Module 15

The issue of women's work in the home is an interesting one. While women generally perform the bulk of the housework (about 2/3), it is mostly unrecognized, undervalued and unappreciated. This may be due in part to the nature of the housework women typically perform - as discussed in the lecture, these tasks are often more repetitive and banal, requiring less skill and holding less value or status than the type of housework men usually do, which is more seasonal in nature and may require more skill. As such, "women's work" is arguably less fulfilling than that of men.

An interesting point was that men are said to "help out," or "pitch in" with the housework, as opposed to sharing household duties. This phrasing further reinforces the notion of the private home as a predominantly feminine domain, one where men can choose to partake in as much or as little housework as they please. It seems as though no matter how many gains women make in the public sphere, they are still inextricably tied to the private sphere as well, and to the notion of 'domesticity,' as prescribed by the Cult of True Womanhood.

The section on affirmative action was informative and helpful, especially in emphasizing the fact that it aims to "increase the representation of women and people of color in areas of employment, education and government...," encouraging diversification, but not the hiring of unqualified people for the positions in question. There is a lot of misunderstanding (and contention) surrounding the issue of affirmative action, and this reminded me of a story Dr. Michael Kimmel (I know I've referenced him multiple times before, but I just think he's great!) told during his talk here at JMU. He had appeared on an episode of Oprah entitled, "A Black Woman Stole My Job." Four white men were claiming reverse discrimination, arguing that they had been cheated out of jobs and promotions they were qualified for, and should have had. Kimmel asked the men why they were using the word "my" job, instead of "the" job, inquiring what had given them the idea that the job was theirs in the first place. This also ties back in to the issue of privilege, as it demonstrates the strong sense of entitlement these men had. Because of this sense of entitlement, men (or other people in positions of privilege) feel discriminated against when policies such as affirmative action are actually leveling the the playing field. Entitlement is especially invisible.