{"id":5884,"date":"2016-06-15T11:57:05","date_gmt":"2016-06-15T15:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rcentres.qc.ca\/base-dunite-politique\/"},"modified":"2024-07-08T15:10:40","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T19:10:40","slug":"basis-of-political-unity","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rcentres.qc.ca\/en\/basis-of-political-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"Basis of Political Unity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Basis of Political Unity<\/b><\/h3>\n

As amended at the Annual General Meeting, June 2016<\/p>\n

L\u2019R des Centres de Femmes du Qu\u00e9bec<\/p>\n

The Basis of political unity (BPU) is a reference tool which orients the practices and actions of women\u2019s centres and of all the women involved in them, in order to achieve the feminist project of a just and equal society.<\/p>\n

Definitions for the underlined words in the text can be found in the Lexicon.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div>

Table of Contents<\/h3>\n

Foreword
\n1. Women\u2019s centres: Their Orientation, Their Feminist Project
\n1.1. The Feminist Orientation
\n1.2. A Global and Non-Compartmentalized Approach To Problems That Concern Women
\n1.3. An approach to autonomous, feminist popular education (AFPE)
\n1.4. A fight against prejudice based on sex, ethnic background, sexual orientation, social standing, etc.
\n1.5. The development of concrete solidarity around problems in common and collective projects
\n2. The Mandate of Women\u2019s Centres
\n2.1. Services
\n2.2. Educational Activities
\n2.3. Collective Action
\n3. Community Life
\n4. Belonging to L\u2019R
\n5. Adhering to the BPU
\nLES MOTS D\u00c9FINIS DANS\u00a0LE LEXIQUE<\/a>\u00a0SONT SOUSLIGN\u00c9S EN TURQUOISE.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Foreword<\/h3>\n

The women\u2019s centres that are members of L\u2019R all adhere to the Basis of political unity (BPU) and to its\u00a0values<\/span>.The BPU is a reference tool which orients the practices and actions of women\u2019s centres and of all the women involved in them, in order to achieve the feminist project of a just and equal society.<\/p>\n

When we talk about all the women involved in women\u2019s centres, we include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Volunteers,<\/li>\n
  • Members,<\/li>\n
  • Activists,<\/li>\n
  • Participants,<\/li>\n
  • Paid and unpaid workers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The women\u2019s centres of Quebec form an important network that is significant for thousands of women. They are open to all women.\u00a0Rooted<\/span>\u00a0in rural and urban communities, they are able to understand the needs, problems and\u00a0demands<\/span>\u00a0of women.<\/p>\n

    These centres know that the\u00a0political<\/span>, economic and social standing of women remains problematic. In Quebec, as in the rest of the world, women are underrepresented in\u00a0politics<\/span>. Even worse, many women are overrepresented in the poorest parts of society.<\/p>\n

    What characterizes their\u00a0exclusion<\/span>\u00a0or\u00a0oppression<\/span>? Some examples are:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Violence in all its forms and all its effects;<\/li>\n
    • Discrimination<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0inequity<\/span>\u00a0in work, which can be seen in the concentration of women in certain employment sectors, or in precarious, underpaid work without benefits;<\/li>\n
    • Accessibility to daycare services, in terms of available spots, hours of availability and costs;<\/li>\n
    • Single parenthood, which often leads to poverty and social\u00a0exclusion<\/span>;<\/li>\n
    • Alimony and child support, and their related issues;<\/li>\n
    • Sexual exploitation of women\u2019s bodies (pornography, prostitution, etc.);<\/li>\n
    • The\u00a0overmedication<\/span>\u00a0of women;<\/li>\n
    • The\u00a0inequity<\/span>\u00a0in sharing family responsibilities, including childcare and care of loved ones.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The poverty that affects women is linked to, among other things, traditional female roles such as responsibility for child care, as well as to the fact that they do not earn a\u00a0decent income<\/span>\u00a0and do not have much or any\u00a0capital<\/span>. Poverty affects women\u2019s physical and mental health. Poverty is worsened by the\u00a0policies<\/span>\u00a0of today\u2019s governments, which prefer to reduce\u00a0social spending<\/span>\u00a0rather than redistributing wealth and creating stable jobs. Female poverty is also linked to the absence of women\u2019s voices and the ignorance of their realities in regional and local development\u00a0policies<\/span>.<\/p>\n

