How Serfdom Saved The Women's Movement

Atlantic Monthly ^ | March 2004 | Caitlin Flanagan

[shrinkermd]

This is a long article, but very comprehensive. It surely discusses class differences in women working as well as a host of other issues. I only excerpted it because of its length.

[longtermmemmory]

Polygamy by paycheck. Essentially the career woman picks the second wife as a housekeeper and someone else to raise her children.

[KantianBurke]

Partially sums up as to why today's "women" are deserving of contempt and not of a wedding ring. Not only do they care little about maintaining a stable family environment, in their quest of selfishness they're aiding and abetting our illegal immigrant problem!

[TheSpottedOwl]

That was worth the read. Hehe, poor oppressed Betty Friedan had a cleaning lady? They're all hypocrites!

[68skylark]

I have read enough long, tedious article in the Atlantic for one lifetime. If this article makes any good points, can someone summarize them?

[Tax-chick]

Fascinating. I used to have some coworkers with live-in nannies ... the whole concept boggled my mind, especially when they complained that only economic necessity forced them to work. Once I asked someone, "What do you mean you 'have' to work? Your housekeeper earns as much as I do!" (I was entry-level then ...)

Obviously there's a real class divide of some sort here, because I don't know any stay-at-home mothers who don't do their own housework and child-rearing, no matter how much money they have.

[KantianBurke]

Pictures with a caption summarize better.

"Mommy, why did you leave daddy for your career and leave me at home with an illegal? Is a "Sex in the City" lifestyle that much more fulfilling than watching me grow up?"

[Tax-chick]

summarize them

Women (mothers) with social pretensions don't have to keep house or raise kids, because of the exploitation of the cheap labor of illegal immigrant women. It's dreadful, just dreadful, but, gosh, if we had restrictions on immigration or enforced labor laws, the author couldn't loaf around at home while the nanny took care of the kids, and then where would we be?

[Montfort]

"Mason writes, The dramatic shift from a manufacturing to a service economy, which occurred in the seventies, rendered the concept of a "family wage," earned by a relatively well-paid union member father, an anachronism. Their husbands' lower wages were driving mothers into the labor market in unprecedented numbers."

In addition, a lot of young couples insist on owning 3000 sf+ sf vinyl houses in nice, suburban neighborhoods, as well as huge, over-priced SUVs, when their own parents raised them in 2000 sf houses and drove Buick Centuries and similarly average cars. (The parents went on to own larger houses, perhaps, but after many more years of waiting).

Also, the availabilty of highly educated women in many fields nust have kept salaries down, too, by adding supply.

[Maximilian]

I have read enough long, tedious article in the Atlantic for one lifetime. If this article makes any good points, can someone summarize them?

This is not going to improve the intellectual reputation of feminists. (Of course it won't hurt their reputation much either since it can't go any lower.) It's meandering, illogical, inconsistent, it stops and re-starts several times, doesn't come to any conclusions, and doesn't have any fundamental principles or philosophy on which to base some kind of analysis. I'm afraid that this makes women look very bad, as though they are incapable of rational thought. They seem to be capable only of disjointed preoccupation with themselves and their selfish concerns.

It seems that the only women capable of thinking clearly are those like Phyllis Schlafly who utterly reject this entire "women's movement."

[John O]

The more I read this feminist drivel the more I worry about the damge their kids will do to society.

God has blessed me with a wife who knows that her career is to be a wife and mother. She will probably return to work (part time) when the little ones start school (Christian) but she'll be home when they get home.

Childhood is too short to waste on nannies

[Jim Noble]

Polygamy by paycheck. Essentially the career woman picks the second wife as a housekeeper and someone else to raise her children

And-

If she's a fox, she might have time for -you know- that the working wife doesn't.

[squarebarb]

Well, as usual, for a well-off liberal, she leaves out the important things.

---- people are overtaxed, forcing women to work.

---- no amount of Social Security or other government transfer payments will solve people's problems.

----- urban life and schools have completely deteriorated leaving children and women at risk.

----- women's work has changed from production to consumption (women used to raise hens, can food, make clothing, etc.) which had to be more satisfying than rushing around shopping. In fact, homes a hundred or more years ago were like little woman-run factories. Women lost this when they beame 'liberated'.

---- Solution: 1.) abolish IRS and go to a flat tax. 2.) Women should once again aquire a dowry before marriage --- a large chunk of money they can invest or hold until children are older and then use to to re-enter work force. Dowry never to be a part of community property.

-----3.) abolish no-fault divorce.


Thank you, thank you (bows to thunderous applause)

[Shazolene]

Two points this writer conveniently overlooks:

1. The entry of women into the workplace in massive numbers drove up labor supply and drove down demand, and therefore wages. It could be argued that feminism was the cause of women entering the workforce, rather than an effect. The economic necessity came when men's wages went down, and simultaneously, divorce was simplified. The 'economic value' of men/husbands was thus diminished.

2. Women would not have balked at hiring housekeepers on the basis of black 'solidarity' any more than they now hesitate to hire Latinas. Rather, the former maids were taken out of circulation by the Welfare State. Why work for minimum wage when it is so much easier to get welfare and do nothing?

Personally, I don't see anything morally wrong with either hiring a maid -- or being one. I've done both.

[longtermmemmory]

There is a case in FL which held that a wife's refusal for sex meant she could not use her husbands affair to get more money out of the divorce. (denial of sex was abuse.) I don't remember the cite.

[longtermmemmory]

Dowry became the husbands property. My Great Grandfather was given a dowery because he married my Great Grandmother.

Modern versions have the dowery going into the couples name. (remember MyBigFatGreekWedding? Not a joke, it does happen.)

You will never get rid of no fault. However, ;-) , you can have consequence based distribution. If you cheat you will pay, if you abuse (mental games or physical) you will pay. I would abolish community property and install equitable distribution.

We need to get away from viewing divorce as the cashout value of a marriage.

[lady lawyer]

I had 6 children and spent 20 years at home -- without household help, which we could never have afforded on my husband's salary. I sewed and baked and refinished salvaged furniture to make ends meet. But I was able to teach my own values to my children, instead of having them pick up their lessons about life from some minimum wage worker who didn't love them. I didn't have to worry that someone was being unkind to them when they were too tiny and vulnerable to protest.

I went to law school when my youngest started school. I have been very lucky in my work, which has been rewarding in every way that a job can be rewarding. But I can say without any hesitation that nothing I will ever do in my career will matter as much as those children. I'm dismayed that this author seems to minimize the value of a secure childhood spent with a loving mother, instead of day care.

My four daughters and two sons are all married I'm so delighted that all of the moms with small children are staying home with them, and am keeping my fingers crossed that it can continue. If any of them goes to work, it will only be because of economic necessity. But so far, they're all managing.

[longtermmemmory]

swooosh, all net.

ouch.

[JmyBryan]

I see no problem with families hiring nannies.

[68skylark]

Thanks. I didn't think I was missing much with this article.

Was there ever a time when the Atlantic wasn't so tedious? I hear it was good while Michael Kelly was the editor. I'm sorry I missed that era -- Kelly really became one of my heroes in journalism after 9/11. In fact, after 9/11 Kelly became one of my heroes, period.