Beatrice Frasl: Entromantisiert euch!

In the organizer's words:

In her provocative essay, Viennese author Beatrice Frasl examines the social romanticization of love and exposes it as patriarchal indoctrination. She shows how heteroromantic relationships put women at a structural disadvantage - economically, emotionally and in terms of health - and calls for a radical rethink: love should be redefined, self-determined and free from social constraints.

Hardly anything is romanticized more than romantic love ... hardly anything deserves this romanticization less!
Love - it has been passionately sung about in songs for centuries, praised in literature and glorified in films, even in its most toxic forms. Despite its volatility and usually relatively short duration, we have made romantic love a central model of social organization. Romantic love is what is constantly hammered into our brains from an early age as an indispensable component of happiness and fulfillment. Yet its reality is anything but romantic - especially for women. Heteroromantic relationships form the framework for women taking on two thirds of unpaid work, earning less and slipping into dependency. Unmarried women without children, on the other hand, are the happiest and healthiest population group. They have a higher life expectancy than married women, while married men live longer than unmarried men. Romantic relationships with men harm women: healthwise, emotionally and economically.

The author is a cultural scientist/gender researcher, podcaster, columnist and always: a feminist. In her work, she has been dealing with the gaps in the healthcare system, mental illness and feminism for years. As @fraufrasl, she raises awareness about mental health and feminism on social media.