The reading “politics of housework” by pat Mainardi, points out how housework was seen by feminism as a theoretical problem. Women throughout the world performed many more hours of housework than men do. Mainardi shows that women and men have been brainwashed to believe that housework is women’s work. The other reading “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne Koedt, defines frigity by men as the failure of women to have vaginal orgasms. Women who complained about this problem were diagnosed as failing to adjust their role as a woman.

Liberated women might be important for women’s liberation because women who are liberated have exercised freedoms that focused more on their individual wants and needs other than on the group mentality that defined the women’s liberation. According to the text it says, “Women’s liberation isn’t really a political movement.” Meaning: The revolution is coming too close to home. Also Meaning: I am only interested in how I am oppressed, not how I oppress others. Therefore the war, the draft, and the university are political. Women’s liberation is not”(pg3). From my own understanding, a liberation woman is to be a feminist who pushes for more equality for women. A liberated woman who has freed herself of the structures and labels that society has placed upon women. Then we have women liberated who have a lot of sex and that fits in the household chores. 

These two readings show that “the personal is political” because “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” shows how personal the female orgasm is and how personal circumstances of housework in the other reading relate to this societal issue. It shows that some women who aren’t sexually attractive to men end up getting mentally abused or being called all types of names just so that they can be sexually attractive to men.

To my understanding, a liberated woman is a woman who pushes for equality not just for the group, but for the individual at home. I think that the liberated women would be important for women’s liberation as it expresses how a lot of the politics behind these things are not just present on a group scale, but affects the individual and their life at home. It pushes forward a lot of the values even further so that a lot of the problems that are fought for in the first place don’t continue to bleed into the household.

I believe that these two pieces show that the “personal is political” by representing issues that affect women as individuals rather than as a group, and explaining how they are tied to society and patriarchy. The articles do a great job of breaking this down and showing us exactly where these things come from, and how it is not just things that have to do with women or are women’s problems alone. Bringing this issues to light helps us show people that politics end up affecting women in even the most personal ways.

Reading both “The Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi and “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne Koedt has given me a deeper understanding of what liberated women are defined as. To begin, it needs to be understood that liberated women and Women’s Liberation are different according to Pat Mainardi. A liberated woman can be defined as a woman who doesn’t label herself like how society labels women and is independent because she gets what she wants and needs by herself. Mainardi defines Women’s Liberation as women who stay at home and do all the housework with no help from their husbands while a liberated woman is free to do what she pleases.

Liberated woman are an important puzzle piece for Women’s Liberation. Liberated women lead the path for other women to become more independent and not live by societies stereotypes of what a “women should and shouldn’t be doing”. Liberated women help make a change and set new expectations for women who are too scared to stand up against this judgmental world we live in. I hope one day all women are liberated.

“The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” is another example of how even in sexual intercourse, ‘it’s always about the men’. Traditional sexual positions are mostly to please men, not women, therefore, leading to experts wrongly claiming that women who don’t have orgasms are “frigid”. Anne Koedt believes that sexual pleasure should be redefined in order to please both men and women, which I completely agree with. Sex should be about both parties participating, not just one.

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.

• What do you understand the liberated woman to be? 
• AND
• How might the liberated woman be important for women’s liberation?

In the readings there was definitely more discussion about the women’s liberation movement than the liberated woman. From what I gather, I actually think the liberated woman is not as liberated or free as the women who are looking for success through the the women’s liberation movement.

As it has been defined, the liberated woman has sex freely and has a career. This could be seen as important for the women’s liberation because women’s liberation is about finding a shared way of living with a man, when both have careers and (she) needs to be able to have the housework divided.

The liberated woman is one that has a career and would most likely have been pushing for shared household responsibilities. Since the main defining factors of a liberated woman are career and sexual activity, I would say this cross over is mainly about the career. Additionally, this could’ve been a step in the direction towards women not needing men, but shining the light on men needing women.

However, the second article, The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm by Anne Koedt, was very enlightening on this same topic. For women to look for shared responsibility in bed as well as in household chores, was held up by the make dismay of losing his own enjoyment and freedom. In bed and in the responsibilities of the home.

How do these pieces show that “the personal is political”?

Sex and home are two of the most personal subjects, yet the issues that women face in these areas are directly related to the social constructs of the way society has built the man’s life. So, for any progress to be made in a women’s personal life, the politics of the social structure do need to be considered.