      The difficulty many women have in participating in\u00a0political<\/span>\u00a0life and the\u00a0precarity<\/span>\u00a0of their situations increases for many women due to other factors of\u00a0systemic discrimination<\/span>\u00a0due to their disability, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, culture of origin, et cetera.<\/p>\n

      This form of discrimination results in attitudes, behaviours and practices which do not favour specific groups and, even if they represent unconscious bias, are present in the job market, in schools, financial\u00a0institutions<\/span>, and establishments offering health care and social services. This creates obstacles to the\u00a0social, economic, political and cultural inclusion<\/span>\u00a0of women who are disabled, who come from diverse backgrounds, who are Indigenous, lesbian, or otherwise\u00a0marginalized<\/span>, as their needs and rights are not respected.<\/p>\n

      Isolation, low self-esteem, poverty, and\u00a0marginalization<\/span>\u00a0affect many of the women who use the services of women\u2019s centres. This is why women\u2019s centres, while respecting the autonomy of users, work with other women\u2019s groups and community organizations to change laws,\u00a0policies<\/span>,\u00a0institutions and mentalities.<\/span><\/p>\n

      This is why women\u2019s centres need to fight several battles at once :<\/p>\n

        \n
      • Changing laws that discriminate against women;<\/li>\n
      • Promoting pay\u00a0equity;<\/span><\/li>\n
      • Promoting freedom of a woman\u2019s right to choose what is best for her in terms of sexuality and reproduction;<\/li>\n
      • Denouncing violence in all its forms;<\/li>\n
      • Promoting equality between women and men;<\/li>\n
      • Reminding the state that it has a social and economic role to\u00a0guarantee<\/span>\u00a0the well-being of Quebec society and to redistribute wealth;<\/li>\n
      • Developing resources to favour and support women\u2019s socio-economic autonomy;<\/li>\n
      • Supporting the\u00a0demands<\/span>\u00a0of Indigenous women and women of diverse origins;<\/li>\n
      • Showing solidarity with women all over the world who fight to get out of poverty, to be respected for their whole selves and for their dignity;<\/li>\n
      • And many more!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        Women\u2019s centres contribute to defining a new society that must consider feminist aspirations and\u00a0values<\/span>. They intervene not only on a political level, but also on personal attitudes. In doing so, they call into question\u00a0sexist ideology<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0patriarchal organization<\/span>\u00a0(structures,\u00a0institutions<\/span>\u00a0and how our society functions), both of which maintain inequality between men and women.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

        1. WOMEN\u2019S CENTRES : THEIR ORIENTATION, THEIR FEMINIST PROJECT<\/h3>\n

        Women\u2019s centres are resources offering women a space of belonging and of transition, an alternative to their isolation, and a network of education and action. Women\u2019s centres are\u00a0multi-faceted<\/span>. They do not intervene in one problem in particular, but in all aspects of women\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

        Open to diversity, women\u2019s centres seek to be accessible to all women in their area. However, some centres may choose to respond primarily, although not exclusively, to women who are members of groups that experience\u00a0discrimination<\/span>: disabled women, Indigenous women, women of different ethnic backgrounds, lesbians, etc.<\/p>\n

        Women\u2019s centres are founded and managed exclusively by women. The women who frequent these centres are considered participants, rather than users. Workers, whether or not they are paid for their work, are women who are engaged for and with other women to achieve feminist goals. Women\u2019s centres are characterized by :<\/p>\n

