General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Where have societies' views of women come from? [View all]RainDog
(28,784 posts)and creating hyphens. I never took my husband's name when I was married. I couldn't imagine why I should.
when I had a child, one of my religious relatives begged me to use my husband's name at the hospital so the nurses wouldn't think I had given birth to a bastard (she didn't use that word, but that was what was behind her urging.) I just looked at her like... how fucked up can you get? She was a nurse, so I assume she maintained lots of judgment for bastard children - otherwise why say such a thing?
My children have my last name and their dads' as part of their names.
Studies have indicated that females who get married and have children tend to fall into traditional roles in society, whether they choose to or not. There is tremendous pressure for this.
And, yes, we are saturated with stereotypes. That's why I have such a hard time enjoying much of popular culture - it's boring and reinforces the same old b.s. (which is part of its function - i.e. the reason why it is sanctioned, paid for, promoted, etc.)
Althusser talked a lot about ideology and how difficult it is to rise above the dominant culture to view things in a different way.
Over the long view - there has been progress. It just seems glacial and the glaciers are melting, so why not these cultural tropes that enslave our minds?