Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, fulfilling the requirement that three-quarters of the states must approve it in order to add it to the U.S. Constitution. However, there is still a long fight in the courts or in the U.S. legislature before the ERA is added to the Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment was written in 1923 by members of the National Woman’s Party and passed by Congress in 1972. It stated that equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex. It took effect two years after the date of ratification. Alice Paul, the founder of the National Woman’s Party, proposed the Equal Rights Amendment in 1913. She studied at colleges and universities in the U.S. and Britain, and pushed American suffragists to use confrontational techniques. In 1917, she was sentenced to seven months in prison for picketing the White House. After women won the right to vote in 1920, the National Woman’s Party turned its attention to the next steps. Jessica Neuwirth, a women’s rights lawyer, and Martha Griffiths, a Michigan Congresswoman, worked to have sex discrimination added to Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Equal Rights Amendment of 1972 failed due to a seven-year deadline for ratification, which slowed to a trickle. Griffiths reintroduced the amendment the following year and it passed the House and Senate in 1972.

This week’s readings were interesting to read because of how relatable it was. When Mainardi explained how men do not truly see women, rather they criticize them if they do not fit their mold of what a woman should be whilst disregarding our existence. It’s interesting because I often hear men say that women have to deal with so much, regarding their menstrual cycle and giving childbirth but yet they still have a complex and mansplain women. Incidentally, I do believe that men could handle being a woman, I believe they would fold like a cheap suit. I also enjoyed reading about how men do not take the time to understand a women’s anatomy, they sort of just assume that our orgasm comes about the way theirs does, when in fact that female vagina is extremely complex. I found it comical when Koedt spoke about surgery to modify our female genitalia, as though it is impossible to take the time to understand but even more-so, as though it is us that are defective and not built appropriately. 

The essays by Pat Mainardi and Anne Koedt both emphasize the political nature of women’s personal experiences. Mainardi discusses how gender roles and power imbalances are reinforced by household chores, while Koedt challenges assumptions about women’s bodies and sexuality within the medical community. These essays illustrate how societal structures and power dynamics shape women’s personal experiences and can inspire political engagement. They highlight the importance of women’s personal experiences in the fight for women’s liberation. A liberated woman is free to make her own choices and pursue her own path, whether that be having children or focusing on her career. She has an equal say in the rules and responsibilities of her home, working with her partner to create a safe and fulfilling family life. A woman who fights for her happiness and surrounds herself with any type of friends she desires is a liberal woman. The significance of a liberated woman in the pursuit of women’s liberation is immense. By challenging traditional gender norms and advocating for equal rights, they demonstrate that it is possible for women to work and for men to take on household responsibilities. This shift away from traditional gender roles can also alleviate tension within the home by distributing household responsibilities equally between partners.

“The Politics of Housework” by Minardi and “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Koedt both of these played an important role in the feminist movement of the 1970s by challenging traditional gender roles and promoting the idea of gender equality. 

“The Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi argues that housework is not a personal problem for women but a political issue that reflects gender inequality and reinforces women’s role in society. Mainardi critiques the traditional family structure and argues that housework should be recognized as a form of labor that is undervalued and unpaid.

“The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne Koedt challenges the medical and cultural belief that women can only achieve orgasm through vaginal penetration by a male partner. Koedt argues that this belief is based on  assumptions about women’s sexuality and denies women the opportunity to explore and experience their own sexual pleasure. The article promotes the idea of female sexual autonomy and encourages women to speak out about their own sexual experiences and desires.

In my household I lived with my mother and sisters and we helped her cook and clean around the house. I also agree that women should speak out and do what makes them happy. 

