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ian National Women’s League. This position is made known during conferences, on posters, in lectures and in hundreds of articles. Where did these slogans come from — women, fight illiteracy, women, start up child ren’s pre-schools, women, take up membership in polit ical parties, women, vote — if not from UNWL. Who prepares the Ukrainian women to take part in commun ity activities, who mobilizes their strengths, activates their energies, if not a women’s organization. All the efforts pertaining to the general welfare and needs of our nation always found the most vital response in women’s organizations. Their members are the most active in all community work, because we never said that women’s organizations provide the only opportun ity for women to be active or that participation in such organizations frees us from other community activities. In the women’s movement’s programs our position was such: a separate, non-partisan organization but concur rent participation in various community groups and pol itical parties; a separate organization in order to reedu cate masses of women towards the woman’s role in the national struggle for independence; work in organiza tions and political parties side by side with men, because this is the way through which the Ukrainian woman can influence reality. How do the antagonists of separate women’s organizations explain the fact that for decades general organizations were not able to bring women into community activity. Even today, can the Ukrainian woman, a woman from the village become active in community life without the help of a women’s organiza tion? Egotism is another stone hurled at the Ukrainian women’s movement. The movement was never egotistic, catering to some narrow women’s interests. Primarily, we always stressed responsibility, not rights. When we demanded rights it was because we firmly believed that without them we could not become active and useful as citizens. These rights were always for the common good, to better serve our nation. We believe firmly that our service is necessary and that our people cannot do without it. Service to the nation — this was and is the only leading idea of the Ukrainian women’s movement, from which the movement draws its reasons for being. How strange is the reproach of egotism from the lips of men who resolve all questions from the stand point of self interest, who apply the objectives of good, justice, and morality only to themselves, forgetting about the other half of the human race. Totally untrue is the blame of “internationalism” placed on us, because there never was and will never be another women’s movement which has drawn its strength from the idea of Ukrainian nationalism to such a great degree as the Ukrainian women’s movement. While from one side we are accused of non-nationalistic tendencies — it is said that Ukrainian feminism is feministic and not Ukrainian — then at the same time others charge that Ukrainian women’s organizations are only concerned with matters of the nation, and forsake women’s bus iness. None of these are right. In Ukrainian women’s orga nizations there was and is a balance between the two ideas which form the basis of their activities: a balance between the national idea and a women’s movement. The women’s movement is not blindly copying men, as some may perceiveit. It is not a movement to make women similar to men. On the contrary, the leading thought in the women’s movement was to realize the dif ference in the women’s spiritual structure and to enrich the human culture with its treasures. Hence, the women’s movement directs each woman to travel her own path and not to be a satellite of a man. We do not want to copy men, to copy their genius, their heroism, nor do we want to repeat their nonsense nor their crimes. We want to be ourselves. Perhaps we don’t know how to rule the world any better than men, but we think that the state in which it is now is nothing to be proud of. We are convinced that the work women are prepared to do will benefit the community, but only when it expresses our own individuality. We should also be careful about the insinuations that the Ukrainian women’s movement preaches a “phi losophical emancipation” and calls for a sexual libera tion for women. When the women’s movement demanded equality in sexual morality, it was never to drag the women down to the level of men. Indeed, it was to bring the men up to the level of women. We have understood the concept of equal morality to mean equal responsibil ity of men and women for the number and quality of the new generation, for the health, strength and education of our children. Therefore, the women’s movement can not accept the blame for the decline in morality. Women did not create our social order where women and youth are objects of bargains in the government-sanctioned prostitution. Who fought these wrongs established by men if not the women’s movement? Women are also not responsible for the social and economic conditions which lead to the decline of family life. The women’s movement was and is one of the most disciplined and ethically directed movements known to mankind. The Ukrainian women’s movement as well always was and always wants to be the propagator of the highest ethic standards. We know that “as the river cannot rise above its source, so our nation cannot rise higher than the standards adhered to by its women.” We are aware that Ukrainian women are the keepers of the highest ethical treasures of our nation. The accusation that we are responsible for the decline of family life is the worst kind of smear thrown at the women’s movement. The movement has always dignified the responsibilities of mothers and was the first to demand protection and aid from the government for mothers and children. ’’НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, БЕРЕЗЕНЬ 1993 23
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