Note to Teachers
 
Themes:  feminism, eunuch, consumerism, marriage, sexuality, third-wave feminism, second-wave
feminism, first-wave feminism, nuclear family
 
The Female Eunuch tends to be discussed as a central tome of second-wave feminism.  For this
perspective, please consult the Introduction, the Forward, and even the first sentence of Greer’s Summary
(“This book is a part of the second feminist wave”).  But, writing in the middle of the second wave, Greer
could not have anticipated the third feminist wave and, in many ways, understanding the book as a second
wave work is an oversimplification that limits the book’s relevance for 21st Century audiences.
 
Of course, The Female Eunuch is nothing if not bold.  The book dares to be brazen, dogmatic, unscholarly,
opinionated, crude, rude, disorganized, blunt, rambling, and openly sexual.  For this reason, the book tends
to be remembered for some extreme one-liners such as “taste your own menstrual blood” (p. 57) and
“Women have very little idea of how much men hate them” (p. 279).  As is evidenced by the quote below,
what seems more difficult to articulate is what exactly The Female Eunuch’s main message is:
 
As much as I admired The Female Eunuch the first time I read it, I could never quite recall what, beyond
heterosexual intercourse, Greer actually advocated. What I did take from the book was an ethic of adventure and
courage, of a zest for taking on the world. Her challenge to women who called themselves emancipated
—“consider the idea of tasting your own menstrual blood”—didn’t really mean anything, but it was thrilling just to
know that somebody had traveled that far out into the territory of acceptable female behavior and planted her flag
there. It created more room for the rest of us.—Laura Miller
 
We could understand the radical language and in-your-face style as part of the limit-testing legacy of the
60s and 70s, as part of the culture that also saw the rise of the Black Panther Movement, Andy Warhol and
SCUM (Society for Cutting up Men), bra-burning and race rioting.  Certainly, students who fear such radical
language as being what feminism is all about should view the book in context, the context being that some
groups (e.g., African Americans) were gaining ground through such radicalism while other groups (e.g.,
women) had not yet dared to try.  With The Female Eunuch, Greer brought feminism into the fold of groups
who advocated anything and everything for the cause.  She dared to question and critique family,
psychiatry, bodies, love, work, childhood, and more, all in one completely un-self-conscious rant.  This was
an important move and one that needs to be understood as historically necessary more than as the
definition or project of feminism.
 
Yet, The Female Eunuch has even more to offer 21st -century audiences than a historical perspective.  When
reading The Female Eunuch one can see the seeds of third wave feminism being sewn.  This is interesting
not only because it is a book that has been seen as central to the second wave but also because it is a way
of witnessing the evolution of theory.  There are many ways in which Greer’s writing does indeed anticipate
some central third-wave themes including sex-positivity (i.e., in critiquing the male-female dichotomy and
eschewing marital sex as the only or best option), the reappropriation of the derogatory (i.e., reclaiming
cunt and menstrual blood), anti-essentialism (i.e., not advocating any particular prescription for women),
and activism (i.e., ending the book with “What will you do?”).  She also uses language (such as transvestite,
female impersonator, female faggot) that foreshadows the poststructural work of Judith Butler (who
famously discusses gender as “drag”).  In the sections below, some topics and assignments are provided
especially with the 21st -century student in mind.
 
Questions for Discussion
 
1. In “Introduction,” Greer is critical of the fact that women did not seem to take full advantage of the first
feminist wave.  Do you think women have taken full advantage of the second feminist wave?  Are they
taking full advantage of the third wave?  Should they be?  Are you?
 
2. In “Gender” and “Energy,” Greer critiques the male-female dichotomy.  How does this relate to the
current transgender movement?
 
3. In “Hair,” Greer writes, “...the more clothes women are allowed to take off, the more hair they must
take off” (p. 43).  What do you know about current trends in waxing and hair removal and are these
consistent with feminism?  How and how not?
 
4. In “Energy,” (pp. 75-76) Greer describes female students as too diligent, disciplined, and anxious to
please with the result that their energies go into being model students rather than into being
intellectual or creative groundbreakers.  Does this match your observations of college women?
 
5. In “The Psychological Sell,” Greer writes, “Women are contoured by their conditioning to abandon
autonomy and seek guidance” (p. 103).  This suggests that women’s “interdependence,” and
“communion,” and “relatedness”—all of which are factors in women’s greater likelihood to have larger
social networks and/or to seek psychotherapy than men—are weaknesses rather than strengths.  Do
you agree?  Is Greer privileging male norms and values such as independence and autonomy?
 
6. On p. 160, Greer suggests that women are incapable of valuing themselves or each other, as women
are “weak and unsuitable” due to their castrated state.  Do you agree?
 
7. On p. 171, Greer writes that women’s tendency toward seeming altruism and self-sacrifice (via the full-
time job of making themselves indispensable) is really a cover for having no self to offer in the first
place.  Is this true or is this an underappreciation of women’s greater relational strengths?
 
8. On p. 177, Greer states that “lovers live only for another, dead to the outside world,” meaning that men
are docile workers and women are stagnant wives.  Do romantic relationships kill the spirit?
 
9. What does Greer mean by “mother is the dead heart of the family” (p. 251)?
 
10. In “Security,” Greer suggests that women seek security in marriage, yet they are never more
vulnerable than when they are aging, with dependent children, and unfit for the workforce.  Do you
agree?  What are your experiences with this?
 
