Cleaning and orgasms

Perhaps feminism, now, is an old hat. Like Shakespeare, Betty Friedan writer of "The Feminine Mystique" passed away on her birthday, Feb. 4, at 85. She has been mistaken for a radical, angry with men for suppressing women in the household. But the critics have got it wrong. \nBetty Friedan sparked the orgasm heard around the world. She studied the research of Sigmund Freud and our beloved Alfred Kinsey. But after taking the Kinsey tour here, I learned some of his best sellers were only filled with hundreds of pages of research data. \n"The more educated the woman, the greater chance of sexual fulfillment," Friedan said citing Kinsey. "The woman with only grade-school education was more likely to never experience orgasm, while the woman who finished college, and who went on to graduate or professional school, was far more likely to achieve full orgasm nearly 100 percent of the time," she continued in "The Feminine Mystique." \nFriedan's 500 page non-fiction book is neither infuriated nor accusatory at men. She simply successfully attempted to give an answer to a question that millions of women were quietly asking in their heads. If a woman can have the house cleaned, the kids off to school and dinner ready, then why is she unhappy? The answer is condensed into one of Friedan's most famous quotes: "No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor." \nThe long answer is that she finally spoke up about the "problem with no name" -- this silent woman's struggle of undefined discontent. It is not the fault of the man (or the woman). It was a social construction that needed to be broken down by the pages of Friedan's book. It might also be the reason that I now have a realistic opportunity to build a successful career and, more so, the option not to. \nFriedan suggested this problem, for women, began during college. Are there expectations to follow the graduation gown with a wedding dress? As an educated, career-oriented female, I would like to believe the answer is no. \nHowever, it's hard to say how much societal expectations have actually changed since the '50s. Especially on IU's campus, where there are far more women than men, it is an awful place to go husband shopping. After reading "The Feminine Mystique," I felt liberated to live in a time when I am expected and encouraged to get an education -- and to use it. \n"The Feminine Mystique" was not the feminist bible, the man-hating manifesto or the lesbian liberator. It was written by an activist who spoke the words hundreds of female could not express. \nWomen, I worry all the girl-power, Chica-Spice talk makes you a little sick to your stomach, but worry not. If you still feel Friedan's work made no impact on your life, at least use it as an excuse to check "Random Play" on The Facebook.