Setting the stage; IFUW’s theme, Globalisation, a perspective from the Netherlands - Miraude Adriaensen miraude@hotmail.com

Definition
What do we mean by “globalization”? Globalization is the increasing interaction between humans and human activities across national borders. It is a relatively new word for an old process. Previously, it was called “international trade”. It was the movement of goods, services, intellectual ideas and cultural concepts between peoples of different countries. In the past the movement was relatively slow and people had time to adjust.

So what happened to make it such a hot subject? In the last 20 years, there has been acceleration and a vast improvement in communications and transport due principally to the use of computers and the Internet. This has led to a worldwide integration of production and marketing of goods and services, of labor sourcing, and of capital exchange. Knowledge, ideas and technology are also moving faster from country to country. All of this has a direct impact on the cultural life, the political opinions and even the legal systems of the peoples involved. This is what we mean by “globalization”.

Possibilities, Good and Bad
Like every human-created process, globalization has its positive and negative sides. On the one hand, globalization has let to increasing prosperity. The idea of a world without borders and access for everybody to all material and intellectual products seems within arms reach with modern telecommunications

On the other hand, it’s clear that the accelerated globalization process has led to increasing inequality, exclusion of some segments of society and uncertainty in many quarters.

Furthermore, globalization could lead, some fear, to the same way of life worldwide, to standardization, homogeneity and uniformity. Other perceived dangers are the blurring of national autonomy and the possibility of weak, unstable states becoming the havens for international criminals.

Globalization, if it is to benefit not just the few, needs some oversight and control. The Netherlands has always believed in an international legal order as opposed to the right of the strongest. So far, the Netherlands may be the only country in the world, which mentions such a need in its constitution. International legal constraints are important if the downside risks of globalization are to be minimized. Besides economic imbalance, globalization could bring environmental risks, the spread of contagious diseases and uncontrolled migration. Globalization needs international regulation based on shared values - that means every country should have a voice in this global governance.

A Place for the IFUW
This brings us to the place of our organization, the IFUW. We believe that managing the forces of globalization is essential to its humanization. The empowerment of women rests in our hands. Whenever we choose to act on issues that can contribute to peace, justice and equity of women, men and children, we are demonstrating the empowerment of women and providing for the humanization of globalization.

Necessity is always the birthing place of a venture – Ola-Vincent Odulele
 

Three years ago I read an article of a lady who was angry with her foremothers and historical feminists for not warning her that she should plan to have a family while she pursued a career. She was a career woman, considered herself accomplished, but she was unfulfilled. She wanted to have a baby and she couldn’t. Medicine and nature had failed her. She was hurt, angry, and bitter. She felt cheated of her rights!

Recently a lady came and worked at my office for about 6 weeks. She was on a program sponsored by her church. Excited about working during the holidays, she told me her career plans and how she hoped to achieve them. She was already in her twenties, and she was going to be in school for the next 9-10 years. She planned to work for about two-three years and then consider starting a family. I made a quick observation, she did not factor her age and the fertility peak into her dreams. I enjoyed sharing the available options to her and she wrote me a beautiful thank you note.

I consider it appropriate to inform young members who desire to have children to plan. Fertility drops sharply from age thirty five. Help yourself to achieve your goal of a family by planning properly. Plan when to have your children and how to raise them.

I will briefly share three main issues every woman needs to consider and trust that you will make an informed choice.

Desire:
Do you want to give birth to a child? In these advanced technology times, it’s very easy to adopt and become a mother without getting pregnant, etc. It’s also possible to have surrogate mothers, freeze ova, etc. Answer the question above personally and based on your answer, begin to plan. Thoroughly consider the “whys” to the answer because life will question your choice at some point.

Time:
When is the optimal age for a woman to get pregnant? This is the trick question. It’s actually easier, healthier and “wiser” to give birth to children between the ages of 21-25 years. However, at this age, most mothers do not have the necessary parenting skills to raise children appropriately. (But they can learn). Many more women prefer to give birth after 30 years of age when they are more equipped financially, mentally and emotionally to parent children. The downside is the limited physical energy they experience in raising children (especially when the kids are toddlers!).

I wanted to have a Christian family. Simply because I am a Christian. I call myself a feminist Christian. As a Christian, I had to find out God’s definition of a family.

From my research on the Bible (the only book I support to be full of God’s divine counsel), I figured that I would need to get married first to a Christian man before attempting to get pregnant and having a baby.

I would also need to ensure that I married a man I could submit to the way I submitted to Christ (Ephesians 5:22-24). I knew it would take time as a feminist (someone interested in the progress of women) to find that kind of man so I prepared myself by having a list of what I wanted in my husband. After utilizing various management skills I chose Akindele Akinpelu. We got married in 2000. The efficacy of my choice is always being assessed!

We (Akindele and I) made a decision to have children. Two years into our marriage, I was delivered of Daniel. When Daniel became two years, I wanted to be delivered of him again! The two-year old toddler stage is such an energy sapping stage for parents that I am looking forward eagerly to the three-year old stage. Believe me, after my experience in Perth, I will never travel with a two-year old to a conference again! (Well on second thoughts maybe if there’s a crèche, I may).

