Creating Space: An Experience of Gender product reviews

Writing a book about your own accomplishments presents a unique challenge. A biographer documenting your life and work has a much more straightforward task; praise can be given when appropriate without the risk of making the subject appear self-important or showy. To write your own story means striking a balance between fact and personal pride, avoiding too many "I" statements, and constantly acknowledging the support and contribution of other people. In Creating Space, Jane Prichard has successfully managed this. Everything she has achieved has been done through the combination of her own vision and tenacity with those of a dedicated team of workers.

I found the subject matter fascinating; once gains have been embedded in society, it is difficult to remember a time when things were not so equitable. When we consider the status quo in other countries, it is easier to recognise the advantages we have in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our country has led the way in many human rights issues, either independently or in tandem with other countries. At school we were taught that our country was the first to give women the vote. Jane Prichard's journey to becoming a leading advocate for women here and worldwide did not begin when she was a young, passionate student; she was over 50 when she was persuaded to take on a key role as a motivational leader and organiser.

Once in the role, she moved from local to national and finally to international involvement as her interest and drive continued to grow. There were gaps between official systems where challenges still had to be faced; these gaps, the "spaces" that needed to be created, were the areas that Jane aimed to address. NGOs (non-governmental organisations) were the groups that could fit in alongside those already established; given that her work was inspired by the desire to advance the equality of women and girls to the level of that enjoyed by their menfolk, this became her focus. True gender equality would not be achieved in Aotearoa and worldwide until any barriers to equal opportunities for participation were removed for all women, irrespective of race, sexual orientation, or disability.

Jane's initial inspiration came from the 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing. She refers to this conference and its Platform for Action constantly throughout the book. Although she attended as an observer by right of her role as the national president of the APW (Association of Presbyterian Women), the very fact that the APW had a representation at all meant that the group had its foot firmly in the door. On her return home, she worked with colleagues to establish Bridgebuilders - an action group not only for Presbyterian women, but for all. Its aim was to establish and nurture connections within and beyond Aotearoa, working towards enhancing human rights for everyone. It would prioritise the needs of marginalised groups including, of course, women and girls.

Following the successful launch of Bridgebuilders, Jane went on to work within other groups, sometimes as a member, at other times as a leader, but always with the aim of empowering others so she could eventually step back and move on to other positions. Within her book she describes how various initiatives were mooted and then implemented. Her reports provide an insight into the processes around this work. I was especially interested in her views on fundraising - far removed from Jam, Jerusalem, and Home Baking! Her rejection of time-wasting initiatives beloved of many groups is a refreshing take on the concept of amassing funds through other avenues. I could not agree more; I have done my share of "fundraising" in my time and it invariably caused immense frustration and the realisation that there was a lot of work for very little return.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, there are a couple of additions I would like to see included in future editions. The list of abbreviations and acronyms at the beginning is invaluable, as is the list of websites at the end. Additional references are included as page footers, useful when the reader wants to expand their understanding of an issue. Many of the people who worked on one or more of Jane Prichard's initiatives with her or under her leadership are mentioned in the text, but it would be useful to have included an index of names at the end so that individuals could be quickly referenced - especially when they were involved in more than one enterprise. The other item I would like to see included as another appendix would be the text of Joy Cowley's "The Bridge". The reference to it as the summing up of the Bridgebuilders' philosophy was lost on me as I am familiar with most of Cowley's works, but not this particular poem. I had to stop reading momentarily so I could look it up!

In conjunction with her work on gender equity for all, Jane Prichard has also been an advocate for self-sufficiency and ecological awareness. The arguments are timely; she writes about the impact of COVID-19 and its effect on world communications, outlining some of the ways in which connections could be preserved through modern technology. Environmental sustainability is a vital aspect of her world view: she maintains that short-term solutions are often doomed to fail. Education, an environment free from the threat of war, and the availability of basic resources such as water are all essential for the protection of human rights - and the groups she has been involved in (PWWNZ, APRC, Bridgebuilders, etc) have all included these aspects in different ways. There is still much work to be done, but her involvement has achieved much in the years since she first agreed to become a leader of women. Her long term aim is to encourage more and more young women activists to join various groups so that their voices continue to be heard and the future existence of these groups is assured.