Combining the energy of the early seventies feminist movement with the perceptive analyses of the trained theorist, Woman’s Estate is one of the most influential socialist feminist statements of its time. Scrutinizing the political background of the movement, its sources and its common ground with other radical manifestations of the sixties, Woman’s Estate describes the organization of women’s liberation in Western Europe and America. In this foundational text, Mitchell locates the areas of women’s oppression in four key areas: work, reproduction, sexuality and the socialization of children. Through a close study of the modern family and a re-evaluation of Freud’s work in this field, Mitchell paints a detailed picture of patriarchy in action.
"The quality of Mitchell's thinking is revealed by her ability both to be critical of certain aspects of the women's movement, and yet keep herself free of the bitterness and disillusion of radicals of an older generation." —Richard Sennett, New York Review of Books
"Juliet Mitchell's brilliant book from 1970 knew in advance that movements of liberation are linked, that economic analysis alone cannot fully" —Judith Butler, author of Who's Afraid of Gender?
Juliet Mitchell is Professor of Psychoanalysis and Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of Psychoanalysis and Feminism; Siblings: Sex and Violence; and Mad Men and Medusas.
Combining the energy of the early seventies feminist movement with the perceptive analyses of the trained theorist, Woman’s Estate is one of the most influential socialist feminist statements of its time. Scrutinizing the political background of the movement, its sources and its common ground with other radical manifestations of the sixties, Woman’s Estate describes the organization of women’s liberation in Western Europe and America. In this foundational text, Mitchell locates the areas of women’s oppression in four key areas: work, reproduction, sexuality and the socialization of children. Through a close study of the modern family and a re-evaluation of Freud’s work in this field, Mitchell paints a detailed picture of patriarchy in action.
Reviews
"The quality of Mitchell's thinking is revealed by her ability both to be critical of certain aspects of the women's movement, and yet keep herself free of the bitterness and disillusion of radicals of an older generation." —Richard Sennett, New York Review of Books
"Juliet Mitchell's brilliant book from 1970 knew in advance that movements of liberation are linked, that economic analysis alone cannot fully" —Judith Butler, author of Who's Afraid of Gender?
Author
Juliet Mitchell is Professor of Psychoanalysis and Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge. She is the author of Psychoanalysis and Feminism; Siblings: Sex and Violence; and Mad Men and Medusas.
