Is choosing to be a SAHM a feminist decision?

Not off grid but do produce own solar power. Thinking about getting a battery

And did you build your own home? I’m guessing the battery will be paid for with —gulp— money?

It makes you look nasty and vindictive -not really feminist traits.

By way of an educational illustration. No malice intended.

Why do you need to feed "a bit of their own medicine"?
It makes you look nasty and vindictive -not really feminist traits.

As lass said it was all Marxist claptrap.

Marxist feminism and radical feminism have the same aims. Both call for a radical reordering of society. Marxism merely qualifies that in terms of dismantling capitalism.

Not off grid but do produce own solar power. Thinking about getting a battery.

I take it lilting that you make your own clothes,grow your own food,are off grid,cut your own hair ?

Wearing second hand / very old clothes. Do grow some of my own food. Not much hair to cut but when it was long, I did indeed cut my own hair.

Posters claiming to be rad fem

I’m a liberal feminist. I’m pretty sure neither Dione or Lass would discribe themselves as rad fems.

Ironically, when fed a bit of their own medicine, that is when working outside the home is critiqued in terms of radical feminism

You didn’t do that though. As lass said it was all Marxist claptrap.

That should say, I don't agree, Lass. Typo omission.

So basically you are arguing Marxist claptrap

No, just pointing out some Marxist observations are relevant in terms of radical feminism. I'm not the first to observe this. I'm not a Marxist but think the ideology make some pertinent observations with regards to how capitalism operates.

I don't agree

We need to change the rhetoric and involve men in "female "roles not bash other women for doing something different to us.

Entirely my point.

Posters claiming to be rad fem, who use their employment to supposedly support their claim whilst simultaneously critiquing women who have decided to SAHP, infantising them and minimising the value of the skills and knowledge in their work, blaming them for perpetuating patriarchal values, are essentially, primarily, simply bashing women for making a choice different from their own, IMO. Self validation. Ironically, when fed a bit of their own medicine, that is when working outside the home is critiqued in terms of radical feminism, this is deemed 'offensive'. Women should absolutely support each other instead.

I take it lilting that you make your own clothes,grow your own food,are off grid,cut your own hair ?

Short of living in isolation, up a hill in a yurt with no services and being entirely self sufficient we all rely on the services of others whether we SAH or WOH.
Constantly telling ither women they are exploitative when by your standards you are too is not a great argument.
We need to change the rhetoric and involve men in "female "roles not bash other women for doing something different to us.

So basically you are arguing Marxist claptrap

Agreed

Wow Bluntness this shocks and disgusts me:

I am maybe even worse than I make out, because when I meet the wives who don't work of my male colleagues, and I know the family situation, I am smiley polite and walk away. I don't invest any more time with them than I need to to not cause offence

On what planet is this civil let alone feminist? You smile politely and move on without even engaging properly or hearing what they may have to say, all because they have the cheek to be SAHMs and in your view this upholds an element of the patriarchy

Well I hope you also walk away from others who are letting the side down. What about those annoying women that choose to work flexibily or god forbid part time so they can see their family more? I expect you only have time for the right kind of woman that puts in at least a 50 hour week to optimise their career potential. What about women who have not chosen careers in well paid STEM fields but have opted for less well paid jobs that they find fulfilling and society needs? Definitely best avoid them. What about women that don't take the opportunity to be promoted as they don't think the trade off is worth it for their work-life balance? Can't they see they're letting the side down too? Basically I hope you show the same disdain to all women that aren't walking the walk as far as furthering women in the workplace or is this just reserved for those silly SAHMs or specifically those women that have chosen to be SAHMs

After all we obviously need to hold our husband's hand in order to buy a car and are just plastic feminists. When we re-enter the workforce do we get our feminist badge back and get to buy our own car?

Maybe if you did spend more time with SAHMs you wouldn't have such a terrible perception of them and would see that things aren't quite as black and white as you perceive them to be. Radical feminism does not have to be working within the patriarchal rules currently in place go benefit women. It can be me even more radical than that. Being a SAHM is not necessarily a regressive step for women if you reject the current order of society, we are not talking about reverting back to the 1950s at all. I think some posters are just so hung up on the fact that SAHMs were encouraged by the patriarchy 50 years ago they can't see that that was just one antifeminist incarnation of the role.

I'm a feminist and I would love to be a SAHM now (not with a pre-schooler). I can't afford it though. When you are a single mum it isn't possible to be a SAHM, you can only be a single mum on benefits, i.e. the lowest of the low in the eyes of the patriarchy.

I remember watching a documentary about high class call girls and the dad of one of the prostitutes saying that he was happy with her career choice, "at least she's not a single mum".

Because everyone, in a capitalist patriarchy, by default, colludes with exploitation of women. Whether they like it or not

So basically you are arguing Marxist claptrap.

It was an observation in relation to the mechanisms of patriarchal capitalism. It was primarily aimed at questioning who are qualified to call themselves a 'radical feminist' ?

Your points are completely illogical. The issue of who is or isn't a radical feminist is utterly irrelevant to your sexist and offensive comments that women paying for childcare and domestic care is exploitation.

On this thread there is (1) a theoretical debate for those who are interested in what constitutes a radical feminist position and (b) random , unconnected insults thrown out by you against all women paying for childcare.

Anyone else with a view is being told they are exploitative .

Because everyone, in a capitalist patriarchy, by default, colludes with exploitation of women. Whether they like it or not.

I displayed a lack of interest in the school mums who didn't work. Because I was disinterested. My close friendship circle is women who have a similar belief system to myself.

An equivalent point would be my saying that I'm uninterested in spending any time with anyone who demonstrates a poor command of written English grammar. It's very narrow minded and rather foolish to judge people on a single aspect of their lives.......

lilting you keep banging on that you are a RF but you only seem to be pushing the SAHP view.

No I don't. I have repeatedly said I don't apply the label to myself.

Surely RF would have the interests of all women at the centre .
lilting you keep banging on that you are a RF but you only seem to be pushing the SAHP view.
Anyone else with a view is being told they are exploitative .

The rad fem rhetoric, that is.

So you are weary of people assuming that as a SAHM you aren’t a rad fem. and in actual fact you are indeed not a rad fem?

I'm not not a rad fem, either. I don't label myself. I might actually fit into the category. I don't really know because the rhetoric seems somewhat divorced from the stated aims of radical feminism. It is far simpler to apply no labels to myself.

I didn't expect myself to be up for discussion on this thread. I made comments regarding the class category of SAHM relevant to radical feminism.

Your last post is now saying you are not a radical feminist- so what? What relevance does that have?

It was in response to cold's comment. Here:

Why is that such a terrible thing. You are acting like a liberal feminist, why not just own it and call yourself one.

Because I am weary of assumptions made about me due to the fact I am a SAHP

So you are weary of people assuming that as a SAHM you aren’t a rad fem. and in actual fact you are indeed not a rad fem?

You were trying to justify your offensive and sexist comments about women who pay for domestic help on the basis that posters on here who are in that position have repeated the rhetoric which claims a SAHM cannot be a radical feminist.

It was an observation in relation to the mechanisms of patriarchal capitalism. It was primarily aimed at questioning who are qualified to call themselves a 'radical feminist' ?