‘Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism‘ what perfect timing, if you pardon the pun. Kristen R Ghodsee has published a thoroughly researched exploration proclaiming that capitalism is bad for women. She argues, adopting some ideas from socialism ‘women will have better lives’ and of course, this includes sex. 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. In this book, she analysed many facets of a woman’s life – work, parenting, sex and relationships, community and authority. One chapter, entitled “Women: Like Men, But Cheaper,” she discusses women in the workplace, deliberating all things from wage gaps 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. With regards ‘better’ sex, naturally it is hard to substantiate, many cultural factors come into play but what’s interesting is her theory that less inequity decommodifies sex, undermining the odious theory of ‘sexual economics’ as she describes, whereby, women raise the ‘price’ of sex by denying it. She explains “in societies with high levels of gender equality, with strong protections for reproductive freedom, and with large social safety nets, women almost never have to worry about the price their sex will fetch on an open market.” As we are increasingly told this is ‘the year of women’ which I find patronising and as we do rise up and speak out against abusive relationships and gain increased support to leave, perhaps this is enabling sexual freedom? In these trying times, she ends the book with “we can share our attentions without quantifying their value, giving and receiving rather than selling and buying.” It struck me, as I read this book, how much the latter sentence I shared co-relates with our mobile photography and art community. How much we give to each other, how much we share, how much we embrace one another and how much we realign our own art society ensuring that each one of us feels equal to the other. This much we do know and it’s clear to see in this weeks Flickr Group Mobile Photography and Art Showcase, enjoy!
Thank you to all artists for submitting your works. If you would like your work to be considered for entry in to our weekly Mobile Photography and Art Flickr Group, please submit it to our dedicated group, here.
Many congratulations to the following artists for being featured this week:
Woltarise, Song Hui, Debara’ Splendorio, Luison, Sergiy Beliayev, Scott Simpson, HQME, Francesco Sambati, Robert Eckhardt, Liliana Schwitter, David Hayes, Amy Ecenbarger, Tomaso Belloni, No Photographer, Livingsta, Mimages, Marina Sergeevna, Oola Cristina, Y F, Sherrianne100, Erik Viggh, AlexandraPhotos, Karen Axelrad, pineider, Sheldon Serkin, Poetic Medium, Cecily Mariece Caceu, Dadi Gylfason, Fleur Schim, Fiona Christian, Kathy Clay, Candice Railton, Gianluca Ricoveri, Catherine Caddigan, Lindy Ginn, Vadim Demjianov, Trish G, Susan Rennie, Clint Cline, before.1st.light – Jane Schultz, Corbicus Maximus, Dieuwke Geervliet, R K, Milly M, Hanni K, TheiPhoneArtGirl – Meri Walker, Jun Yamaguchi, Lorenka Campos, Eduardo Llerandi, Chhororo.
Music this week is ‘Ghost’ by Jacob Lee
