The sexual revolution was supposed to usher in a whole new world of freedom for women. Now, decades later, did it offer us what it promised? Christine Emba is examining just that question. Are women happy with the current dating landscape? Are they having lots of fantastic casual sex? According to Christine’s new book, Rethinking Sex, it seems the answer is no. Young women are not thrilled with the dating landscape. They are frustrated and discouraged.

Christine went to Princeton and studied public and international affairs. She’s also a Catholic convert. Over time she discovered that she was so interested in exploring ideas and culture that she was drawn to a career in journalism–before long she was writing an opinion column at the Washington Post! Her new book is thought-provoking, sometimes depressing, and incredibly insightful. What’s wrong with the way we treat sex in our culture? What’s the way forward?

In this episode we talk about the #metoo movement helped to bring important conversations about consent to the forefront–but these conversations aren’t enough. We talk about how dehumanizing the current dating landscape is and how avoiding acknowledging the differences between men and women (including fertility and vulnerability to sexual assault and coercion) ends up harming women. We talk about the short story Cat Person that opened the door for conversations about bad sex and how common this experience is for women in our hookup culture. While our society isn’t excited about accepting Catholic teaching regarding human sexuality, we can find common ground in acknowledging that the current landscape is bad for women, they deserve better, and we must promote changes that respect the dignity of the human person. It’s a fascinating conversation so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Connect with Christine:

• Christine’s Column at the Washington Post
• Christine’s Twitter

Sponsor: EverythingCatholic.com

If you love finding beautiful, quality  products made by Catholic artisans, you’re going to love everything catholic .com They have hand-designed Catholic decor, toys and books for children as well as spiritual classics and great fiction for grownups. 

Find what you need to live and grow in your faith at EverythingCatholic.com and use code “CARROTS” at checkout for 15% off your entire purchase!

Patreon!

Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you!

Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. So join today!

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,900+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.