Clementine Ford is an activist, feminist and bestselling author of Fight Like a Girl and Boys Will Be Boys. Her latest book I Don’t examines the patriarchal history of marriage and, in turn, presents a compelling case against the institution. In particular, her book highlights the historical exploitation of women’s labour and the villainisation of unmarried women during the Reformation through to the modern day.
While marriage is statistically on the decline, over 60 per cent of the Australian population are married and it is still heavily valued.
And yet, Ford points out that historically marriage has seen women traded as property, stripped of bodily autonomy, institutionalised and denied education to careers.
Despite this, from birth women have been culturally conditioned to value the institution of marriage – consuming pop culture that tells us that finding ‘the one’ will ensure our happiness. I Don’t explores this systemic marketing campaign and examines how capitalist structures benefit from perpetuating this myth of marital bliss.
Importantly, Ford isn’t attacking individuals or love – in fact she’s a self-proclaimed romantic – but she argues that the institution of marriage is fundamentally corrupt and is founded on the oppression of women. For instance, some of the issues Ford tackles include domestic disparity, the financial and physical cost of childbirth and rearing, and men’s violence against women.
A fascinating book I highly recommend.
Reviewed by Sarah Martin
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Clementine Ford is a Melbourne-based writer, speaker and feminist thinker. She is a columnist for Fairfax’s Daily Life and is a regular contributor to the Age and Sydney Morning Herald. Through her twice-weekly columns for Daily Life, Clementine explores issues of gender inequality and pop culture. Fight Like a Girl is her first book.
Her ability to use humour and distilled fury to lay bare ongoing issues affecting women has earned her a huge and loyal readership. Clementine’s work has radically challenged the issues of men’s violence against women, rape culture and gender warfare in Australia, while her comedic take on casual sexism and entertainment has earned her a reputation as an accomplished satirist.
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