Feminist Principles
  The Feminist Principle of Consultation

The Feminist Principle of Consultation


The feminist principle of consultation is necessary to building and maintaining connections to the women we work for and with in our equality-seeking organizations. Within the feminist movement, women and organizations work collaboratively to share information, ideas and strategies in our common efforts. By continuously consulting
with others, we inform ourselves, our organizations and our communities about issues affecting women’s social, legal, political, economic and cultural equality.

The feminist principle of consultation means working collaboratively, seeking guidance and sharing information to develop strategies and actions to advance women’s equality.

Through the feminist practice of consultation women, organizations and communities can deepen our understanding of historical and existing barriers to women’s equality. From this shared understanding we develop collective strategies to overcome these barriers. Our power to make change as feminists is rooted within our
collective information, analysis, skills and actions.

As feminists, we recognize the value and necessity of consulting with others if policies, programs, practices, services and legislation are to include a diversity of women’s views and experiences. We may tend to think of consultation in the traditional sense, as an “official” process undertaken by governments and institutions. Perhaps
we have had negative experiences of consultations, where our concerns and recommendations have been minimized, or we have not been informed of the outcomes. Mainstream consultation processes can often be exclusionary. For example, we may participate in a consultation expecting to share our gender inclusive analysis, only to find that we have been invited as token participants to give the appearance of inclusion. The consultants may claim that our concerns as women have been heard and addressed, even though our recommendations have been omitted from the final policy. We may experience a different scenario, where our analysis is reflected in the policy but that policy is not put into practice. As feminists, we must continue to bring our recommendations forward and insist they be included and acted upon.

As members of equality-seeking organizations, we work through feminist principles, practices and processes in keeping with our basis of unity. This means, despite the challenges, we must continue to find ways of consulting in order to effectively deliver services and advocate on behalf of women. It is important to reflect upon how we hear and address issues, and how we represent our organization to the community. In the feminist practice of consultation, we create opportunities to examine and improve our organizational processes, and to continuously consult with other members in making decisions and sharing information, ideas and strategies. We also create opportunities to draw upon the knowledge and experience of other women and organizations within our community.

For example, we may learn from women who use our services that an issue in our area is eating disorders. As an equality-seeking organization, we first need an internal process to inform ourselves about this issue. We need to decide whether we should take on this issue, and if we do take it on, how we will address it in our service or advocacy work. In the feminist practice of consultation we consult within our organization, and then consider whom else we need to talk to within our community. We may consult with young women who are experiencing eating disorders, professionals, community groups and others who are interested in or affected by eating disorders. By consulting within our organization and community, we may develop informed strategies and actions to address the issue.

Given the geographical and economic realities of many equality-seeking organizations, it is challenging to consult with women and groups outside our immediate community. This is particularly true of large rural and remote areas, where transportation, resources and accessibility often present barriers. As equality-seeking organizations, we create and use many strategies to overcome these challenges. Where possible, we consult face-to-face through meetings, workshops, focus groups, or conferences. When we cannot meet in person to share information and strategies, we communicate by mail, email, listserv, telephone, conference calls or videoconferencing.

As feminists, we constantly look for ways to consult with as many women as possible in our quest for equality and inclusion. By collaborating in our efforts, we create opportunities to share strategies, skills, and information with other women and equality-seeking organizations. Together, we have the power to advance women’s social, legal, political, economic and cultural equality.

source: PACSW pdf document (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

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Page last updated July 20, 2003