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_yuki_'s review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
fureverlove's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this just felt so damn right. All the things I’ve been learning and thinking for years, summed up neatly and eloquently in this book. It had so many moments where I was nodding emphatically but equally so many where I wanted to scream, but isn’t that just so accurately how we as women feel too often?
courtsb02's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what a book. The best book I have ever read.
We owe everything to women before yes.
We owe everything to women before yes.
bianca89279's review against another edition
5.0
Women over fifty-five are the fastest-growing group to experience homelessness in Australia. The number one reason for homelessness is escaping domestic violence, unexpected, major life circumstances and lack of affordable and social housing.
This book was published in 2019, and since then, the issues have grown exponentially, the increased cost of living affecting an increasing number of people.
Jane Caro looks back at her time growing up, and at the achievements of feminism, including the #meetoo movement. She's concerned about the plight of women of a certain age, who after years of caring for their families and putting everyone's needs ahead of theirs, find themselves in their fifties and sixties with no superannuation or very little, single, no housing and no possibility to get decent employment due to lack of skills and/or ageism and sexism.
Society, patriarchal beliefs, the tax system, the lack of adequate and affordable childcare, and especially the fact that women do the majority of caring are some of the many barriers that see women 's financial disadvantage compounding.
Of course, there had never been more women with power and financial affluence, which allows women over a certain age to finally have the time to do volunteer work and enjoy hobbies and take up new interests that they could never find the time to do while caring for kids and/or working.
We need more women in power, in all fields. The saying/stats show that if you lift a woman out of poverty, she'll bring up four other people with her.
We need more women to be in power, not only because women represent over 50% of the population. And most importantly, we should demand and expect that women's contributions as carers are recognised in a tangible way, and by tangible I don't mean the crappy Mother's Day gifts - as in financial recompense so that their later years are comfortable. Like it or not, if women stopped providing care services, nobody would achieve anything. Just think about it, everything women do is devalued. Women do most of the cooking, who are the most celebrated chefs - men! Women did most of the sewing and mending, yet men are the "great designers" - yes, I'm rolling my eyes big time and may have said very "unlady" like words (speaking of which, using lady to describe certain attributes is another way of keeping women in their place - be pretty, demure and most importantly, quiet, but I digress).
I could write an essay on the book and its topics, but I've got to go cook dinner...
This book was published in 2019, and since then, the issues have grown exponentially, the increased cost of living affecting an increasing number of people.
Jane Caro looks back at her time growing up, and at the achievements of feminism, including the #meetoo movement. She's concerned about the plight of women of a certain age, who after years of caring for their families and putting everyone's needs ahead of theirs, find themselves in their fifties and sixties with no superannuation or very little, single, no housing and no possibility to get decent employment due to lack of skills and/or ageism and sexism.
Society, patriarchal beliefs, the tax system, the lack of adequate and affordable childcare, and especially the fact that women do the majority of caring are some of the many barriers that see women 's financial disadvantage compounding.
Of course, there had never been more women with power and financial affluence, which allows women over a certain age to finally have the time to do volunteer work and enjoy hobbies and take up new interests that they could never find the time to do while caring for kids and/or working.
We need more women in power, in all fields. The saying/stats show that if you lift a woman out of poverty, she'll bring up four other people with her.
We need more women to be in power, not only because women represent over 50% of the population. And most importantly, we should demand and expect that women's contributions as carers are recognised in a tangible way, and by tangible I don't mean the crappy Mother's Day gifts - as in financial recompense so that their later years are comfortable. Like it or not, if women stopped providing care services, nobody would achieve anything. Just think about it, everything women do is devalued. Women do most of the cooking, who are the most celebrated chefs - men! Women did most of the sewing and mending, yet men are the "great designers" - yes, I'm rolling my eyes big time and may have said very "unlady" like words (speaking of which, using lady to describe certain attributes is another way of keeping women in their place - be pretty, demure and most importantly, quiet, but I digress).
I could write an essay on the book and its topics, but I've got to go cook dinner...
smitchy's review against another edition
5.0
Jane Caro takes us on a deep dive into feminism, the baby boomer generation, and the battles we still need to fight to bring about true equality. Any woman reading this book will recognise most of the issues: having either experienced them personally or known someone who has; What makes this so readable is Caro's ability to sum up those issues so succinctly and point out with clarity the catch-22 most women find themselves in as they are caught between the opposing expectations of society. Caro's generation didn't expect to change the world but a combination of financial need, social change, the pill, and frustration with the expectations they were saddled with lead to the biggest change in female roles the western world has ever seen. With these changes have come new challenges and backlash from both men and women and Caro also makes an attempt to understand why and how this has come about and what we can do about it.
Accidental Femminists is highly readable in spite of this relatively heavy subject matter and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I feel the people who most need to read it never will.
This would be a great addition to a social studies course and I feel like it should be required reading in highschools.
Looking forward to the book club discussion this book will bring about - especially as the bookclub contains boomers, gen x and millennials.
Accidental Femminists is highly readable in spite of this relatively heavy subject matter and I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I feel the people who most need to read it never will.
This would be a great addition to a social studies course and I feel like it should be required reading in highschools.
Looking forward to the book club discussion this book will bring about - especially as the bookclub contains boomers, gen x and millennials.
rikkireads_'s review against another edition
3.0
I didn't think this was a necessary read for me when it first came out and that striking cover and the title got my attention at the book shop. But after attending a conference at which Jane Caro spoke, and realising that the topics covered in here (like women over 50 are the highest growing group of people experiencing homelessness...) are not only relevant to a unit that I teach but also incredibly important in general, I decided I should give it a go. It was worth it. The only reason why I'm not raring it higher is because there was not a lot that was "new" for me. But the voice was engaging and many readers will most likely find the content eye-opening and all-too-relevant.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
angiolettoliz's review against another edition
4.0
Read this on the train from Cornwall back to London. I loved her voice and wit, especially how she referred to men as blokes- just made it all that funky. Very insightful yet concise. A very intelligent and confidant woman with a lot of important opinions and life experience. A great read
missflamingo's review against another edition
4.0
"Once upon a time women sat silent in audiences and listened to powerful men pontificate and kept their knowledge of that person's hypocrisy a secret or something they whispered about quietly to one another in private. The risk if they spoke up was too great for them. Now the risk is greater for the men who abuse the power that accompanies their fame."
laurenricci's review against another edition
5.0
As a millennial Australian woman, I found this such an essential and empowering read, Caro looks at feminism, how far we have come, the issues that still oppress particularly older women today, whilst giving hope that equality for women can change and has changed in a short period of time.