Walking into the women’s room

Way back, in the 1970s, I read Marilyn Frenchs bestseller ”The women’s room”. I read it, much because I was supposed to, and because I had already met our patriarchal society on my bare skin.

I remember the editor in chief, who asked me (20 years old)  to sit in his lap, as he asked me to work for them. At the time I just felt treated like a child, it took some time to see the sexual dimension of it, and then the memory hurt even more.

It was I was surrounded by women who had torn their bras, who didn’t wear make-up, who demonstrated for abortion rights, to have day care for the kids, and a lot more.

And still I had the idea, at least the years before being born as a mum at age 25, the idea that we men and women already were equals, and that the war was won. 

And then I read the American story, reading about female liberation, and feeling that this was so ”passé”. It was like the American society was crawling towards a more equal society, while we had, at the same time, taken som giant leaps.

And reading about these ”imprisonned” women, taking steps to leave the kitchen, to start to study, to form a more free life, touched me. At the same time as it sort of irritated me. Why were they so slow? Why was the traditional gender roles so hard to move, over there?

When I gave birth to my first child something changed, and after a couple of years, I was more and more aware of the fact that there is a long ride before we live in an equal society. Even in Sweden. 

And now, when I have lived a whole working life, seen a somewhat more equal society being born, it’s like I still feel that the movement is slow, and that many women are not free. And part of that lack of freedom is, to me, something about within. Who are you from the inside and out? Who do you have the courage to be, to express. For how long should we let shame or guilt diminish us?

I guess part of the reason why I also work with pleasure and sexuality, is that I see a possible freedom stemming from that perspective. When I am free to enjoy, when my lust isn’t shamed, then I will be even more free to also express or feel other things.

So now I will work more on my program, that now is called ”The women’s room” - but in Swedish.

And I have set sort of a goal. That the program will start either February 14th or March 8 2022.

PS: Kvinnoprogrammet kommer att vara på svenska (åtminstone till en början).

Charlotte Cronquist är kärlekskrigare

Love is the answer