        1.1 \u2013 Their feminist orientation<\/strong><\/p>\n

        What do we mean by that?<\/p>\n

          \n
        • They encourage women to recognize\u00a0sexist stereotypes<\/span>;<\/li>\n
        • They encourage women to recognize the\u00a0sociopolitical causes<\/span>\u00a0of individual problems they face, which leads women to not feel guilty for their problems;<\/li>\n
        • They have confidence in the potential of every woman, they value the knowledge women have and the experiences that women have lived through;<\/li>\n
        • They define the roles of the women who work in these centres, in order to develop an\u00a0egalitarian<\/span>\u00a0rapport between them and the users of women\u2019s centres;<\/li>\n
        • They support women who seek more autonomy, allowing them to gain more power in their lives; they respect women\u2019s personal trajectories and their choices;<\/li>\n
        • They encourage mutual aid, support and solidarity among women;<\/li>\n
        • They seek collective solutions to the needs and interests of women;<\/li>\n
        • They encourage women\u2019s participation in\u00a0democratic life<\/span>\u00a0and in social movements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          1.2 \u2013 A global, non-compartmentalized approach to problems that affect women<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Women\u2019s centres do not divide women\u2019s experiences into a thousand and one problems that are isolated from one another. This is an approach that encourages intervention in all facets of women\u2019s lives, based on what they perceive of their situation and their experiences as individuals and as a group.<\/p>\n

          1.3 \u2013 An approach of autonomous and feminist popular education (AFPE)<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Through their services, educational activities,\u00a0collective action<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0community life<\/span>, women\u2019s centres encourage learning and critical reflection, which leads women to recognize the conditions of their lives both individually and collectively. These processes give them the means to have more power in their daily lives, to improve and transform the social, economic,\u00a0political<\/span>\u00a0and cultural conditions they experience. As a result, women\u2019s centres allow women to see themselves as\u00a0change agents<\/span>\u00a0and active citizens who participate in\u00a0democratic life<\/span>\u00a0and in social movements.<\/p>\n

          1.4 \u2013 A fight against prejudice, whether on the basis of sex, ethnic backgroud, orientation, social standing, or anything else.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Women\u2019s centres promote attitudes and behaviours that fight\u00a0sexism<\/span>,\u00a0exclusion<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0discrimination<\/span>.<\/p>\n

          1.5 \u2013 Developing solidarity concerning common problems and collective projects.<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Women\u2019s centres work in solidarity to\u00a0collaborate<\/span>\u00a0with women\u2019s groups and other groups to improve and transform women\u2019s living conditions and the communities they live in.<\/p>\n

          2. THE MANDATE OF WOMEN\u2019S CENTRES<\/h3>\n

          Women\u2019s centres have three mandates: providing services, educating through activities, and organizing\u00a0collective action<\/span>. Their services and activities are offered free of charge or at a small cost.<\/p>\n

          2.1 \u2013 Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

          Services may include help given on an individual or group basis (active listening, accompanying women, providing information, or support groups), child care, an area with informational pamphlets, etc. They support women who are trying to be independent.<\/p>\n

          2.1.1 \u2013 In women\u2019s centres, women are full participants, not clients.
          \n2.1.2 \u2013 Individual help :<\/p>\n

          Women\u2019s centres do not\u00a0diagnose<\/span>\u00a0symptoms of physical or mental health. They do not open\u00a0files<\/span>\u00a0and they do not provide therapy.<\/p>\n

          Women in difficult situations who visit women\u2019s centres are welcomed by workers who can listen to them, provide support and information, and accompany them \u2013 in strict confidentiality. This support is offered as needed, not as part of a formalized process.<\/p>\n

          This means that:<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Women can show up without appointments, anonymously, when they need help;<\/li>\n
          • Employees do not need to determine the nature of the issues that women are experiencing. Instead, they support women through their lived experiences and affirm their needs and desires; they help women find solutions to the problems that they themselves have identified.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            As a result, the nature of the help provided at women\u2019s centres does not require\u00a0files<\/span>\u00a0that will be used to collect information about the women seeking help.<\/p>\n

            In offering individualized support to women, employees encourage them to participate in the activities available at the centre. Women\u2019s centres encourage group intervention, which they consider to be the best way to combat isolation, to reinforce self-esteem and independence among women. When they encourage participants to take part in group activities, women\u2019s centres allow them to meet other women who may be experiencing problems similar to their own. This often leads to solidarity among participants, which lets them help one another make changes in their lives and work together to improve the conditions they live in.<\/p>\n