After reading “The Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi, I understand the liberated woman to be free, to be herself, and to do things she likes to do unapologetically. The liberated woman is a feminist who doesn’t want to fit in the box of societies norms on women; the liberated woman is a rebel. The liberated woman does as she pleases without the concern or worry for others opinions, she dresses how she wants to without worry about how society will judge her, she stands on her own beliefs even if they may go against what other people believe, the liberated woman is one who doesn’t agree with conforming herself to make others feel better about themselves. The liberated woman is important for women’s liberation because they give a different outlook on women, they give different meaning to being what a woman is, and they give a different point of view from another woman’s perspective. The phrase “the personal is political” also termed as “the private is political” is a political argument used as a rallying slogan of student movement and second wave feminism from the late 1960s. These two pieces of work show that “the personal is political” because they represent how because women are portrayed throughout society as the housewife’s, mothers, and the overall caretakers however their struggles, issues, and concerns are not important enough to be seen as political issues that need a platform in which changes can be evoked and women can not only feel seen but most importantly feel heard. For as long as I can remember growing up, my mom had always raised me and my sisters to be able to know how to cook, clean, take care of ourselves, take care of children, and know how to attract the “right” man specifically by learning all these qualities. Therefore, in my short twenty two years of life women have always been raised to conform to societies gender roles and norms on how to be a woman even if many of these imaginary rules and regulations were more then likely not created from other woman but instead men. I can only imagine what it was like back then. “The personal is political” is portrayed throughout these two articles by representing the fact that just because women have more needs whether that may be needing more intimacy in their relationship, needing more help with the kids at home, or needing more time for themselves in general are all seen as private issues however, “the personal is political” emphasizes that these personal issues such as sex, childcare, and the struggles of being a mom are all political issues that not only need political attention but need to be taken seriously as well.

I can understand a liberated woman in two ways. In the context of 1970s, a liberated woman does comply with the standards of marriage, and traditional gender roles, thus achieving sexual freedom. In the context of modern times I see a liberated woman as one who makes an independent decision on her position in society, is self-sufficient, and can pursue any path in life without being restrained or judged. “Politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi and “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne Koedt would refer to the former definition, as these works were written in the 1970s. Pat Mainardi gives a great deal of attention to the unequal housework distribution in a heterosexual family. She explains that throughout history only women have been brainwashed into liking housework and being obsessed with cleanliness by “too many years of seeing television women in ecstasy over their shiny waxed floors or breaking down over their dirty shirt collars.” Pat Mainardi then reinforces this idea with the story of fighting with her husband over the chores. Each time her husband tried to escape doing the chores with excuses like “You will do it better than me” or “I hate it more than you,” consequently gaslighting a woman into thinking that housework is her calling. A liberated woman does not have such a mentality. And with her actions and way of living she sets an example for other women. She becomes proof that other ways of living exist and that they are as satisfying as the traditional ones.

A liberated woman sets an example, first of all, by changing aspects of her personal life. In both “Politics of Housework” and “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” we can see how a large social idea, such as the superior role of men versus women is affecting private life. In a male-dominated society, one concrete belief of men is “My purpose in life is to deal with matters of significance. Yours is to deal with matters of insignificance. You should do the housework” (Mainardi). But who decides the level of significance? Because of a privilege gap, whatever men choose to do will be deemed important, leaving the rest to women. That same idea of male superiority reaches sexual life, establishing vagina as the main character of sex itself. Anne Koedt in her article explains that this narrative was created mostly by men out of their interests, rather than out of biological facts. The facts are such that the vagina plays no role in sexual pleasure of a woman – only a man, while clitoris remains the center of female orgasm. However, because biologically it is almost identical to the penis, there have been men “trying to ignore the clitoris and emphasize the vagina (as did Freud), or, as in some places in the Mideast, actually performing clitoridectomy.” and thus is “a threat to masculinity” (Koedt 33). Historically the role of the clitoris was hidden on purpose because it served as proof of greater equality between the two genders, which threatened masculinity. This example supports once again the feminist tenet “personal is political.”

  The readings this week put an emphasis on how some of the personal problems we have in our households are actually rooted to the political problems we have in our society. In the first reading “The politics of Housework” by Pat Mainardi the writer explains to us the difference between a liberated woman and womens liberation. Explaining to us a liberated woman more-so walks to the beat of her own drum and while there are men who prefer an independent woman who does not play into the old school wife roll they have a hard time splitting and sharing household duties even when they claim to be willing. Men are so conditioned to letting women handle housework it seems like a dreadful minuscule task to a man. Whereas they are more willing to do what they feel is masculine work. It leads to men becoming defensive and finding ways to not split the household duties using excuses for it to all fall back on the woman in the end giving validation to the claim personal is political.