I wish to offer sincere apologies once more for any and every disturbance my happy-energetic son caused during the conference. I also want to thank every one who played with him and attempted to take the “heat” off me for a while. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Question: Do you want to have a family? If the answer is yes, then plan qualitatively for one.

A young member
playing with Daniel

“To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:” – Ecclesiastes 3:13

As a young member I attended triennial conference for the first time at the 27th conference in Ottawa. This event and IFUW’s friendly environment amazed me. In January 2004 I moved from Romania to Australia as a permanent resident, to start a new life.

I have to say that this year 2004 was one of the most challenging and difficult years in my life because of culture shock and the necessity for adaptation. March this year I started a Masters at Melbourne University and I started to work as well. First months passed like a dream, I experienced everything new; I’ve been busy, tired, happy and sad at the same time. My saddest times are when I miss my family. Many may not understand unless they try.

I found acceptance and equal opportunities in Australia. Another interesting aspect is that the most important barrier I was faced with was not the language but the culture. If someone is not able to catch the jokes, to understand Aussie’s values, one cannot integrate in Aussie society.

 
Elena and other participants at the conference

After I arrived in Melbourne, I changed my membership from Romanian Association to Australian Association. As a newcomer here I was worried about how my membership in Australia will be. I wondered about how friendly and warm the people will be.

Now, I have to say that Victorian Association surprised me with her openness to new members; even when they come from other countries. I have not had many chances to meet a lot of Victorian members because I had and still have a crazy life, (my working day starts 4 days a week at 8.00 am and finish at 11.00 pm, because I work and study at the same time), however, they keep me informed by sending me any newsletters available.

Economic and social conditions in Australia are completely different from those in Romania. It was easier for me to find financial support for a project or
an activity. In a wealthy country, women can focus on developing programs.

I enjoyed the 28th triennial conference in Perth but could not stay for all the days due to commitments at Melbourne. This year, there were many young members in Perth and that is a very good thing. The conference was in general a huge and great event. I participated in the Young Leaders Program and have since contributed to the report. One regret on the conference was the timetable of activities. I wished more time was given for networking and sightseeing.

To sum up, this year was the most challenging in my entire life, and attending to the triennial conference in Perth as a great challenge and experience.

When vultures surround you, refuse to die – Nigerian proverb

Wise Woman – a forward by Adenike Abidoye
Firstarc_engineer@yahoo.com

Subject: It's a wife's job to listen to her husband...

There was a man who had worked all of his life and had saved all of his money. He was a real miser when it came to his money. He loved money more than just about anything, and just before he died, he said to his wife, "Now listen, when I die, I want you to take all my money and place it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the afterlife. So he got his wife to promise him with all her heart that when he died, she would put all the money in the casket with him.

Well, one day he died. He was stretched out in the casket;
the wife was sitting there in black next to her closest friend. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, "Wait just a minute!" She had a shoe box with her; she came over with the box and placed it in the casket.
Then the undertakers locked the casket down and rolled it away. Her friend said, "I hope you weren't crazy enough to put all that money in the casket." She said, "Yes, I promised. I'm a good Christian, I can't lie. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him." "You mean to tell me you put every cent of his money in the casket with him?" "I sure did," said the wife. "I got it all together, put it into my account and I wrote him a check."

Send this to every "clever female" you know!

My participation in the 28th International Federation of University Women's Conference in Perth was valuable and enlightening. I would like to thank the Office of Multicultural Interests, Australia, who sponsored my registration for the wonderful opportunity to attend such a relevant and interesting meeting with a poignant focus on "Humanising Globalisation".

The experience of meeting women from many countries with very different experiences was stimulating and broadened my awareness and understanding of the major problems facing women and girls in our world today. In particular I was interested to learn more about the socioeconomic impact of globilisation on third world countries.

At the UNICEF workshop, women from undeveloped countries, UNGEI, discussed the major problems and underlying barriers to women receiving education in their countries. Women from developed countries were then given the opportunity to discuss with them strategies for advocacy and aid to help emancipate women and children from this future. Poverty, culture and the failure of governments were identified as major obstacles. It was the opinion of the women from the undeveloped countries represented that "grass-roots" assistance was the most effective avenue for aid whilst there is corruption in and failure of government in their countries.
At present my branch, AFUW(WA), is planning a meeting for the new year as part of our series to raise awareness of the plight of girls in poverty who are not able to access even the most basic education and who are at risk, most horrendously this includes human trafficking. Any money raised by this evening will be donated to help women and girls in Nigeria at grass-roots level.*

One of the significant objectives of the conference was to determine the Resolutions of the meeting that will serve as guidelines and goals for advocacy and activity for the coming three years. Prior to the conference I had taken part in looking over the proposed resolutions to provide a Western Australian response for the Australian-wide meeting in Canberra.

At the conference it was interesting to attend the resolution discussions sessions with the countries that had proposed them to see how the proposed resolutions evolved with input from other nations.

