"Vertel mij eens vriendinnen..." Een gepolitiseerde adviesrubriek (1951-1953)

Samenvatting

"Tell Me About It, Women". A Politicized Advice Column 1951-1953. On the basis of a column that gave advice about the problems of daily life, this article sketches the ideas and moral values of a small Communist-oriented women's organization, the NVB (Dutch Women's Movement) around 1950. The advice differed from what was written in Margriet is Here to Help, the column it is compared with, in that women were advised not to confine themselves to the home. Paid employment for married women and political activities were recommended. In this culture, women were viewed as being strong and able-bodied and equal to men. There was very little sympathy for a life-style direction more towards one's own enjoyment. In addition to the household chores, the betterment of society was a new duty to be fulfilled. Interpersonal problems, for example between men and women or between parents and children, were "politicized" The assumption is made in this article that the Cold War did much to make politics a dominant dimension of everyday life. Although there were separate women's organizations, the joint interests of men and women were stressed. Conflicts at home were to be avoided. At election time, women were not advised to vote for a woman but for a Communist. Neither the family nor motherhood as such were in dispute.