Blog 6

Question 1
First of all, it would have made the working class the "public" demographic of women instead of the upper class. This would have maybe been more detrimental to the feminist movement. In a time where etiquette and aristocracy were respected traits, showing the working women could have given a public image that would not gain support from the masses. People always seem to listen more when socially respected people speak out - as seen with movie stars today who voice their opinion and support for various global causes. It seems that people really don't want their figurehead to be an "everyman", but instead a figurehead that everyone should strive to be like. If the working class women were the most represented in media instead of the upper class, it could have turned the public away from the feminist movement, thereby harming the cause and possibly stopping the movement before it had any legs.
I  think this would have allowed women to gain some equality in areas such as household duties and wage. This was a time when society was extremely patriarchal, with men dominating the workforce, social scene, and politics. Men were still the main breadwinners, and if this working class became the public group of feminist women they would first voice their opinions in the home. So, women could have been trying to make the men take a more active family role in the working class home, but with a majority of jobs needing men it would still be very difficult to get them to be more domestic due to the fact that they were the ones working a majority of the time.


Question 2
I think the types of women that were silenced were the minority female demographic of every global culture. An example would be that the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy is suppressing black and Latino women and their voices because the white women are the visible figureheads of the movement. So, the image of a white women and her struggles overshadow those of minorities. If these silenced members' opinions were voiced, I think that it could really progressively confront problems with sexist, sexual exploitation, and oppression in nations. The oppressed minority would actually be represented on a national level , but it needs to be represented by a female of that group, not a white woman. This could help us understand, by first hand account, what is really happening with these other types of women instead of just taking someone's word for it. This would definitely change the global interactions we see today - it would make people more conscious with what is happening elsewhere and how we need to recognize their struggle. Even though it could shed light on the situation, the world could still end up functioning the same way if people choose to hear the message but not act on it.


Question 3

Do you think when women stay home and do the household work, do you think they get
depressed because they aren’t making any money to help out in the family?
I do not think that it really is a state of depression that they would feel if they are not contributing to the family. Maybe they would feel feelings of incompetence or less important to the overall family structure if they are not bringing in money. But, on the other hand they could have a high level of self satisfaction knowing that they are the backbone of the family providing structure and overall helping everything run smoothly at home. So, it depends on the point of view the woman has. Either way, it needs to be realized that she is helping out the family in any situation., If ours was not a capitalist culture so obsessed with the idea of obtaining money, maybe the position of homemaker would become a little more respected and valued.