Women are an oppressed class whose oppression is total and affecting every facet of our lives. We are exploited as sex objects, breeders, domestic servants and cheap labour. We are considered inferior beings whose only purpose is to enhance a man’s life. Realizing that the liberation of women will ultimately mean the liberation of men from destructive role as oppressor, we have no illusion that men will welcome this liberation without a fight.
The problem is never the housework itself, but housework not being truly respected as work. Pat Mainardi wrote the “The Politics of Housework,” argues that while the men struggle to do it the women must continue to enforce it in order to redefine their roles within the house. I feel some women don’t have an issue sharing the housework but shouldn’t have to do it on a man’s schedule. A man’s accomplishments have always depended on getting help from other people, mostly women. What man would accomplish what he did if he had to do his own housework?” Meaning, oppression is built into the system. Participatory democracy begins at home. If you are planning to implement your politics, there are certain things to consider. Men lose leisure while we gain it, the measure of our oppression is their resistance.
Anne Koedt is teaching us that we should redefine our sexuality, discard the normal concepts of sex. She argues that the very idea of vaginal orgasm stemmed from Freud’s own hang up and his belief in the inferiority of women to men. Womens bodies need to be addressed to help equalize men and women’s social roles and properly ensure the health and welfare of women. Koedt conceded that some orgasms can be experienced from “sexual fantasy” but she maintained that even though the cause is psychological the physical sensation, be it localized or more diffuse, necessarily takes place in the sexual organ equipped for sexual climax.
Hi I’tanisha, I love the solid first paragraph on your take on is not to be liberated and what will be the liberation of women. Men need to realize that they contribute to the oppression of women daily. When a man says “babe,” go get this for me, “babe,” it’s more manageable when you do it, “you do it better,” well that doesn’t sit well with me, and I believe it is a subtle way to get their way. Making more changes in communication and making things go more balanced will clarify that a woman is not there just to be used to facilitate things for men.
Hello I’tanisha. I agree that it is important to address women’s bodies. I feel that there are a lot of facts about women’s bodies that are not addressed in school, meanwhile, men’s anatomy is well explained. For example, male orgasms are well explained. We know exactly what happens in their bodies when they have one, but we know very little about what happens in a female body.
Hey I’tanisha, I agree that a man’s accomplishment has always depended on getting help. There’s a famous saying that “behind every great man is a great woman.” There is no problem with women doing housework, but it’s the fact that men rarely want to help out. They never want to do things for themselves. This essentially leaves women taking on the role of wife and mother because they constantly have to take care of their husbands.
Hello I’tanisha,
What you wrote “Participatory democracy begins at home. If you are planning to implement your politics, there are certain things to consider” is a way i would explain how to make a change. It is about not just standing by and accepting it, by starting with yourself you can show others what women liberation looks like. I enjoy reading your discussion board.
I understood some of the points and how relevant the subject matter is i just had an issue with how men are portrayed as these cavemen like tyrants that are appalled at the idea of cleaning up after themselves or sharing chores . That does not sound like a man that sounds like a child, additionally i have said this numerous times and every time I do it draws a huge crowd but here it goes. “WOMAN IN WEST ARE NOT OPRESSED” if you went to a woman in Syria or Afghanistan with your concerning thoughts on oppression they would laugh themselves into coma. Everyone with a brain in there skull realizes that no long standing relationship can exist such as the one written in the “The politics of Housework”.
The Anne Koedt excerpt was actually mind blowing there was things i knew but things i had not known and the way it was expressed and how i touched on a portion of sexuality that isn’t often thought of was very intriguing.