled to liberation than their working-class Maori sisters?

When he accuses feminist groups of ignoring oppressed Maori women he shows clearly his lack of understanding of the women's liberation (or any other liberation) movement. University Feminists meets the needs of its members and would never presume to be able to meet the needs of any other oppressed group. The last thing Maori women need is a group of middle-class Pakeha women arrogantly organising a liberation group for them. Maori women are the only women who can attempt to understand and solve the problems of Maori women.

The usefulness of any liberation movement is based on this principle of co-operation and support between groups as well as individuality.

In the conclusion of the article it is inferred that the forum closed down because of the inability of the women to reply to Dun Mihaka's "inexhaustible supply of arguments". One would doubt the sincerity of his questions in the light of the fact that no sooner did someone attempt to answer them than he shouted them down. The forum was forced to close down only because of Dun's obsession with racism and his own voice.

At the University Feminists meeting held on Monday, March 11, the role of the nuclear family was discussed.

It is the family which plays the central role in implanting such things as prejudices hates, discriminations, patriotism and religion into children. The success of the nuclear family, and society in general rests on conditioning the children to accept the patterns of behaviour already set down. Men and women are chained to certain roles in order that the family may function. Every member of our society is taught to believe that the family unit is natural, when really it is purely culturally-created.

The nuclear family unit is the basic economic cell of society and is assigned the task of providing for the welfare of [unclear: its] members. Thus each family is thrown into competition with all others to get an adequate share of the available jobs, goods and services. Needless to say not all families can cater adequately for their numbers and both parents and children suffer as a consequence.

Alienation as an acute social sickness is only aided by the nuclear family. The members of a family are out of touch with every other member of society, just as they are out of touch with each other.

As one of society's most sacred institutions the family will never magically disappear, it must be replaced by something better.

Discussion centred around whether the nuclear family unit would remain repressive if society itself was changed. Since the nuclear family is only a representative of society it was contended that in a different society it would represent different values.

Family life is not voluntary, however, there are plenty of laws and just as many social pressures which enforce the family unit. Not until people can choose willingly to live together will the units they live in cease to be oppressive.

—Fern Hickson

The views expressed in this column are not necessarily group views.

University Feminists meets every Monday night at 8pm in the Student Union Building. Watch noticeboards for details. All women welcome.