atically for most women. If a brother hasn't been lifted, then a next-door neighbour or a husabnd or father has been, These things have forced wor en to harden their attitudes not only hold against the British armed forces, but increasingly against any figure of authority. For example, one woman who lives in the Dermott Hill Estate told me. "It's strange, because once you start questioning one thing. you begin to chalienge everything.
'I never questioned the Church before. But when the trouble started, we went on a rent and rates strike here. We weren't going to pay rent and tates us long as our homes and Toads were being ruined by the British army. And with most of the men lifted we women couldn't afford it anyway. But then I thought, everyone is giving money so that we can re-decorate the church. Yet we can't even afford to live in decent homes.
*So when the priest came round for the donation 1 questioned him for the first time. 1 even told him that he didn't really have the inter ests of the people at heart. We only saw him when he wanted money for But the actions that have taken place as a result of this radicalisation have been for the most part sponta neous. For example, at the time of the prisoners revolt in Long Kesh, it was left up to the women tront many of the estates to stage spontaneous marches. I women do want to take par! in the struggle', I was told by one ex-Sinn Fein member, "they gemerally join Sinn Fein. Sinn Fein is supposed to be the politica. wing of the IRA. Hut really there is little connection between the two, 'Sinn Fein is almost exclusively a women's organisation now, Because all the men are inside. It's supposed to provide political education for the members, but all it ever taught me was how to make a cup of tea-and We used to have weekly meetings to help organise marches and other activities. But anything we may desale about never influences the military operacions of the organisation.
pollical and social level there has been a great lap. For the vast majority of the Catalie population, the doctrines of the Church still retain a firm As Bernadette MeAliskey explains:
'Socially, the community tends lo?
very conservative. As the situation changes economicaily and socialy, individual women and families will see the need-their own personal needfor a change in their attitude. You see this very much in Ireland ut the minute, for instance on the question of contraception.
If you ask them they will trot out the Church's position, But then if you ask them honestly, do they take the pill, they will say yes. And I think this is very widespread -in both the North and South It's because there is a rational need to regulate their families. An economic necessity determines that they take the pill, and the hanpover of the mors. issue means that they simply justify it to themselves. You know-they say, "HE's still wrong for everybody else, but I'm different" and that attitude will change URGENT It is clearly urgent to wage a fight on these questions in those organisations which bave the support of the Catholic population. But this means that the relatiunship between the struggle for the liberation of women and the national struggie nest be worked our very clearly.
It is not simpiy enough to say as does Bernadette McAliskey that. the Eberation of women stems from the class struggie'. We have several examples of how the class struggle was waged-indeed, often due largely to the efforts of women, as in Algeriaand yet the iberation of women in no way followed Gains will never be made unless right from the beginning of the strug Ele this telationship it worked out, so that an integral part of the strategy developed for waging the national strugele is an woderstanding of how cach step taken lays the foundation. for uitimately freeing women from their class and sexual oppression.