Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: & other arguments by Kristen Ghodsee

Great title, right?

On Sunday, March 28, join the DC Feminist Book Club on Zoom for a casual, critical conversation about Kristen Ghodsee's book 'Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence.'

The organizer will email the Zoom meeting link to members who RSVP'd ahead of the get-together and we will also update this page the day-of the class with the link. We recommend you use AirPods or earbuds with a microphone, or a headset.

Newcomers and guests are welcome!

[Find online]

Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/why-women-have-better-sex-under-socialism-and-other-arguments-for-economic-independence/9781645036364
WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1028225348

[Publisher's Description]

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.

[Excerpt]

From Ghodsee's NYT essay that inspired the book-length exploration:

"A comparative sociological study of East and West Germans conducted after reunification in 1990 found that Eastern women had twice as many orgasms as Western women. Researchers marveled at this disparity in reported sexual satisfaction, especially since East German women suffered from the notorious double burden of formal employment and housework. In contrast, postwar West German women had stayed home and enjoyed all the labor-saving devices produced by the roaring capitalist economy. But they had less sex, and less satisfying sex, than women who had to line up for toilet paper.

"How to account for this facet of life behind the Iron Curtain?"

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/12/opinion/why-women-had-better-sex-under-socialism.html

[More]

Vox interview with Ghodsee: https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/12/12/18125659/women-sex-socialism-feminism-kristen-ghodsee

PBS offers a long excerpt from the introduction: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/making-sense/read-an-excerpt-from-why-women-have-better-sex-under-socialism