. ." i r V V ,

THE, ISSUES: 3

The Issues _

'Ihe issues which feminists direct their efforts and attention toward are nmi'erous and they cover virtually all aspects of society. This is "because discrimination against women pervades ‘ all aspects oflife, both public and private, sexism and inequality prevail in the home as well as in the worlqalace,-~and in all places it is equally wrong. It is not just the outward and visible signs of sedsim and discrimin- atim that feminists are trying to eliminate, but the deeper feelings, attitudes, and beliefs about the inferior status of women. (he of the major issues of the 7 feminist movement is the enforcement of the laws which prohibit sex dis- crimination in employ- ment. Yes, it is illegal to refuse to hire a woman because she is just that a woman. And no, it is not a law that is readily

enforced. It is still a

very common practise to refuse

to'hire a woman on the basis of her sex. Equal employment opportunity

is the right of every individual, regardless

of race, sex or religion. However, women must still fight to ensure that this - right is guaranteed.

Another of the issues re-

lated .to employment which is a very serious one is that of maternity leave rights. In many places ‘ it still remains under- stood that when a woman leaves her jd) to give birth, her employment is terminated. However, this situation is being rapidly remedied as more and more women stand up for their rights. Women are demanding to be pro- tected by law so as to ensure that they will be able to return to their jobs within a reasonable time after childbirth. They are also demanding and rightly so, that they not lose any seniority or accumulated benefits

Public Service The class of

\

Accounting

Commerce ’( Computer Science Economics Engineering Finance

Library Science Mathematics Statistics

October 15, 1980.

' FOREIGN SERVICE

than October 18, 1980.

Competition 81—4000 Open to both‘men and Women

s

I Public Service Communion.

of Canada du Canada

The Public Service of Canada is interested in university graduates. with specialization in one of the following areas:

Business or Public Administration

For more information, ask for you? copy of the Careers Public Service Canada book and booklets at your campus placement

office or at the nearest office of the Public Service Commission of Canada. Your application most be postmarked no later than

Ifyou are interested in a career in the ForeignService, you must obtain the Foreign Service booklet which contains a special appli- - c’ation form, and write the Foreign Service Examination on Saturday, October 18, 1980 at 9 am. Check with your campus piacemenfoffice for the examination centre nearest you. Your application for the Foreign Service must be postmarked no later

Commission de In Fonctlon publlque

Canada

‘ A fiEmNIST's PERSPECTIVE

which they may already

have attained. Furthermore- feminists believe that women should be paid materm ty leave as a form Cf social security or employee benefit or both.

In ever increasing numbers, women are entering the work force. For many, it is because they want to par— ticipate in the labor force and pursue a career.

* For others, actually 75%

of employed women, it is a' nece-sary step to support themselves and/or. their Because of this, feminists are calling for the legal establishment of child care facilities on the same basis as are estab- lished parks, libraries and public schools-which are adequate for the needs of all children and are available to everyone from every inc level. - '

One of the most contro- versial issues, and one of the most important, concerns the right of women to control their own repro- ductive lives. Specific- ally, this includes doing away with restrictions on the availability of birth and control infor-

I

mation and devices and

removal of laws and regu-

xlations governing abortion. Women do have the right

to decide for themselves in these issues. Their privacy and their dignity

“EUPEI SUN. Thursda October 2, 1980, pa e 0

is greatly violated when the control of their own bodies is in the hands of others who claim to know what is best for every— one. '

These are by no means the only issues which con- cern feminists. Feminists protest the crude and

_ degrading image of women

portrayed in pornographic magazines. They pro—

test the image of women portrayed in all media.

They protest the issue of rape, in my opinion, the worst violence committed against women with particular attention to the diffi— ’ culty in getting a rape conviction, the humilia—

tion and degredation

suffered by the woman,

the victim of the rape, who decides to press charges,

and the legality of rape

in marriage.

The issues are almost endless and the problems exist everywhere. Every issue, no matter how big or how small it appears is a major issue. These discrimminatory practices exist and we cannot allow them to persist. If we are to eradicate sex discrimination and the unequal treatment of women, we must know what the problems are and we must work together to rid our world of them

now. (Next week: Feminism and The Liberation of Men)