Sex, Power & Money Poli 110J 09 Is this all?. Themes Equality False consciousness – The definition of happiness Contempt & self-contempt – Defining women.

Sex, Power & MoneyPoli 110J 09

Is this all?

Themes

• Equality• False consciousness– The definition of happiness

• Contempt & self-contempt– Defining women in such a way that even women

cannot help but to think of themselves as inferior– Similar to argument found in Du Bois, Malcolm X

3 Waves of Feminism

• First wave: 1848 ~ 1915– Equality before the law: Vote, contract, property,

legal recognition• Second wave: ~1960 ~ 1990– Equality in economy, society, & politics: Jobs, pay,

reproductive rights, representation, rape, image, misogyny, affirmation of womanhood

• Third wave: ~1990 – present– Postmodern critiques of gender as such. Emphasis on

cultural, sexual diversity, queer rights.

Seneca Falls Convention

• July 19-20, 1848 at Seneca Falls, NY– Begun by women excluded from anti-slavery

convention– Organizers & speakers included Lucretia Mott,

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass– Strong Quaker, evangelical Methodist presence– Foundational moment in movement for women’s

suffrage– Proving the humanity of women

Declaration of Sentiments

• Declaration of Sentiments– When, in the course of human events, it becomes

necessary for one portion of the family of man to assume among the people of the earth a position different from that which they have hitherto occupied, but one to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to such a course.

• Declaration of Independence– When in the course of human Events, it becomes

necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.

• Declaration of Sentiments– We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all

men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

• Declaration of Independence– We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all

Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed…

GrievancesHe has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable

right to the elective franchise.• He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the

formation of which she had no voice• Having deprived her of this first right as a citizen, the

elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides.

• He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead.

• He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns.

GrievancesHe has made her morally, an irresponsible being, as she can commit many crimes with impunity, provided they be done in the presence of her husband. In the covenant of marriage, she is compelled to promise obedience to her husband, he becoming, to all intents and purposes, her master - the law giving him power to deprive her of her liberty, and to administer chastisement.

• After depriving her of all rights as a married woman, if single and the owner of property, he has taxed her to support a government which recognizes her only when her property can be made profitable to it.

Grievances

• He has usurped the prerogative of Jehovah himself, claiming it as his right to assign for her a sphere of action, when that belongs to her conscience and her God.

• He has endeavored, in every way that he could to destroy her confidence in her own powers, to lessen her self-respect, and to make her willing to lead a dependent and abject life.

The view of the 1st wave• Women have “a higher and holier mission” in the

home. (145)– And outside of politics & economy

• “man-hating, embittered, sex-starved spinsters… castrating, unsexed non-women who burned with such envy for the male organ that they wanted to take it away from all men, or destroy them, demanding rights only because they lacked the power to love as women.” (139)– A permanent stereotype– Compare: immigrants

Betty Friedan• 1921-2006• Labor union journalist, fired for

second pregnancy• 1963: Feminine Mystique,

kickstarts second wave of feminism

• 1966: Co-founds, is first president of National Organization for Women

• 1970s: Founds National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws/NARAL, supports Equal Rights Amendment

Capturing the past

• In the society which Friedan describes, the career woman is seen as “that fatal error that feminism propagated”, inherently unhappy, perhaps even neurotic– The ideal of an outmoded past– But still something that must be defeated– Creating a new traditional

Capturing the past

• Real women, by contrast, cherish ‘their differentness’, their ‘unique femininity’, the ‘receptivity and passivity implicit in their sexual nature’. Devoted to beauty and family, they are “’feminine women, with truly feminine attitudes, admired by men for their miraculous, God-given, sensationally unique ability to wear skirts, with all the implications of that fact.’” (111)

The Feminine Mystique

• “The highest value and the only commitment for women is the fulfillment of their own femininity.”– Historically, this femininity has been undervalued.– Women are special and different, not inferior to

men, & in some ways superior– Innocent, helpless, childlike– These special qualities are expressed in terms of

beauty, sex, and caretaking.• Cook, clean, children, clothes, attraction

The Feminine Mystique• This is an essentialist definition of femininity– “To be a woman is to act like so”– To be otherwise is to be unfeminine, not-woman– To look to compete with men on equal terms thus means

that one wants to be a man– Careers and goals for higher education in this way serve to

‘masculinize’ women, making them less feminine (less women) and rendering them unhappy in their lives.

