Are Women's Lands Intentional Communities?

 Intentional Community For Women In 2023

Women's lands are communities, usually in a rural area, that center women and (as a rule) do not allow men. 

The idea behind women's land is focusing women's energy primarily toward each other. 

How Women's Lands Start

Women's lands are typically started with intention. A woman or group of women wanted to intentionally create women's community and made the plans to do it.  

Usually, these founders have visited women's land before and are familiar with women's culture. 

Are Women's Lands Legal Entities?

It really depends. Some women's land are structured as a non-profit, or a corporation, or as property privately-owned by an individual. 

Some women's lands set up a land trust, which is a legal entity women can set up to 'own' the property instead of an individual. 

Some women's lands require you to pay membership dues if you want to be a part of the community on a permanent basis, as opposed to renting short-term or just visiting women's land.   

Ultimately, how the legal entity for each women's land is structured is typically decided intentionally, too. Women who found women's lands do their best to project into the future and anticipate which legal structure will best suit the community for the next several decades. 

Is Women's Culture Intentional?

Obviously, women's culture means many things to different women. 

In the context of women's land, women's culture tends to be very intentional.

It's important to many women who live on women's land to intentionally hold space for women in the community. When living on women's land, you may find yourself noticing other women asking how you are and actually meaning it.  

Another intentional aspect of women's community is taking the time to consider other women's needs. For instance, a woman who is responsible for mowing the grass around your cabin may warn you beforehand in case you have a Zoom meeting for work that her mowing will disturb. There certainly can be a sense of mental load lifting when you realize that other women are thinking about what you may need. 

Women on women's land also tend to be intentional about sharing anything extra with the community. If a woman has extra food, like pastries or vegetables, she's liable to give or lend it to other women. If she has an extra bicycle or a car, she might be willing to loan it to other women, usually with a few conditions about taking care of it or keeping the tank full. 

This also goes for intentionally loaning or borrowing tools. If you live on women's land and there's something you need but don't have, like a spare tie, haircutting machine, power drill or a few cloves of garlic, you can often find another woman you can borrow it from.   

Living on women's land isn't easy, but it can be incredibly fulfilling. Women who choose to live on women's land are often very intentional in the rest of their lives, too. Many of these women value holding space for each other and creating lives where they are thriving, rather than just being. 

Moving to women's land also isn't the same as renting in an apartment building. You'll become part of a community of women who are intentionally investing in themselves and each other. 

Women's Culture Isn't Primarily Written

You can read everything there is to 'know' about women's culture, but to really know about it, you'll need to visit a women's land. 

Women's culture is an oral tradition. While books have been published on women's lands, the marrow of this knowledge is transferred through speech between generations of older and younger women. 

Women In Nature

Most women's lands have a strong focus on intentionally spending time in nature. 

In fact, this focus on intentionally being in nature is often built into the design of the property itself. Most women's lands are located on beautiful properties, sometimes with amazing views. 

Many women's lands are structured around having several separate structures to 'force' you outside and into nature. You may find yourself needing to go outside for water to wash your dishes, or to do your laundry in the communal laundry house. Showers may be located outside your dwelling, as opposed to inside.  

Many of women's lands are intentionally more rural or off the beaten path, for solitude, privacy and being able to commune with nature. 

Women's lands often hold intentional ceremonies or ritual gatherings to celebrate the equinoxes associated with the turns of the season. 

Intentional Co-Living With Women

Co-living is choosing to intentionally live with other adults. It typically means rejecting the idea that living alone is always better, or always desirable. Many people who co-live with each other have realized that it's better for them to live in community. They feel more supported and less socially isolated in a community of women. 

How Do Women's Lands Deal With Conflict?

All kinds of interpersonal conflicts happen on women's lands. One woman may feel she's doing more than her share of chores, another woman may be always starting fights, another may want to bring her dog against objections of other community members.  

Women's lands anticipate conflict will arise when living together, and form intentional methods of conflict resolution. 

One common method of conflict resolution on women's land is consensus-based decision making. Conflicts are raised to the group in-person, and the group discusses it until a solution is generated that everyone is okay with. 

The problem with consensus-based decision making can be boiled down to: What happens when it's impossible to reach a consensus, i.e., when there's no solution everyone can agree to? Women's lands using consensus-based decision making should have a backup solution for conflict resolution for when the former doesn't solve the conflict. 

Where Can I Read More About Women's Lands And Women's Culture?

A really good place to start are by reading the journals of Juana Maria Paz, titled Luna De La Luz. It's very hard to find a digital copy, but I hope to make one available in this space at some point. 

Another amazing book is Lesbian Lands by Joyce Cheney. This book is also super hard to get your hands on. I'm hoping the author may make a digital copy available at some point, and if she does, I will update this blog post. 

How Do I Find Intentional Women's Lands Near Me?

Women's lands are notoriously hard to find. However, there are about 50 intentional women's communities scattered around the United States as of 2023. 

To find women's land near you, visit the women's land map. Reach out directly to the women's land in your area, or in an area you'll be travelling to, for more info about how you can visit. Expect to undergo a vetting process that can be as quick as a phone call or as extensive as an in-person meetup.  

If you are a lesbian in the United States, or a woman of any sexual orientation who wants to learn more about women's lands near you, email findwomensland at gmail dot com to get information about women's lands in your local area.