Access to the words and ideas of women has been viewed as one of the ways women's lives could be enriched, changed, and improved. In this way, the feminist movement has assumed the ability to read - made an assumption of literacy. Though feminists claim a movement for all women, we have forgotten or failed to notice that in the United States, an estimated twenty-three percent of all adult females have severely limited literacy skills, compared to seventeen percent of males.
Literacy brings with it both opportunity and personal enrichment - possibility and power.
All women should be able to access the writings of women on the wide range of issues and topics concerning us - including women who struggle with reading. All women, regardless of reading skill, should be able to access the writings that bring to voice and visibility the life experiences of those who have traditionally been silenced and hidden. It is my opinion that as feminist writings have moved from the places of activism to the places of academia, feminism in written format has become not only more prevalent but also more difficult to understand - even obtuse. This not only makes feminist theory inaccessible to those women with limited reading skills, but perhaps even irrelevant. As I have talked with learning center coordinators and adult educators, I've learned these materials are scarce but also desired.