How is the personal political for you?
The class textbook writes, “To explain how things taken as personal or idiosyncratic have broader social, political, and economic cause and consequences; situations that we are encouraged to view as personal are actually part of broader cultural patterns and arrangements.”
A political slogan expressing a common belief among feminists that the personal experiences of women are rooted in their political situation and gender inequality. The statement that “the personal is political” was influential in second-wave feminism, shaping the development of social analyses and theories, encouraging new types of activism, and widening the scope of issues that could be defined as “feminist issues.” For example, it was one of the premises underlying the creation of feminist consciousness-raising groups, which met to discuss topics such as careers or parenting, sharing their personal experiences and generating new knowledge based on those experiences. This knowledge was the basis for further activism. Hanisch herself stressed that an interplay of action and theory, sometimes called praxis, is key to the development of good theory (https://www.britannica.com/topic/the-personal-is-political).
The personal is political for me by being a female and also about to graduate. In the above YouTube, it gives a perfect example. I am about to graduate college and about to enter the workforce. If there is not enough jobs, it is the responsibility of the government to make sure there are enough jobs, but its my issue with what type of job I am trying to have and get. It has also meant that the experience of women is the grounding of feminism, both personal and political (https://www.thoughtco.com/the-personal-is-political-slogan-origin-3528952).
I have had a hard time understanding this phrase, but through further research I have read it states, “First, it’s important to note that the phrase ‘the personal is political’ manifestly does not mean that everything a woman does is political or that all her personal choices are political choices. In feminist terms, the ‘personal is political’ refers to the theory that personal problems are political problems, which basically means that many of the personal problems women experience in their lives are not their fault, but are the result of systematic oppression. In this respect, Hanisch is drawing heavily upon Marxism – the focus is off individual struggle and onto group struggle. The theory that women are not to blame for their bad situations is crucial here because women have always been told that they are unhappy or faring badly in life because they are stupid, weak, mad, hysterical, having a period, pregnant, frigid, over-sexed, asking for it etc. The personal is political proposes that women are in bad situations because they experience gendered oppression and massive structural inequalities.”
The personal is political for me is also through feminine products, sexual health needs (abortion), household work (especially when I get married), workforce payment, beauty standards, I have a higher change of being a victim of gender violence, and gender expectations.
