Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence

Expanding on her 2017 New York Times essay of the same name, Ghodsee (Red Hangover) explores the benefits of socialist societies for women and aims for a balanced assessment of socialist regimes that acknowledges their horrors but also celebrates their benefits in order to suss out future improvements. Specifically, the author argues that socialism's practice of guaranteeing women's employment and providing social services gave women income and flexibility that allowed for opportunity that improved their lives. Themes explored include work, motherhood, leadership, and sex, with each chapter introducing a particular subject and describing it under both capitalism and socialism, explaining how the latter's practices could be adapted to fit modern society without succumbing to authoritarianism. The work ends by asking American women to advocate for socialist policies. Ghodsee's analysis is accessible to a general audience but by design lacks the depth of her previous scholarly works. Additionally, the author acknowledges the shortcomings in her sources with regards to race and sexual orientation.