This article arose from my discussions with different women in the Womens Action Group as a result of protest about the "Women Only" criteria of the group and some of its events.

This is an attempt to give some of the reasons why I and some other women believe there should be women only groups. There is sometimes disagreement over the reasons different women support women only groups but no disagreement over the need to have women only groups. The emphasis is on what women only groups achieve rather than the exclusion of men.

The two words 'women only' appearing at the bottom of a leaflet or a notice in Salient have a greater effect in provoking discussion than any of the issues that may be under discussion like 'women in the workforce' or 'women's sexuality'. For some reason the words 'women only' arouse more indignation from people in general and men in particular than anything else the Womens Action Group is doing or trying to do.

Some of the comments have been 'but that's sexist not letting men go", 'the world's 50/50 isn't it', 'that unfair, what if men want to go'. The emphasis always on the rights of men, to do what they want, when they want to. Few people ask why do you you have women only, or what our reasons for excluding men are. The exclusion of men men from women's groups is not a reasonless anti-male stand. Men are excluded because women believe there are valid reasons for having women only groups and events.

We live in a society that is a patriarchy, that is a male dominated society, where men by virtue of their sex recieve relative advantages and priviledges. These relative advantages and priviledges are maintained through the discrimination and disadvantaging of women. While it is true that some men do not consciously choose to oppress women, they do benefit from their relatively advantaged position at the cost of women's disadvantaged position in society.

Both men and women are conditioned into accepting this status quo. If change is to be effected we must first throw off the conditioning. To throw off the conditioning many women believe that it is necessary to question all aspects of the existing status quo and our relationship towards it. This questioning can take place at many levels, some that will obviously include men but others that do not. Women's sexuality, their relationship to their sexuality, their relationshp to other women and themselves are all levels at which I believe women must have the freedom of choice as to whether men are included or not.

In addition to this freedom from men if it is desired, women only groups give women the opportunity to develop non-patriarchal, structures, that is, structures that do not rely on the domination of men or accept such domination. In a women only group women do not have to play the patrairchal game, they may do so still, but they are not constrained by men to do so. This is regardless of the expressed sympathies of men.

Women only groups can help, and allow women to develop and become confident as individuals with individual skills in an atmosphere of freedom that is denied them in our present society.

It is important for women to be self defined rather than defined in terms laid down by a male dominated society. To do this women only groups are crucial. For it is only by ourselves and as we see ourselves in other women that we can hope to achieve a full awareness of our own potential as women.

The reasons and opinions of three other women in the Womens Action Group follow.

One View

There are several basic reasons in my opinion for having women only meetings and activities. The first of these is that discussion revolves essentially around issues that affect women only and of which men have a very limited appreciation of, if any.

Secondly if men attended women's discussion groups and meetings their never ending desire to be heard and dominate would be excercised and the women's [unclear: p] spective would be diluted if not lost [unclear: sig] of altogether.

Thirdly, many women feel inhibited talking about issues that affect them as women in front of men, and if they are to discuss and share their ideas, they [unclear: ms] have the opportunity to do so in the [unclear: pr] sence of women who are sympathetic [unclear: to] greater or lesser degree with their [unclear: feelin].

A Second View

It would at first appear to many [unclear: peo] that the restriction of men to some [unclear: won] organisation meetings and discussions [unclear: o] campus is somewhat against the spirit [unclear: o] equality between the sexes, which [unclear: wh] women's liberation is fighting for. [unclear: But] one considers the oppression of [unclear: women] our society it can be justified, in my [unclear: op ion].

Women are conditioned to be [unclear: submi] to men; the word 'submissive' when [unclear: ap] ied to the conditioning of women [unclear: enta] a number of restrictions — 'women [unclear: are] natural as leaders' — 'women should [unclear: no] be of an agressive, organising nature' — 'women should consider themselves [unclear: fit] fulfil their role of obedient wife, [unclear: mothe] and household worker before anything else".

These stereotype roles are what the men's liberation movement is fighting, breakdown. To do this women must [unclear: fi] be able to communicate freely and a [unclear: e] with other people about their own [unclear: pers] al confrontations with sexism in our [unclear: so] for from my experience, the majority [unclear: o] women have not got the confidence [unclear: (fr] social conditioning) to do this freely [unclear: if] are present. (Have you ever been to [unclear: sh] forums etc and actually noticed that [unclear: by] far more guys get up and speak to the [unclear: r] ing, ask questions etc?)

It is imperative that women only [unclear: me] ings continue to do the essential jobs [unclear: o] building up confidence to those [unclear: women] are sick of being treated as second [unclear: class] izens; of being chattels in a [unclear: patriarchal] iety; of not being able to fulfil their [unclear: po] ential as people.

Men have never been excluded from fight to attain equality for women — [unclear: bl] if you are a sympathiser to the women'. movement this important aspect must [unclear: n] be overlooked.

To finish up — a quote from the [unclear: wor] movement which applies to all people [unclear: w] in some way are oppressed — whether [unclear: it] because of your sex, colour, [unclear: religion]— "None so fit to break the chains, than [unclear: t] who wear them ".