Here is the portion of my blog where I say what the academic feminists are writing about. Prior to writing this blog, I did not think there would be much academic work written about the connection between feminism and love relationships. I will say, it was more difficult finding information from an academic standpoint (that being a peer-reviewed article) than those from a non-academic standpoint. There is much written about homosexual love relationships but little about heterosexual love relationships. It was not, though, impossible.
The first article I found was entitled "Sex Roles and Sexual Satisfaction in Women." It was published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly and is a peer-reviewed article. The article starts off by explaining the purpose of the article:
"The present study was designed, therefore, to investigate the relationships among sexual satisfaction, femininity, and feminism in women."
--Carole Schmidt Kirkpatrick, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/doi/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1980.tb00719.x/pdf.
This article explains how because of feminism, sex is more widely talked about and studied and that because of this, more women are becoming more aware of their sexuality and less scared to show it. Wives are now, according to Schmidt Kirkpatrick, not "sexually adequate, but passionate towards their husbands. Feminism has a lot to do with this! Without feminism, without the sexual revolution, women would probably still be stuck with the idea in their heads that sex was a man's thing--do not enjoy it! Feminism has helped women to become more passionate, which, in my opinion, has led to better, happier and more stable relationships between men and women. She also explains how the more education the women has, the better her sexual life. This is another hat off to feminism. Without feminism, women would not be entering into and dominating in numbers, higher education. This article, in general, is an excellent depiction of the positive association between feminism and heterosexual love relationships.
The second article I examined is from a counseling point of view. Though it may not be the obvious choice when discussing feminism and love relationship, it talks about the break down of sex roles in relationships, helping to make the relationship more harmonious. The article is entitled "Dilemmas of Power and Equality in Marital and Family Counseling." She states that although many counselors advocate for neutrality in relationships:
"feminist counselors actively promote the expansion of behavioral repertoires by helping both women and men move beyond sex role stereotypes and explore both instrumental and expressive aspects of themselves. Furthermore, feminist therapists advocate equality of personal power in intimate relationships"
--Carolyn Zerbe Enns, http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=85f8182a-981e-4676-ad40-8ad6f4b382b8%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=18.
This article is not focused specifically on feminist love relationships but the aspect of the article is a true testament to the way a feminist relationship runs. Neutrality does not always work. Both members of the relationship should be encouraged to explore and express themselves, all the while adhering to the politics of personal equality. To me, this means that one should not lose themselves in a relationship, especially one as powerful as that between a husband and a wife. I think that Zerbe Enns has the right idea with this.
The final article I looked at was from the Journal of Gender Studies. It is entitled "My Baby Just Care for Me: Feminism, Heterosexuality and Non-Monogamy." In this article, the author looks at how monogamy is not beneficial to feminists or to women more generally. She takes the opposite standpoint of the other authors. She believes that monogamous heterosexual relationships are constructed for the benefit of men and capitalism. She references in her article another author who states:
"Monogamous love, eulogized in our society, is the tool by which women are controlled. The familiar idealised pattern of falling in love and living with the man of our dreams for ever and ever (we hope) has infiltrated our thinking. It is no accident that 'love is blind' and leads women into an irrational loss of control. It leads us to making men the centre of our world, redirecting our energies and severing ties with others in an all-consuming fashion"
--Victoria Robinson, http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8b9b84af-6425-4bce-9f19-ddb292bb6775%40sessionmgr15&vid=3&hid=18.
It was important for me to incorporate ideas that were opposite to my own, because in no way do I believe that my opinion and belief system is the only one out there. Everyone has very different ideas of how feminism and heterosexual love relationships coincide and work. This woman obviously feels and believes that monogamous relationships are not beneficial to women and only help to promote patriarchy. I may disagree with her but she does argue her point very well. She makes valid points regarding why love relationships hurt and hinder women rather than help them. Although her opinion is different than my own, I respect her beliefs and value her ideas.
All of the articles I have mentioned discuss feminism and love relationships from a different light. It was important for me to show the different views that this topic can take. I think, overall, that these three very different pieces help to explain just how complex this issue is.
Sources
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/doi/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1980.tb00719.x/pdf
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=85f8182a-981e-4676-ad40-8ad6f4b382b8%40sessionmgr15&vid=2&hid=18
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uwindsor.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8b9b84af-6425-4bce-9f19-ddb292bb6775%40sessionmgr15&vid=3&hid=18
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