THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 16, 1995 TAG: 9509160259
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
There's plenty for Mona Danner to remember about her trip to China last week. Being one of 30,000 women to attend an international conference on women's issues was heady enough. Listening to the mingling of French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian as these women explored the topics was exhilarating.
But one of her most vivid memories is that of some temporary steps built from concrete blocks.
``There were these blocks in front of some of the buildings, and they crumbled with all of the traffic and the rain,'' said Danner, an assistant professor in the department of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University.
``And there were women with wheelchairs trying to get over this rubble. And they did. It was that willingness to continue talking, those hassles that didn't stop anybody. Women kept on going. It was wonderful.''
Danner made the trek to Beijing as a part of the United Nations Non-Governmental Organizations Forum, which was held from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8. It was part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, which began Sept. 4 and ended Friday.
The NGO forum included workshops, films and displays on everything from becoming an entrepreneur to learning to ``love your body.''
Danner is a member of the non-governmental organization, Sociologists for Women in Society, and made the trip as a panel presenter. She and a sociologist from American University talked to a group of 70 women about the problems her organization faces in collecting international data on women's issues.
``Much of the work women do is not counted. Child care and home maintenance are not counted,'' Danner said. ``The official definitions have a Western or Northern bias that doesn't apply to the South or countries once considered Third World countries. Only work in the formal marketplace is counted as a job.''
Danner said the world needs to recognize the crucial roles women have in and outside the home in order for developing countries to achieve their full potential.
``If you want to improve people's lives you need to look at who's doing the work, know what they need to do the job better,'' Danner said.
``In many countries women do the farming, harvest it and take it to market. So if you look at how to improve things you need to talk to the women.''
Danner said the conference had its tense points. Political demonstrations over issues as diverse as the war in Bosnia and reproductive rights kept the forum lively.
But discord won't be the only memory she'll keep.
``The incredible strength, resilience, determination and wisdom of women around the world was beautiful,'' Danner said. ``It was an incredibly powerful experience.'' MEMO: Mona Danner will hold a discussion and a slide presentation on the NGO
Forum, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 921 in the Batten Arts and
Letters building at ODU. The event will be free and open to the public
For information, call 683-5931.
ILLUSTRATION: TAMARA VONINSKI
Staff
U.N. CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
Mona Danner, an assistant professor in the department of sociology
and criminal justice at ODU, attended the non-governmental women's
forum in China. by CNB