Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-307) and index.
Contents:
Introduction: Images of Women Present and Past -- In a field by the river my love and I did stand: Changing Social forms, Modernity and Resistance -- Young women saying "I love having lots of one-night stands" is still not quite acceptable: Making Sense of Sexual Experiences -- And she didn't know what to do: The Many Obstacles to Sexual Freedom -- It's not the right time for me, I can't go through with this pregnancy. And it should be free choice: Abortion as the Loneliest Decision -- It's not just about having children-how can you build a life?: Motherhood Becomes Another Country -- Conclusion: Loss, Athwartness, Resistance.
Summary:
"By the early 2000s, women in Ireland were arguably freer than any past generation to shape their sexual lives amidst the social freedoms of a globalised society. The Salley Gardens presents reflections from seventy-three heterosexual young women on growing up, forming sexual relationships and some becoming mothers in the last years of the 'Celtic Tiger'. The authors explore their hope and despair about what it means to be a woman, to use their agency, within the inescapable tensions of newly wealthy Ireland. Their efforts to build their sexual lives are complex and the significant problems they encountered remain unresolved. Women's search for agency is woven into our complex history and continues to reverberate. The bewildering juxtapositions young women faced fifteen years ago have intensified in the present. Then and now, we face conflicts with social expectations of our lives as sexual women, caring women, partners, wives, and mothers. Turning our older history in Ireland towards an exuberant resistance enables us to illuminate the limitations of the female identities imposed by contemporary Ireland. The Salley Gardens helps us rethink what we mean by agency and resistance, revaluing women's actions as we endeavour to value our own lives"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.