Among the readings for today’s blog, I was particularly struck by Betty Friedan’s excerpt from The Feminine Mystique, Feminist in Our Time. She argues that for so many decades, the only way for a woman to be feminine was to get married, have kids and have a well-kept house. Having multiple children was the norm, and running a household was considered a career. Friedan analyzes why women, brought up with these socially accepted views, are suddenly finding themselves wanting more. I found it interesting that she blamed this emptiness on the idealized image that society formed for these women of that era.
Things have definitely changed from the times of 1950s and 1960s. In most parts of the world, the role of women in the workplace is being appreciated and acknowledged. For this, I think it’s important to understand 3 questions:
· How has women’s role in the workplace changed over time?
· What are the greatest barriers/opportunities of being a woman in the workplace and concurrently caring for a family?
· What support structures at home and/or at work could help to achieve greater balance?
Another interesting point is that Friedan’s opinions continue to permeate society today. For example, her concepts have become the basis for the prime-time series “Desperate Housewives.” Should this show be taken as a respectful nod to one of feminism's legendary icons? Or is it poking fun at the stereotype of the suburban housewife? The women of this show bring color to the image Friedan presents as the “suburban housewife” (53). Friedan discuses the suburban dream, that left women incomplete, with a “problem that has no name” (55). Similarly, the “Desperate” ladies are all missing something major in their lives. They are all incompetent in their own unique, stereotypical way making them unable to attain true success. Despite being wealthy, beautiful, and living in polished homes, they're plagued by numerous problems leaving them unfulfilled. What can society do to change these stereotypes?
Hi all,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really nice set of posts. Rachel, I appreciate the questions you raised, and the discussion that they generate; I also enjoyed the connections that you each drew to various popular culture "objects." You're right: we've seen plenty of housewives on both television and in film in recent years. A question to think about (I also posed this to another group who brought up _Desperate Housewives_): what would Levy have to say about this flood of housewives on television? Though _Revolutionary Road_ shows a different image, might Levy argue that _Desperate Housewives_ and the various Bravo _Real Housewives_ are "glorifying" the oppression of women in much the same way she believes raunch culture glorifies women's degredation?