I do think it would be nice to focus on gender roles during the mid-twentieth century so the discussion doesn't get too broad.
- The Pumpkin Eater by Penelope Mortimor - this book was the inspiration for the theme so it would be nice if a few people read it.
- The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood 1967 [the seminal work (ha, seminal!) that put Atwood on the map]
- The Power of the Positive Woman by Phyllis Schlafly 1977
- Man and Marraige by George Gilder 1993 [George Gilder's Men and Marriage is a revised and expanded edition of his 1973 landmark work, Sexual Suicide . He examines the deterioration of the family, the well-defined sex roles it offered, and how this change has shifted the focus of our society.]
- Women's Magazines: 1940-1960 Gender Roles and the Popular Press
I'm curious to hear more of the argument about whether mid-20th Century is so unique a time that gender roles there cannot be compared to any other time.
ReplyDeleteI think ask an interesting question, SP. The mid 20th century is a particular wave of feminism that deals with social and cultural gender inequality rather than women's suffrage (political rights? . It seems that this wave is a natural progression from the first. Perhaps setting a particular time frame will help us to have a more focused discussion. Not related: I think "Bluebeard" would be a good option to help add to this discussion about gender roles.
ReplyDeleteThis just goes back to narrowing the topic in order to have a more productive conversation. I think "time travel as a plot device" is a better theme than "science fiction" just as I think "mid 20th century American gender roles" is better than "gender roles."
ReplyDeleteThis time period in gender relations is often vilified by the left and glorified by the right. I think this is a good opportunity to look at it honestly.