It is kinda weird. And, interestingly, when a prominent feminist pointed out the victim-blaming in a review of the book, Feldt addressed it on her blog basically by saying, "Meh, you're just not optimistic enough."
I don't know, optimism's great, but I think ignoring the impact institutional barriers still have is prematurely declaring victory. The battle hasn't been won. And it won't be won until we change the culture that devalues housework and puts most of the burden on women. It won't be won as long as capitalism promotes the existence of an underclass, populated almost exclusively by women. Socialization and women just "stepping up" isn't enough; we need to address the systemic issues.
And, frankly, that's an unbelievably daunting task. Are we going to overthrow capitalism? Dismantle our system of government, which makes it harder for women to gain leadership positions? The point of reading Sirleaf's memoir was to recognize that female leadership often grows out of extreme circumstances, the complete destruction and rebuilding of a nation, which we (in the US, particularly, but in most Western countries) have never experienced. I can understand why Feldt wouldn't want to tackle all that in a simple how-to book, but it does readers a disservice, IMO, to ignore it completely.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
carisma_sensei
no subject
Date: Aug. 7th, 2011 04:52 pm (UTC)I don't know, optimism's great, but I think ignoring the impact institutional barriers still have is prematurely declaring victory. The battle hasn't been won. And it won't be won until we change the culture that devalues housework and puts most of the burden on women. It won't be won as long as capitalism promotes the existence of an underclass, populated almost exclusively by women. Socialization and women just "stepping up" isn't enough; we need to address the systemic issues.
And, frankly, that's an unbelievably daunting task. Are we going to overthrow capitalism? Dismantle our system of government, which makes it harder for women to gain leadership positions? The point of reading Sirleaf's memoir was to recognize that female leadership often grows out of extreme circumstances, the complete destruction and rebuilding of a nation, which we (in the US, particularly, but in most Western countries) have never experienced. I can understand why Feldt wouldn't want to tackle all that in a simple how-to book, but it does readers a disservice, IMO, to ignore it completely.