We are with families and without them. All this and something else besides. Hence we distrust one another. A much less tangible something - a smouldering, bewildered The woman with a home and children is suspicious of the woman with onsciousness with no shape - a muttered dissatisfaction - which no ties, seeing her as a potential threat to her territorial security. uddenly shoots to the surface and EXPLODES. The single woman feels the married woman is subtly critical because she is not fulfilling her ' role' as homemaker, her "function' as child bearer. We want to drive buses, play football, use beer mugs not glasses. We want men to take the pill. We do not want to be brought with bottles She feels she is accused of being unable to be a woman. " invited as wives. We do not want to be wrapped up in cellophane THEY tell us what we should be. " sent off to make the tea or shuffled into the social committee. As we grow up, especially from puberty, we are under intensive pressure to be ' acceptable' But these are only little things. - not to put ourselves outside the safety net of marriage. Revolutions are made about little things. From small girls we are taught that failure means not being ittle things which happen to you all the time, every day, selected by men - the shame of being a wallflower. The sign herever you go, all your life. of intelligence and subtletly is a contractual bargain as we continued NA
Female Dwarf readers who don't want an illegitimate baby abortion. For this consult your own doctor or the or an illegal abortion take note the only reasonably safe Pregnancy Advisory Service. If abortion is impossible the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child contraceptives are those used by the girl herself The Family Planning Act (1967) allows local authorities to exists ' especially to ensure that the child of a single mother arrange for contraceptive advice in their area, but does not can grow up in our community without legal or social handicap. It provides no Mother and Baby homes but sets standards for residential care Although in many cases they advise adoption, if the mother wishes to keep the child they do not urge the parents to marry for the child's sake; rather, their aim is to force legal and social reform, so that the illegitimate child is no longer an outcast in society. Family Planning Organisation: 27-35 Mortimer Street. London W1. Tel: 01-636 91 2 Brook Advisory Centres: 55 Dawes Street, London SE17. 01-703 9660. Marie Stopes Clinic: 108 Whitheld Street, London WI. 01-387 4628. Pregnancy Advisory Service: 40 Margaret Street London W1. 01-629 9575 wants the pill, the parents do not National Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child: 255 Kentish Town Road, London NWS. 01-485 8383. A Dwact Reader people expected me to feel, When I had to approach them the only way could do it was to be as detailed as I could. I fact public attitudes have got much more liberal in the last five years or so, partly because unmarned mothers are getting more and more common. I dide't come across any outright hostility, mostly the irritating assumption from the ILEA, When they gave me a supply teaching job, that I must he terribly unhappy. One or two of the hospital nurses treated me as not quite responsible for myself The midwife, very discreet, always referring to me as Mrs, asked me who the father was as the head was appearing, with a dreadful pseudo concern The real horror is the social security people When you go to see them you have to think out exactly what you're going to say. In dealing with NAB mine out te much taster a for a sir had the to ent want the father to take any responsibility for the child do vot name him tes sense in terms of my life as a whole. the guy to court. This is the way they prefer to act However if they don changing my relationship to the world manage to they can take him to court themselves no to 16 years after the child is bom. Once they have a name they really vll bug you to soreming Child's allowander starts at it 75 and increases by a few shillings very If you have a man living with you don't ler them know he liver there, because hoe the hat do thy the men tale bin la pet your lit upon. Your allowance will be out of. However they do have to prove cohabitation - something ridiculous like he tayed three nights in a row, It you do hit trouble threaten to go to your feat MP, or write to the Minister of Sara Security, 1 was nobjecred to codies interrogation, moral lect