            In the second reading “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” by Anne Koedt the author is explaining how the hierarchy of society (men) not understanding the way simulation and orgasms work for the woman’s vagina has caused a misdiagnosis of some women when ordinary intercourse is only geared toward what makes a man feel good. In-fact man of what we call ordinary positions are relatively geared only to a man’s satisfaction. The author believes the facts need to be approached differently and looked at from a woman’s point of view instead of a man’s so there is more clarity on what actually stimulates a woman.

    The hierarchy has dictated much of what a woman’s role should be and making sure a man is satisfied after working and being the bread winner while there has been progression in equality of sexes many of the embedded old expectations and knowledge still linger in our personal lives making personal situations also political ones.

Melissa Valle Discussion #9 

Womens liberation is often thought of as a movement of the 1960’s and 1970’s, one that has been accomplished and is now a thing of the past. Womens liberation is still as impressive today and the women who participated in the movement are still making history. A liberated woman is an empowered woman. She is free to pursue her own interests, ambitions, and goals in her life. She is free to be herself and not be defined by her role as a wife or mother. She is free to be strong and speak her mind. 

These two articles show that “the personal is political” because women were being portrayed as needing to have intimacy in their relationship. “The personal is political” is a phrase use during the 1960s and 1970s to express any kind of power in relations not just in government or elective officials. This is in the article where women must compromise to either fake an organism just not to make their partner feel any less by hurting their feelings.  

In the article of The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” another example that shows that liberated women are important and show the personal is political if women are not sexually attracted to men these men end up shaming or mentally abusing them. In my psychology class I read that Freud’s recommended the cure for women who were frigid was to put them in a mental institution because they were “suffering” within themselves and failed at being normal woman. This can be based on personal, politics because when a woman broke their roles of being a homemaker society believed that this was a mental illness that needed to be cured. I cannot even imagine living that life.  

In this week’s readings “The Politics of Housework” and “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” we got an insight into how such personal things as doing the housework and having sex are shaped by the heteropatriarchal system we are a part of. The statement by Carol Hanish “The personal is political” is evident in these two common things. In the first reading, the author makes a clear distinction between a liberated woman and women’s liberation. She defines a liberated woman as a woman that “brings sex without marriage, sex before marriage, cozy housekeeping arrangements (“I’m living with this chick”) and the self-content of knowing that you’re not the kind of man who wants a doormat instead of a woman”. In my opinion, a liberated woman is one who knows her worth and sees herself as an independent human being. A liberated woman is aware that she’s being oppressed by the patriarchy and it’s constantly working on deconstructing her own sexist and misogynist beliefs. A liberated woman is in charge of her body and sexuality, she knows that it’s her decision when and with who she has sexual relations, that she doesn’t depend on a man to obtain sexual pleasure, and she knows that she should decide what happens to her body. Also, a liberated woman it’s aware that she has the right to an education, to build her career, and earn money in the way she decides to. Basically, a liberated woman is one who knows that she has the right to be in control of her life. On the other hand, to the author, women’s liberation it’s related to housework and its distribution. Women’s liberation it’s explained by the same phrase, women who still need to liberate. Men who refuse to do housework to establish their position as beings superior to women and to prove their masculinity is a huge factor in women’s liberation. Even though it could be unconscious and men may are not aware of this, them not helping with house chores because they take for granted that women are going to do it, it’s a way to perpetuate women’s oppression by being servants of men. Liberated women are very important to women’s liberation because they can be an example of autonomy to them. Seeing liberated women can help women’s liberation by helping them to acknowledge that they are not inferior to men, and they are responsible for taking care of themselves, not of a grown man who has feet and hands to clean, cook meals, and do the laundry. Liberated women can also be great mentors for women’s liberation, and give them great advice and resources so they can transform into liberated women. In the second reading “The Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm” it was explained how living in a patriarchal society shaped the way in which women’s sexuality is viewed. It is impressive how even sex it’s shaped in a way women only give pleasure to men, but they don’t receive pleasure in return. Even in human biology classes, it’s commonly taught how men reach orgasms, but not how women do it. Also, it’s not common to learn much about the clitoris and how it is essential for women to achieve orgasms, and that vaginal orgasms are not a thing. And this is not a coincidence, this happens so women can keep being oppressed and objectified by men.