            2.2 \u2013 Educational activities<\/strong><\/p>\n

            What do we mean by educational activities? Any activities focused on raising\u00a0awareness<\/span>, providing information or training on different subjects;\u00a0cultural activities<\/span>; action-based training; and participation in\u00a0community life<\/span>.<\/p>\n

            2.2.1 \u2013 The approach that women\u2019s centres favour in all of their educational activities (AFPE) encourages finding common ground and valuing the knowledge and lived experience of participants. Participants at women\u2019s centres are the authors of their own stories. They learn to make choices and identify solutions to the individual and collective issues they experience.
            \n2.2.2 \u2013 Educational activities allow women to reinforce their self-esteem, their capacity to stand up for themselves and express their needs, so that they can develop independence.
            \n2.2.3 \u2013 Educational activities are geared towards action, because together women can take action on the sociopolitical, economic and cultural causes that they experience.
            \n2.2.4 \u2013 Women\u2019s centres reflect women\u2019s lived realities, no matter their social status, ethnic origin, cultural references, or their sexual orientation.
            \n2.2.5 \u2013 Women\u2019s centres work towards\u00a0awareness<\/span>\u00a0of the\u00a0political<\/span>, social and economic realities which influence women\u2019s lives both in Quebec and elsewhere in the world, in order to increase solidarity around common problems.
            \n2.2.6 \u2013 Activities at women\u2019s centres are led by women who share the centres\u2019 feminist values.
            \n2.3 \u2013 Collective Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

            \u201cCollective action\u201d refers to all the strategies that seek to defend and promote the rights and interests of women in the context of social change. Women\u2019s centres may lead and support actions on a local, regional, national, or worldwide scale.<\/p>\n

            2.3.1 \u2013\u00a0Collective action<\/span>\u00a0in women\u2019s centres is a way to achieve the goal of being independent, both individually and collectively.
            \n2.3.2 \u2013 The actions used are diverse and are based on women\u2019s needs. They work together to decide on goals, strategies and tactics.
            \n2.3.3 \u2013 These actions seek to promote\u00a0equity<\/span>,\u00a0equality<\/span>\u00a0of rights for all women, and social justice.
            \n2.3.4 \u2013 Participation in\u00a0collective action<\/span>\u00a0allows women to be active in the community as citizens who are critical thinkers, who fight for their rights, and who act in solidarity with others.
            \n2.3.5 \u2013 By participating in\u00a0collective action<\/span>, women\u2019s centres play an active role in social and political transformations, which are necessary to fight injustice and\u00a0discrimination<\/span>.<\/p>\n

            3. COMMUNITY LIFE<\/h3>\n

            Community life<\/span>\u00a0in women\u2019s centres is democratic. It encourages all the women who make up the centres to share power. Together, they form a team that ensures that the centre\u2019s feminist goals are put in place.<\/p>\n

            Collective management depends on women\u2019s participation in the democratic process, in activities such as general meetings, the governing board or\u00a0collective<\/span>, working groups or action groups, etc. These structures are flexible and accessible to all women, allowing them to take part easily.<\/p>\n

            Women\u2019s centres are looking for new models for organization and management that will introduce more egalitarian practices that will uphold their feminist orientation and their educational goals.<\/p>\n

            3.1 \u2013 All women who are involved with women\u2019s centres can get involved in different decision-making processes at the centre, such as at general meetings, the governing board or collective, working groups or action groups, etc. according to the centre\u2019s own policies.
            \n3.2 \u2013 All paid employees, including those who are hired for specific projects, take part in the decisions that affect their work and delegate at least one representative of their choice to the governing board or\u00a0collective<\/span>.
            \n3.3 \u2013 Women\u2019s centres define their relationships with workers in an employment contract. This contract includes\u00a0feminist demands<\/span>\u00a0concerning work conditions. Employees take part in drawing up the employment contract, which defines all of the working conditions, including:<\/p>\n