Relationships, Power and Emotion in Feminist Organisations (Report‪)‬

Introduction For over forty years feminist women have come together in women-only, social service organisations to support, empower, and advocate for women who are disadvantaged and oppressed by partners, families, other mainstream organisations and wider social structures. Women working in these organisations have attempted to model alternative ways of structuring and managing such organisations and of providing social welfare services. They have pursued these alternative goals by exploring different ways of working with each other and with the women who use the services. This paper explores some of the issues that have arisen for feminist women in their attempts to pursue these goals. It focuses particularly on the emotional and relational aspects of work in feminist organisations highlighting women's understanding of their relationships with other women as important dynamics in their organisational experiences. The analysis draws on research with women who work in feminist social welfare organisations providing a range of social welfare services to women and their children who need assistance and support because of violence, homelessness, poverty and /or other forms of exclusion and oppression. The voices of women workers are used to highlight the complexities and intricacies of organisational practice that both mar and enhance feminist women's relationships with each other.