Kristen Ghodsee

'Funny, angry, urgent. Ghodsee is going to start a revolution' Daisy Buchanan Unregulated capitalism is bad for women. Socialism, if done properly, leads to economic independence, better labour conditions, better work/family balance and, yes, even better sex. If you like the idea of such outcomes, then come along for an exploration of how we might change things. (If you don’t give a whit about women’s lives because you’re a gynophobic right-wing internet troll, save your money and get back to your parents’ basement right now; this isn’t the book for you.)

And Other Arguments for Economic Independence

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism

Kristen R. Ghodsee's Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism explains why capitalism is uniquely bad for women and shows that if we adopt and update some ideas from socialism, women's lives will be better - at work, at home and even in the bedroom. In the late 1980s and early 90s, sexologists discovered that East German women living under socialism reported greater sensual pleasure and higher rates of orgasm than their Western counterparts. The horrors and deprivations of Communism are infamous. Less well known is that the socialist insistence in many Eastern and Northern European countries on bringing women out of the home and into the work force - through state provision of education, maternity leave, childcare and domestic support - transformed their lives for the better. Releasing them from financial dependence on marriages and men, socialist policies allowed women to choose partners on their own terms in a way that generations of women before them had been denied. Drawing on decades of research, Kristen R. Ghodsee conveys what this was like for women at the time and shows how women in capitalist societies today are experiencing the opposite- with systematic restrictions on their access to well-paid work and to child support, women face an impossible choice; for the majority who become mothers, marriage is their primary financial resource. When it's your only way of paying rent or feeding your kids, little wonder that sex is not so great. This expert, witty and empowering book provides all the evidence and arguments you need to reclaim your time, emotional energy and self-worth from the reductive logics of capitalism - and shows how collectively young women have the power to re-shape society in their favour.

haifa

Ghodsee's book brilliantly reveals why the triumph of capitalism is a calamity for women. The book is not an argument for bringing the exact ideas of state socialism in the Soviet Bloc, but a finespun discussion of how Eastern European countries during their socialism period had policies that improved women's lives better both in public and private spheres. It covers a range of topics related to feminism and socialism, not just sex. It talks about work, motherhood, leadership, the electoral system, citizenship.

The book is definitely a primer on economics, socialism, capitalism and how it affects women. It is not intensely academic at all

Kristen R. Ghodsee

A spirited, deeply researched exploration of why capitalism is bad for women and how, when done right, socialism leads to economic independence, better labor conditions, better work-life balance and, yes, even better sex. In a witty, irreverent op-ed piece that went viral, Kristen Ghodsee argued that women had better sex under socialism. The response was tremendous -- clearly she articulated something many women had sensed for years: the problem is with capitalism, not with us. Ghodsee, an acclaimed ethnographer and professor of Russian and East European Studies, spent years researching what happened to women in countries that transitioned from state socialism to capitalism. She argues here that unregulated capitalism disproportionately harms women, and that we should learn from the past. By rejecting the bad and salvaging the good, we can adapt some socialist ideas to the 21st century and improve our lives. She tackles all aspects of a woman's life - work, parenting, sex and relationships, citizenship, and leadership. In a chapter called "Women: Like Men, But Cheaper," she talks about women in the workplace, discussing everything from the wage gap to harassment and discrimination. In "What To Expect When You're Expecting Exploitation," she addresses motherhood and how "having it all" is impossible under capitalism. Women are standing up for themselves like never before, from the increase in the number of women running for office to the women's march to the long-overdue public outcry against sexual harassment. Interest in socialism is also on the rise - whether it's the popularity of Bernie Sanders or the skyrocketing membership numbers of the Democratic Socialists of America. It's become increasingly clear to women that capitalism isn't working for us, and Ghodsee is the informed, lively guide who can show us the way forward.

Beatriz Aguiar

3.5

i think the content is very relevant and important. i enjoyed the discussion around capitalism and patriarchy and the nuance that is sometimes overlooked.
it became a bit repetitive towards the second half but that's just cause i would like a deeper discussion, maybe some suggestions and alternatives and overall something a bit more concrete than just how capitalism and socialism differ in the overall hapiness and outlook of the individuals that grow up hearing these ideas.
it also raised an important discussion around how winners erase history and how that's how capitalism has a great rep - because it won and procceeded to bash socialism and try to make it the devil.
the book i think is more suited towards the american society so a lot of comparisons didin't really make sense, like the mention of the need of a universal health system and such.
it does however ackowledge the negatives of both capitlism and communism and suggest a healthy balance striving especially for equality and better liver for women who are usually hurt by a capitalist society.

alina s

Clara

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Maggie

Lisa Lindquist 

'Funny, angry, urgent. Ghodsee is going to start a revolution' Daisy Buchanan, author of The Sisterhood A witty, fiercely intelligent exploration of why capitalism is rigged against women and what we can do about it. Unregulated capitalism is bad for women. Socialism, if done properly, leads to economic independence, better labour conditions, better work/family balance and, yes, even better sex. If you like the idea of such outcomes, then come along for an exploration of how we can change women's lives for the better.

Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism And Other Arguments for Economic Independence

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