11. In “Loathing and Disgust,” Greer states that “women have very little idea of how much men hate them”
(p. 279).  Does Greer adequately support her case that men hate women, or does her book actually
suggest that women hate men?  Does current media suggest that men hate women? 
 
12. How do you feel about Greer’s claim that every young pretty girl will eventually end up as the dreaded
mother-in-law (p. 302)?
 
13. On p. 334, Greer mocks the second-wave feminists who sought equality in the workplace.  If this
seems like the wrong course of action to Greer, what exactly does she advocate?
 
14. Why are women “principal consumers in the capitalist state” (p. 363)?
 
15. In “Revolution,” Greer discusses what women should and should not do.  What does this picture look
like?
 
 
Assignments / Paper Topics
 
1. What does it mean to be sex-positive and how does The Female Eunuch provide support for this
movement?
 
2. One of the most famous selections from The Female Eunuch is: “If you think you are emancipated, you
might consider the idea of tasting your menstrual blood—if it makes you sick, you’ve a long way to go,
baby” (p. 57).  Evaluate this statement using material from The Female Eunuch, what you know about
second and third wave feminisms, and your own opinions about emancipation.
 
3. Greer refers to being a woman as being a “transvestite” and a “female impersonator” (p. 70), as well
as a “female faggot” (p. 86).  What does she mean by this and how does she support these claims?
 
4. What is a eunuch and how does Greer make her case that women are indeed eunuchs?
 
5. On p. 94, Greer briefly discusses the loss that is experienced when girl-to-girl love of girlhood is
replaced with socially acceptable heterosexual romance.  What is your experience of this and what
have other feminists (e.g., Nancy Chodorow, Gayle Rubin, Judith Butler) written about this turn?  What
does Freud say about this developmental turn?
 
6. On pp. 109-110, Greer critiques “time-consuming” and “self-conscious” approaches to motherhood. 
She views obsessive interest in children as the result of disappointments in marriage.  21st -century
students are likely to have been raised by one or more parents who were very available and involved
(e.g., via cell phone contact, working from home, etc).  What is the correct approach to motherhood
and why?
 
7. On p. 165 Greer writes “it takes a great deal of courage and independence to decide to design your
own image instead of the one that society rewards, but it gets easier as you go along” and she ends
her book with the question of “What will you do?”.  Does Greer’s writing inspire you to design your life
differently and, if so, how so?
 
8. On p. 212 and again on p. 280, Greer suggests that men see women as either Great Bitches or
Poison Maidens (or as bitches or slags).  How does this relate to current work on media
representations of women as “bitches” or “hos”?
 
9. Throughout The Female Eunuch, Greer heavily critiques relationships as deadening to the spirit and
 threatening to autonomy.  What is her evidence and how do you evaluate her claims?
 
10. Throughout The Female Eunuch, but especially in “Family,” Greer critiques the nuclear family.  She
describes children who badger and exploit their mothers and mothers who are lonely and desperate. 
Describe the history of the rise of the nuclear family; are Greer’s criticisms valid?
 
11. Probably the most consistent call to action in The Female Eunuch is Greer’s advocating of autonomy. 
Why exactly does she think that autonomy is the only way in which women can thrive and what exactly
would this life look like?
 
12. In “Revolution,” Greer writes, “Reaction is not revolution.  It is not a sign of revolution when the
oppressed adopt the manners of the oppressors and practice oppression on their own behalf.  Neither
is it a sign of revolution when women ape men, and men women, or even when the laws against
homosexuality are relaxed, and the intense sexual connotations of certain kinds of clothes and
behavior are diminished.”  What sort(s) of feminism is this position most consistent with?  First, second,
or third wave?  Liberal, cultural, or radical? 
 
13. One of the most unsupported statements in The Female Eunuch is: “the first significant discovery we
shall make as we racket along our female road to freedom is that men are not free” (p. 371).  What do
you imagine that Greer meant by that?  How have second wave feminists such as bell hooks, as well
as third-wave feminists, taken up the issue that feminism is actually a men’s issue as well?
 
14. “If women are to effect a significant amelioration in their condition it seems obvious that they must
refuse to marry.  No worker can be required to sign on for life: if he did, his employer could disregard
all attempts to gain better pay and conditions (p. 358)”.  Why is marriage not in the interest of women? 
What sort of life does Greer suggest is best for women and children?
 
Online and Additional Resources
 
For a quick biography of Greer:
http://www.takver.com/history/sydney/greer.htm
 
For complete biography of Greer: 
Germaine Greer: Untamed Shrew by Christine Wallace
 
Here is a commentary on Greer and Christine Wallace’s biography of Greer from Salon.com: 
 
 
Third-wave feminism:
Third-Wave Foundation
The 3rd Wave
 
 
For information about sex-positive:
Sex Positive Culture
 
 
For information about the nuclear family:
Women's eNews
 
 
Books by Germaine Greer
 
 
Other Books of Interest
 
Third-Wave Feminism by Jennifer Baumgardner
Manifesta by Jennifer Baumgardner and Amy Richards
 The Death of Feminism by Phyllis Chesler
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
Stiffed by Susan Faludi
Prisons We Choose to Live Inside by Doris Lessing
Feminism Without Borders by Chandra Mohanty
Slut! by Leora Tanenbaum
Catfight by Leora Tanenbaum
To Be Real by Rebecca Walker
The PowerBook by Jeannette Winterson
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf