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Feminism fundamentally involves the work of identifying and amending gaps. Feminist theory takes on the task of identifying gaps in hegemonic discourse and gaps that result in processes of knowledge production. Specifically, feminist theorists identify moments in which women's voices and experiences are ignored and highlight the ways in which epistemological assumptions obscure how knowledge is produced in patriarchal institutions and through gendered processes. Similarly, much of the work of feminist organizations is devoted to the task of bridging gaps that characterize women's lives. The following organizations are devoted to the work of amending gaps—gaps between women working in the informal and formal economies, gaps between women in areas characterized by war and women in conflict free zones, and gaps between incarcerated and free women. The work of these organizations signals the multiple ways in which feminism must continue to be attentive to the variety of gaps that shape women's lives.

Do you discuss the work of these or other organizations focused on the needs of women in your classes? Have you incorporated participation with feminist organizations and networks into your curriculum? Do you use materials produced by feminist organizations in your classroom? Do you have an idea about how to amend feminist gaps? If so, please consider submitting a Teaching Note to tell us about it. See the Call for Teaching Notes following this column for more information.

Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WEIGO)

Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WEIGO) is a global research-policy network that seeks to improve the status of working poor women in the informal economy. According to WEIGO's website, the informal economy describes a large share of the global workforce characterized by part-time, unstable, and unprotected employment. Informal work includes work accomplished by employees of informal enterprises, unpaid family workers, and many self-employed women. Visible examples of occupation groups comprising the informal economy include street vendors in New York City, rickshaw pullers in Kolkata, and roadside barbers in Durban. Less visible is the informal work accomplished by furniture makers, weavers, and recyclers. WEIGO estimates that one-third to one-half of all non-agricultural work in the developing world is accomplished by informal employment. If agricultural jobs are taken into account, the percentage of jobs in the informal economy increases. Women are particularly susceptible to the risks associated with informal employment. Sixty percent of women's labor in the developing world exists in the informal economy. Through research highlighting the size, composition, characteristics, and contributions of the informal economy, WEIGO provides information that illustrates the problems experienced by women working in the informal sector. In addition, WEIGO assists in collective organizing by informal workers and promotes policy dialogues that include representatives of informal worker organizations. For more information about women's work in the informal economy or to learn more about WEIGO, go to <http://www.wiego.org>. The website includes links to academic centers working on research and developing programming related to the informal economy.

Women for Women International

Women for Women International helps women in war-torn regions rebuild their lives by providing financial and emotional support; job skills training; rights awareness; leadership education; and access to business skills, capital, and markets. The program is built on the premise that women experiencing war and violence need support to prepare for their lives post-conflict. As Zainab Salbi, the president and CEO of Women for Women International, explains in the introduction to her book The Other Side of War, "War is not a computer-generated missile striking a digital map. War is the color of earth as it explodes in our faces, the sound of child pleading, the smell of smoke and fear. Women survivors of war are not the single image portrayed on the television screen, but the glue that holds families and countries together. Perhaps by understanding women, and the other side of war . . . we will have more humility in our discussions of wars . . . perhaps it is time to listen to women's side of history."

Women for Women International attempts to understand the experience of women in war-torn regions and to empower women...