The first recent signal hit us during the pandemic when women had to work, cook and take care of their kids. Men had no idea what to do, and women felt a strong responsibility for everything. It is happening now for the first time that we hear in the news that a woman who makes more money than her partner still does much more housework at home and helps more with kids. Why had women tattooed on their brains that they always need to do it, and it is their responsibility?
In Pat’s Mainardi “The Politics of Housework,” essay we experience a translation of a hidden language we hear. She will explain what is happening to us! She is so honest, and each of her examples is an everyday life situation proof of our social condition. Maindardi points out advertisements that brainwash us. Women constantly clean the house and look attractive with a broom or an iron. Men look friendly with cars. Women talk about kitchen equipment or cosmetics and kids, while men buy houses or go on business trips in luggage, or watch advertisements. Women are pretty and young, and men always look good, even bold or with gray hair, in any advertising.
Bold women can’t be attractive because, in current society-people usually think they have cancer! The psychology in “I don’t mind sharing the housework, but I don’t do it well or “You have to show it to me’, or “I will do the housework on my own time” is a push away tactic to put the responsibility of the household on women. It builds a structure where women are the ones who do the simple work and men do the work that brings money, builds a career and gives power. Mainardis points out that women are at the bottom, preparing comfort to rest for them. It is not fair at all that women were manipulated like that. And made themselves dependent on that and survived by obeying! There is often no Thank you for organizing a dinner, going to 3 places to get the food, carrying the heavy food, cooking, cleaning, and serving the food. After dinner, possibly the woman has to clean and organize the kitchen.
Expressing confidently by men how much they don’t like to clean suggests that they aren’t made for that, and its a degrading. The common comments about their feelings and details about the household only hide that they don’t feel entitled to do that job.
Pat Mainardi said something very extremely important at some point. Something that we can write a book about: she says that the oppressed person admires the oppressor, “glorifying the oppressor, “and wants to be like the oppressor.” The roles we live in become who we are and breaking free can be difficult. We only have one short life, and analyzing it while living being abused the right way is not easy. It takes years sometimes to break the chains! Why? “Because the oppressor holds power”, she states, and she is very right.

With today’s reading from both the articles it really showed how society generalize women. It also reminds me of my hometown and that unfortunately these things are very normal and a problem to most of them since that’s how most of our uneducated parents lived. Women in my country have traditionally been expected to stay at home and bear children. Very few are encouraged to work or start their own business.The county’s education ministry is trying to reverse the trend by adopting a gender approach in the policies of vocational training institutions.Women’s basic socio-economic rights are spelled out here, but they are not always followed through with. In most instances, men feel that they have power over their partners or co-workers based on the simple prejudice that they are not equal.

Some aspects of women’s rights have been improving, but there is still a huge discrepancy between what the law states and the reality for the Senegalian woman. Women are still viewed as second-class citizens.In my county , the traditional view of society is still a reality, which is why it is difficult for women to get a say and be more prominent in the public sector of their communities. Men are raised up and women are pushed down, but changes to this are in process.

“The Politics of Housework” by Minardi and “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Koedt are two important feminist books from the 1970s that give essential insights into women’s experiences at the time and the need for change in gender issues.

The book “The Politics of Housework” examines the burden of unpaid domestic work on women, suggesting that it is not naturally feminine but rather the result of social expectations that assign gender roles. Minardi emphasizes the importance of women challenging gender norms and men taking on equal family responsibilities.

According to “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm,” the assumption that women’s sexual pleasure is primarily obtained through vaginal penetration reflects patriarchal attitudes toward female sexuality. Women have been purposefully denied information about their own bodies and sexual pleasure, according to Koedt, to retain male control.

These two pieces share the idea of challenging gender expectations and the institutions that uphold them. The necessity for women to take charge of their lives and demand equality in all aspects of their lives, including sexual pleasure and domestic work, is also highlighted by these texts.

This week’s readings hit home for me I was able to relate to “The Politics of Housework” due to that being a reality for many of the women in my family. Housekeeping in my family has always been labeled a women job and a man is there to maintain the home financially. Growing up my mom cook and my sisters and I helped with cleaning the inside of the house. My dad and brother’s household duties were only to take the trash out and wash pots. In a way, my current household is similar to the one I grew up in. I think I have gotten so used to maintaining a home is now comes to me naturally. My partner will clean the living and I always clean the bedroom and bathroom, she will do the laundry and I will fold. Our system works for us because I believe we are both pulling the weight so no one will get burnt out or feel as if they are doing more. I can say that it’s not equal fully, and there are times I become frustrated after a long day if it’s laundry day and knowing I would have to fold them. I found it to be shocking when reading The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm By Anne Koedt that they claimed women who are sexually stimulated are frigid and should seek psychiatric care. For a man to determine if a woman is in need of psychiatric care due to not being pleased vaginal was the most personal I have seen in politics. There are other factors that come to mind when dealing with vaginal stimulation. There can be factors such as how you feel mentally, and how your body feels. Sex isn’t something for women to just be ready to do as men.