Berry, in the Feminism, the Body, and the Machine, makes an argument about what he believes the feminist, who are against his paper about not needing a computer, are missing when they discuss marriage: “marriage as a state of mutual help, and the household as an economy.” I agree.
In his article about the computer, Berry mentioned that his wife helped him to type up his ideas and gave him feedback, which frustrates feminist because they find this act to be exploitation without knowing all the details. Within all of their complaints, Berry noticed that all the feminists were frustrated that his wife was not being exploited, was not allowed to find her own employment outside of the home, and was being subservient to him. There did not understand the state of mutual help within a marriage. Berry also explains that many feminists nowadays dream of a marriage that looks more like “an intimate ‘relationship’ involving (ideally) two successful careerists in the same bed, and on the other hand a sort of private political system in which rights and interests must be constantly asserted and defended.” The household is not a full economy, it is focused on consumption. Both partners, to the feminists, work hard to be able to afford what they find important in life
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Berry claimed that the feminists do not see marriage as a state of mutual help. For this point, he explained how the feminists are focused on liberating themselves from the man. They want to leave the household and pursue their own career, even if it would be more beneficial to the family and themselves to work at home. To the feminist, the idea of working at home sounds like the women is being forced by her husband to work there instead of pursuing her own goals and dreams. I agree with Berry that sometimes the women, and even the man, may prefer to be home and focus on helping out the man and the marriage in any way possible. There is a state of mutual help in