– The claim made by the mystique is that a real woman would be happy in (and only in) a purely domestic role• “I’ll cancel your lunch orders. You’re a mother. That’s your job.

You don’t have to earn money too.” It was all so beautifully simple! “Yes, boss.” I murmured obediently, frankly relieved. (95)

• “Remember when we were all children, how we all planned to ‘be something?’” Boasting that she has worn out six copies of Dr. Spock’s baby-care book in seven years, she cries, “I’m lucky! Lucky! I’M SO GLAD TO BE A WOMAN!” (114)

• Shirley Jackson: “After making the bed of a twelve-year-old boy week after week, climbing Mt. Everest would seem a laughable anticlimax”– “Woman” seen and defined in a purely

biological/sexual light

• “There is no problem in the logic of the feminine mystique, for the woman who has no wishes of her own, who defines herself only as wife and mother.” (116)– “But forbidden to join man in the world, can

women be people?” (100)

• Later generations of women abandoned the first wave of feminism, “But what choice were they offered? In that corner, the fiery, man-eating feminist, the career woman—loveless, alone. In this corner, the gentle wife and mother—loved and protected by her husband, surrounded by her adoring children.” (164)– But this is a false choice.

• In the 1st wave era, when women began to be seen as equals, anything that hindered equality was seen as an obstacle to be overcome, but now that woman is seen only as a sexual & domestic being, those prejudices are no longer problems.– The only problems are those that disturb her role

in the home– Second Shift - Arlie Hochschild and Anne Machung

• The lives of women revolve entirely around men: “They though they did not have to choose, to look into the future and plan what they wanted to do with their lives. They had only to wait to be chosen…” (133)– Sex and the City

• The goal of feminism is, for Friedan, the freedom to make “the decision as to what one is going to be,” which has traditionally been reserved for men. (134)

• The struggle is “simply to become fully human.” (136)– Positive freedom

Roots of the mystique

• “A mystique does not compel its own acceptance.” (268)– “Brainwashing”• Recall Malcolm X

– Must fill real needs• Cultural/Social: Insecurity caused by the War• Scientific: Freudian & functionalist• Economic: Replacing wartime consumption

Cultural Needs

• “I live through my husband and children. It’s easier this way. In this world now, it’s easier to be a woman, if you take advantage of it.” (273)– Uniformity– Uncritical worldview– Marriage as ready-made identity– Privatism• No value in larger social engagement

• The role of “woman” (i.e. wife, mother) is defined by the presence of a man– Young women “‘seek my security in him’ instead

of finding themselves, and each act of self-betrayal tips the scale further away from identity to passive self-contempt.” (257)

– The dynamic of systematic sexism here in many ways resembles that of institutionalized racism.

• Research: “Marriage today is not only the culmination of a romantic attachment; more consciously and clear-headedly than in the past, it is also a decision to create a partnership in establishing a comfortable home, equipped with a great number of desirable products.” (315)– A market-oriented concept of love

Functionalism• Describes a thing in terms of its function within society

– Ex: Sexual segregation preserves society in its current structure• On functionalist sociologists: “There can be no doubt that

they were describing things ‘as they were,’ but in so doing, they were relieved of the responsibility of building theory from facts, of probing for deeper truths.” (206)– Marcuse– Blurs line between “is” and “ought to be”– Assumes endless present, denies that future can be different

from past– Identifies the woman with her role

• “Woman is what society says she is” (207)• Gender essentialism

Functionalism

• If the eternal present is assumed, the task for sociologists, educators, and parents is to “adjust” the individual to “social realities”– Uncritical– “At the present historical moment, the best

adjusted girl is probably the one who is intelligent enough to do well in school, but not so brilliant as to get all A’s” (205)• Skilled in her role, but less likely to feel unfulfilled by it• Defining happiness

• The social role of women is as a type, not as individual humans– “the mysterious miracle of femininity” is realized

simply by being female– Identifies the individual solely with her biology• Men go to school to be educated and find careers,

women go to find husbands.

