Top 7 Most Interesting Parts Of This Women's Land Dissertation

Women's Lands Studied In The United States

This dissertation on women's land was completed in 2020. You can find the full text available to read here.

The full title of this dissertation is "Making Community in the Wilderness: A Case Study of Women’s Land’s Throughout the United States" by Katherine Elizabeth Ruth Ayers.

Women's lands are an understudied part of American niche movements. While there are a handful of women's lands outside the United States, the majority of them were founded in the United States. The women's lands that still exist and are currently operating as of 2023 are also largely located in the United States (and you can find them and reach out to them directly to inquire about visiting here.)

Since women's lands are so understudied, I was really excited to find Ayer's dissertation! It's an excellent work and worth reading on its own, however, I've pulled out my seven favorite moments from this paper on women's land.

My first favorite moment is noting how the researcher makes sure to do some chores or participate on events on each women's land, so as not to come off like she's only there to take.

1. Giving Back To Build Rapport

 

Ayers describes how she helped out in these intentional women's communities to build rapport

One of the things that has touched me personally about women's lands is realizing that the community is seen as an ecosystem. Each women is seen as responsible for cleaning up after themself and helping other women out as they can. Upon moving to women's land, I quickly noticed other women were looking out for small things they could help me out with.

2. Women-Centered Books, Art & Music

I was really charmed by this description of the common areas in many of the women's lands Ayers visited. It mirrored my own experiences spending time at several of the women's lands I've visited. It almost felt like there was something familiar in the poetry other women had written that I found on display there. I also found rare recordings of women's music, including real tapes of Alix Dobkin, Sinead O'Connor and Cris Williamson playing live in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

3. Reciprocity On Women's Land

I thought this was a wonderful, concise description of what living on women's land can be like. While many women's lands would love to be disability-friendly, many are not, because they were built with limited resources.

While you can ask women for help, you also need to give back. You can't always be taking. And you shouldn't always be giving, either.

 

4. Aging With Help From Friends

Women's lands are nearly always lesbian-majority spaces. While I think heterosexual people, ideally, would be getting just as much support from their partner, I was gratified to see that care from friends or chosen family was shown to rival traditional amounts of care for the older gay men and lesbians in this 1998 study cited.

Ayers also discusses a cycle from other studies where a circle of gay or lesbian friends can often only take support so far for an aging or ailing friend. Therefore, women's lands should plan ahead to accommodate various types of disabilities and health needs that may develop as women age.

 

5. Seeing Each Other As Equals Vs. Helping Each Other

Here's a fascinating analysis of the friction that arises when women who value seeing each other as equals find themselves needing help.

A similar analysis of women's communities can be found in Carolyn Gage's sermon, Symbiosis Vs. Toxic Self-Sufficiency. This is a very interesting 20-minute listen and I definitely recommend it for anyone who finds themselves being too much of a perfectionist or struggling to ask for help (even when you really need it).

Description of this 20-minute sermon on toxic self-sufficiency

 

6. Younger Women Coming Back To Women's Lands

Loved this mention of young women coming back to the land

Ayers notes that she observed an uptick of young women in their 20s attending women's festivals who told her they visited women's land frequently. It's also noted that these women haven't moved onto the lands, including discussion as to why.

During her visits to the land, Ayers notes that ageism was brought up as a potential reason women's lands have remained largely undiscovered as of yet by the 20-something population. But I wonder if it's possible that many young women who are interested in women's land are intimidated or afraid of imposing on older women. Further, many young women have never heard of women's land, and certainly wouldn't know how to find one or contact them about a visit.

7. Easter Egg About Remote Work

I really enjoyed this passage because it reminded me that the data for this dissertation was collected in 2018 and the final work was published in 2020. Who could have predicted that the pandemic would tear the world apart, normalize remote work, and completely reshuffle the workforce?

Now that remote work has become widely mainstream, moving to women's land is a significantly more viable option for a younger woman in her 20s looking for inexpensive rent and a sense of belonging.

Read The Full Paper

If you'd like to read the whole dissertation, you can find it here. It's not paywalled and is available to the public as a PDF.

 

Find Women's Land In Your State

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.