You should pull in information from the sources you read/watched/listened to that were listed within the prompt in your response. The initial “discussion post” itself only has to be 400 words, just be sure to answer each bullet point within your response.
Discussion Board 5:
Why does Angela Davis argue that receiving wages for housework, as many activists proposed in the past, is not the correct response to women being forced to do so much household labor? How would receiving wages contribute to further poverty and fewer options for women working outside the home?
Davis discusses the argument that housework is actually essential to capitalism as childcare produces labor. Do you agree with this argument? Davis seems skeptical–why is that? If housework can be considered an essential part of capitalist society, why do you think it, and by extension, women, are devalued?
In what ways does Davis, as other theorists we have read throughout the semester, suggest that the concept of the “housewife” and her unique struggles is actually a contemporary and very middle/upper class concept? How many women are excluded from the woes of the “housewife?”
Consider that Davis wrote the book in which this essay was published in 1981. Given what you see in the Pew Research article, how have things changed for women under capitalism? Have they at all?
Sources:
The Approaching Obsolescence of Housework: A Working-Class Perspective by Angela Y. Davis (this source is attached within the files)
Discussion Board #6:
After watching/reading/listening to these materials, explain what you understand as the intersection of gender and sexuality with regard to gender nonconformity. How is it presented in the media? How is it present in real life?
In this module, you’ve been thinking about part of the reason why gay men are also oppressed is because of the stereotype that they are feminine. Why is that dangerous to them? What is the intersection of gender and sexuality for men?
Butch and femme labels are now considered less important to the identity of women who love other women, and a lot of lesbian women now would likely say they fall somewhere in between or be reluctant to use those labels at all, but in the past, they were essential to their belonging in the queer community. Why was that? What do you think about the critique that butch and femme stereotypes are an attempt to enforce heteronormativity in queer relationships? (Hint: reference the article “The Renegades” in this module if you’re not sure about that one)
Why do you think these “ring of keys” moments are powerful? Think back to the module on race where were considered the damaging impacts on Black women when their representations in media were full of stereotypes. Do you think a similar phenomenon exists in queer communities?
Sources:
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/nancy/episodes/nancy-podcast-ring-of-keys-2
Lament for the Femme: The Complex Role of Femininity in Gay Male Representation
Discussion Board #7:
I’m going to leave this one really open. This is a current issue that faces you all–many of you are just entering adulthood, and many of you are people who can carry pregnancies. I want you to think about what you’ve read in this module and in this class so far about being a parent, about being someone who can carry pregnancies, and just explore a little about what the overturning of Roe v. Wade means for you. If you’re a male, think about what this means for you too, because, of course, you’re still a part of pregnancy and of creating children. If you already have children, you can also think about your own decision making process.
Think about the stereotypes you have heard in your own lives about people who are childfree. What are they? Given that, and given the political climate in which you all are entering adulthood, what are your anxieties about potentially raising children in this world given what we’ve thought about so far this semester, or maybe considering some issues that we haven’t explicitly discussed, like climate change? Do you still think of having children as a choice, or do you see the potential of pregnancy as “a trap,” like the writer does above?
What are your thoughts about institutional practices that impact us all, like the lack of paid parental leave in the US? Remember that we’re guaranteed neither maternity or paternity leave. Why do you think the US is so distinct from other developed nations? You might be years away from even thinking about pregnancy or childbirth, but it’s important as we think about current events to consider how these have bearing on our everyday lives. None of what we’ve talked about this semester is theoretical–it impacts us all every day.
How do you think that parenting has changed in your generation as opposed to previous generations? If you are Gen Z, what do you think that your generation will do differently? If you’re older, what have you noticed has already changed? What do you wish would have been different about parenthood in the past generation?
Sources:
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2022/One-in-five-adults-dont-want-children
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2022/06/the-end-of-roe-v-wade-and-why-i-choose-not-to-be-pregnant.html