• “I guess they can’t get over the old notion that women should be educated to develop their minds. They deny it, but one can’t help suspecting that they still believe in careers for women.” (250)– Advances lost– Men are mental and physical, women only

physical

• It is functional “knowledge” that “only the exceptional woman can make a go of a commitment to a career.” (253)– Either housewife & marriage or career & celibacy– Defining “normal”

• “What 51% of the population does today, 100% should do tomorrow.”

– To be exceptional is to be not-normal– “Somehow, the student gets the point that she does

not want to be the ‘exceptional woman.’”• Exceptional women can’t land a man

• “We have to stop being so teacher-centered and become student-centered. It’s not what you think they need, but what they think they need. That’s the functional approach.” (251)– Social “realities”– Career training– Lack of critical dimension

Freedom of Choice

• Then-current goal of totalized motherhood counterproductive– Produced weak, dependent adults

• Women are not forced to choose the life of a housewife, but how free is their choice to do so?– Freudian theory & functionalist approach to gender

make homemaker mother central figure in child’s life• Examples: Autism, neuroses

– Thwarted in efforts at education & career– Manipulated by marketing, mass media

Demographic Research

• Appliance sales researchers find 3 types of female customer:

• True Housewife Type– Feels indispensible in the home– No desire to work outside home– Pride in work– Suspicious of being replaced by new appliances

• Career Woman– Does not believe woman’s place primarily in home– Does not identify with housework– Have, had, or would like own work, income– Buy appliances, but not ideal customers. Too

critical.

• Balanced Homemaker– Some outside interests– Enjoys housework– Identities with, is fulfilled by domestic tasks– Readily accepts new appliances– Wants to use own executive ability in managing

household, does not “expect the impossible” from appliances

• Research Conclusions:– “Since the Balanced Homemaker represents the

market with the greatest future potential, it would be to the advantage of the appliance manufacturer to make more and more women aware of the desirability of belonging to this group.”

– “Educate them through advertising that it is possible to have outside interests … (without becoming a Career Woman). The art of good homemaking should be the goal of every normal woman.”

“She’ll want them. She’s a real girl.”

• Marketing should target very young teenage girls– “The young ones will want what the others want, even if

their mothers don’t.”• Older, more independent women should be made to

feel guilt– The product will enable you to give your husband and

children the things you should, but aren’t.• “Suggest that it becomes truly a part of you, reflecting

you.” (317)– Housework should be not a chore, but a joy. A chance for

self-expression (by women. Men have better things to do.)

“You can be the woman you yearn to be with a Plymouth all your own”

• “With increasing skill, the ads glorify [a woman’s] ‘role’ as an American housewife—knowing that her very lack of identity in that role will make her fall for whatever they are selling.” (327)– Abstracted, restrictive image of femininity and

pressure to achieve it– Impossibility of this results in unhappiness,

desperation

• These qualities create a demand in the market for products that will help to achieve the feminine ideal– Ad for Ultima: “Dedicated to the woman who spends

a lifetime living up to her potential!”– “The only totally integrated program of nutrient

make-up and skin care—designed to lift a woman’s good looks to their absolute peak. The woman who uses Ultima feels a deep sense of fulfillment. A new kind of pride. For this luxurious Cosmetic Collection is the ultimate... Beyond it there is nothing.” (quoted on 328)

• A woman’s sincere desires may be tools of her oppression