Waste as a feminist issue

John Wilkes of New York Polytechnical Institute speaking to the American Sociological Association reports that a review of more than 100 studies indicates that the mean support level for nuclear power is 65 percent for men and 45 percent for women. Data from Europe and Canada show the sex differential holds cross-culturally as well. What does this have to do with the waste issue. A great deal. In the nuclear arena women's concerns go beyond images of explosion and nuclear warfare and are centered more on the long-term effects of radiation. According to Kaspersian of Clark University when a group was given the word radiation and asked to free associate, 2/3 of those who responded with the word ''disease'' were women. In their role as nurturers and caretakers of life women feel a special responsibility to oppose life-threatening technologies that could cause potential special effects to women and in future generations