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emmuhhs 's review for:
Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence
by Kristen R. Ghodsee
I have so many scattered thoughts about this book, firstly that it is undeniably well researched with thorough historical anecdotes that I appreciated and enjoyed.
I appreciated the attention and detail provided when describing different Eastern European countries' approaches and relationships with sexology, sexuality, and social and reproductive rights. Notably missing is any discussion of these same socialist advancements in non-European countries, and mentions of socialist policies in Asia and the Global South are nearly entirely absent from the book's pages. For all the at-times overwhelming distaste for much of Eastern European "state socialism" (as the author calls it), Ghodsee also repeatedly lauds Scandinavian social democratic programs with near reverence without examining the highly uniform demographics of this part of the world.
Finally, portions of this book could be very easily packaged to reinforce mindsets that demonize sex workers, and there is no discussion of what sex work was like in socialist countries, only discussion that it was generally looked down upon.
I appreciated the attention and detail provided when describing different Eastern European countries' approaches and relationships with sexology, sexuality, and social and reproductive rights. Notably missing is any discussion of these same socialist advancements in non-European countries, and mentions of socialist policies in Asia and the Global South are nearly entirely absent from the book's pages. For all the at-times overwhelming distaste for much of Eastern European "state socialism" (as the author calls it), Ghodsee also repeatedly lauds Scandinavian social democratic programs with near reverence without examining the highly uniform demographics of this part of the world.
Finally, portions of this book could be very easily packaged to reinforce mindsets that demonize sex workers, and there is no discussion of what sex work was like in socialist countries, only discussion that it was generally looked down upon.