Extending friendship and hospitality provided a great opportunity for me to get to know other IFUW members and young members. I was delighted that many of the young members came over one evening to my home and we exchanged cultural songs, our personal experiences in our home countries and our ambitions as young women.

I also introduced them to some Australian culinary icons; lamingtons (spounge cake dipped in chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut), timtams (a chocolate coated biscuit with praline filling), cheezels (crisp cheese rings), and pavlova (a big soft meringue cake with a crispy crust, covered in cream and fresh fruit).

It was also a great pleasure to show members around our city, the beautiful King's Park gardens with the spring wildflowers beginning to bloom, the lovely University of Western Australia campus grounds and our beloved white sandy Cottesloe beach.

I was also inspired during the conference by many of my fellow AFUW members and IFUW members who worked tirelessly to make the conference a success. I was very grateful to them for all their effort, time and commitment.

During the conference I realised how important and relevant IFUW is to women in my community, women of the world and to me. I made many wonderful friends during the conference and learnt many great things that will add value to my life (including how best to carry around my baby ...although I think I will need to find a nice partner first!

I hope I make it to Manchester in 2007 and see you all there! Take care and watch out for Bunyips!

He who didn’t remember where the rain drenched him won’t remember where the sun dried him – Nigerian proverb

Keep Compassion Alive a poem by Ada Iwunze
iwunzea2001@yahoo.com

Together we remained
Stronger we became

Sunshine came in midnight
Compassion smiled on us

Years went by and by…
Compassion changed my life

For all those children without hope
Immortal; must compassion remain

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent – Eleanor Roosevelt

Editor’s note: Money does not cause pain and suffering, etc. Money does not cause anything. The love of money however, is the root of all evil. Money is a tool. If regarded as such, it is a useful tool!

Money makes a good servant but a terrible master – Creflo Dollar

Advice for Women - A forward (Joke)

1. Don't imagine you can change a man unless he's in
   diapers.
2. What do you do if your boyfriend walks-out? You
   shut the door.
3. If they put a man on the moon -- they should be
   able to put them all up there.
4. Never let your man's mind wander -- it's too little
   to be out alone.
5. Go for younger men. You might as well, they never
   mature anyway.
6. Men are all the same -- they just have different
   faces, so that you can tell them apart.
7. Definition of a bachelor: a man who has missed the
   opportunity to make some woman miserable.
8. Women don't make fools of men -- most of them are the do-it-yourself types.
9. The best way to get a man to do something is to
   suggest he is too old for it.
10. Love is blind, but marriage is a real eye-opener.
11. If you want a committed man, look in a mental
    hospital.
12. If he asks what sort of books you're interested
    in, tell him checkbooks.
13. Remember a sense of humor does not mean
    that you tell him jokes it means that you laugh at his.
14. Sadly, all men are created equal.

Worse than a quitter is the man who is afraid to begin – John l. Mason

If everybody in the world says they want peace, how come we still sell guns? Somebody must be lying – Joan Brooklyn

Thanksgiving time again – Editorial (Dedicated to the blessed memory of Mrs Rintoul)

It’s November 25, 2004, thanksgiving time in the United States of America, and my mother’s birthday. I am always grateful to my mother and eternally grateful to God for giving her to me as a mother. I would not trade her for the whole world! Her name is Mosebolatan Fawole-Ketiku She is an active member of NAUW Ikeja Branch and an advisor to our executive board. Her wisdom has helped us sustain our projects and we are indebted to her for her continued kindness.

I have had cause to call many IFUW members (both locally in Ikeja, nationally in Nigeria and internationally) that I have met mothers because of their motherliness (that nurturing, sweet, caring attitude).

It saddened me to learn during the conference that one of such mothers, Mrs Rintoul, the mother of our current President, Mrs Griselda Kenyon, had passed away. I am grateful to have known her while she was alive. I spent a weekend in her home while attending a conference at Edinburgh, Scotland. She made me the best homemade mayonnaise and scotch-egg I have ever tasted!

One of the rare advantages of being an IFUW member is international friendship. There is always an opportunity to enjoy diverse cultures. Our founders had such a noble vision.

Indeed motherhood is a blessing! It changes one’s whole perspective about life! Since I became one, I have been nesting! Three mothers attended the conference with their babies and we have tons of stories to tell).Parenthood is forever on while we exist on earth. I pray daily and follow God’s plan (as I know it) to be an effective mother.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is a young member?
An IFUW member aged 40 years
and below (45 years and below
for members in Africa).

How can I join IFUW?
Simply by completing an application. One can become a member through a national federation (NFAs) or one can join independently. Criterium is possession of a first baccalaureate degree.

How do I become an editor of the Newsletter?
By volunteering. Write the current editor and state your desire. You will be placed on the list of editors-to-be.

How long is the editorship term for?
Three years maximum

What materials are used in the newsletter?
Any material is acceptable. Feel free to share your thoughts with other young members.

Young members having fun at the farewell dinner

Love God, yourself and others. Keep it in that order and enjoy life; you only live once - Derbrah