Orange County Voices : COMMENTARY ON WOMEN’S CONFERENCE : Some Issues Voiced at U.N. Forum Resonate in Orange County : A more equal partnership with men strengthens the family and creates an enriched society in every way.

Before leaving for Beijing, I was surprised by criticism that the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women was poised to destroy the family. I wondered to myself how equality for women, better education and health care, and more participation in government by women could do that.

Now that I have returned from Beijing, where I attended the Non-Governmental Organizations Forum on Women, I am even more convinced that a more equal partnership with men strengthens the family and creates an enriched society in every way.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the democracy leader in Myanmar who was recently released from six years of house arrest, told us that first day via videotape: “In societies where men are truly confident, women are not merely tolerated, they are valued for being broad-minded and having vision, listened to with respect and given their rightful place in society.”

Several other speakers emphasized that economic and psychological insecurity are the root causes of conservatism, anti-immigrant and anti-affirmative action positions. Madeleine Albright, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said: “The truth is that repression and coercion, whether it be at the national level or between men and women, are symptoms not of strength but of insecurity. They must be rejected because they diminish us all and will never succeed.”

The conference produced feelings of empowerment. We are in this together, we women-of-the-world in our multicolored costumes and speaking our various languages. (Actually the Americans and Europeans looked fairly drab and casual compared to women from the rest of the world in their silk saris, flowing caftans or dramatic headgear.)

Before leaving for Beijing, I planned to concentrate on the issue of domestic violence. For purposes of comparison, I did some research and discovered that Orange County has four major shelters for victims of domestic violence with about 146 beds and that 400 to 500 restraining orders are filed each month. In this area, Orange County is probably not too dissimilar from other counties and states, and compared to other nations, scores well.

Unfortunately, there is a growing need here for long-term rehabilitation. Several shelters indicated that there is almost always a waiting list. Women remain in abusive relationships for reasons of economic and emotional dependency, childhood experiences, fear, isolation or low self-esteem.

Many nations have laws on the books to protect women from domestic violence but they are not enforced. Still more countries have no laws at all. The 1985 U.N. World Conference on Women in Nairobi was the first instance in which domestic violence was mentioned at an international forum--asserting its pervasive existence and governments’ responsibility to protect women from violence.

Gradually, the pattern emerged that in countries where women played an active role in government, those governments enacted not only policies that protect women, but also provisions for adequate child care, maternity leave, equal pay for equal work and better health care.

One of the members of my group, Dr. Mary Spear, an assistant professor at Nebraska Wesleyan University, conducted research and a workshop on this subject, and discovered a direct correlation between women’s political representation and progressive social policies. Not surprisingly, the Scandinavian countries scored high. South Africa ranked next (women make up almost one-third of the legislature there), followed by Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

The United States ranked with the “average” nations. We have only to look at our own county to see an example of this: Two women Assembly members, no women state senators, one woman on the Board of Supervisors, eight female mayors out of 31 cities, and slightly better representation on city councils, 49 out of a total of 161. Our state looks better with two women U.S. senators, but nationally women hold only 8% of the Senate seats and roughly 10% of the House of Representatives. Pennsylvania includes no women in its congressional delegation!

In Beijing, we heard much about the feminization of poverty (70% of the world’s poor are women), about the economic globalization based on maximizing profit by the transnational corporations rather than advancing humanitarian concerns and environmental protection, about World Bank structural adjustment policies that have the effect of limiting resources for women. I couldn’t help thinking that the bankruptcy in Orange County has brought its own kind of structural adjustment policy here with the burden of balancing the budget falling disproportionately upon health care, education and social services, primarily for women and children.

One more important benefit from the conference should be mentioned, namely, the opportunity to hear each other’s stories: A widow from Rwanda described the genocide and plight of refugees there. A Bosnian woman recounted the rapes by soldiers there. A woman from Thailand told about the trafficking of women and children for prostitution.

Most returning members of the Peace Corps indicate that they gained more than they gave; they learned compassion and understanding of the problems in less developed countries. It would seem beneficial to worldwide understanding if every young American could spend six months to a year in such a situation.

How to teach caring and concern to our young people? Some high schools in Orange County require community service for graduation. By contrast, as I write this, I think of the recent arrest of two Fountain Valley students in connection with the alleged harassment since April of a Latina housekeeper, who police say the students didn’t even know.

For Orange County, I think the first step in dealing with our problems lies in increased political participation by women, not domination by either men or women. Women have been coping with balancing budgets for years; let us help tackle the county budget. Let us learn from each other in mutual respect and let us not be indifferent to violence, wherever it occurs in our society.