Friedan posits that the return to the home may have resulted from a desire to address the. The feminine mystique is the title of a book written by betty friedan who also founded the national organization for women now to help us women gain equal rights. But milestones can quickly become millstones, and on the books 50th anniversary as well as on international womens day 20, womens liberations annual general meeting its worth taking stock of the feminine mystiques enduring influence. Buy the feminine mystique penguin modern classics 01 by friedan, betty isbn. Source a is an excerpt of a book written by betty friedan in 1963 called the feminine mystique. By counting the number of magazine articles that portray women as empowered individuals, friedan is. For that reason, i urge you to borrow it from your library, your mother.
Mar 01, 2010 the book that changed the consciousness of a countryand the world. Friedans theory was that women who stayed at home an increased number had been able to do so since improved economic conditions meant many more men could afford to support a wife. Definition of the feminine mystique the feminine mystique is the false notion that a womans role in society is to be a wife, mother, and housewife nothing else. The feminine mystique project gutenberg selfpublishing. The book that changed the consciousness of a countryand the world. This is, i believe, the most telling sign of the books continued relevance. There were also the regular frontofthebook service columns on new drug and medicine developments, childcare facts, columns by clare luce and by eleanor. The feminine mystique, a landmark book by feminist betty friedan published in 1963 that described the pervasive dissatisfaction among women in mainstream american society in the postworld war ii period. Fine in a very good dust jacket with some light fading to the spine. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name, that launched the second wave of the feminist movement, and. Feb 19, 20 the feminine mystique tends to be hailed simply as the book that started secondwave feminism, said lisa m. May 30, 2016 betty friedan, the godmother of the postwar us womens movement, was an accidental feminist.
Friedans book pulled the trigger on history, in the words of future shock author alvin toffler. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name. The feminine mystique chapter 14, a new life plan for women. The feminine mystique betty friedan 1943 words essay example.
The publication of betty friedans the feminine mystique, on february 17, 1963, is often cited as the founding moment of secondwave feminism. The feminine mystique tends to be hailed simply as the book that started secondwave feminism, said lisa m. Despite focusing on the seemingly small problems of middle class white women, the legacy of the book. The collective report she gives out from the sample of women she interviewed was that the women had issues in their marriage. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely do justice to the pioneering vision and lasting impact of the feminine mystique. Feb 20, 20 the guardian s popup book club discussion of the feminine mystique starts wednesday at 3pm and will last for half an hour for our first chat, well be focusing on the first 100 pages. The feminine mystique is a modernized version of the old formula for domestic enslavement more bluntly expressed as womans place is in the home.
But i think that education, and only education, has saved, and can continue to save, american women from the greater dangers of the feminine mystique. Within three years of the books publication, friedan had sold more than 3m. The feminine mystique by betty friedan illuminated a problem that has no name in which women, despite having all the supposed luxuries and materials of an ideal woman in the 1960s, found themselves unfulfilled and unhappy. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely describe the earthshaking and longlasting effects of betty friedans the feminine mystique. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan that is widely credited with sparking the beginning of secondwave feminism in the united states. This is the book that defined the problem that has no name, that launched the second wave of the feminist movement, and has been awakening women and men with. Fine, a historian at michigan state university and a coeditor of the first. It was and is important because it helped encourage so many women, during. Using a practice that becomes common throughout the book, friedan offers several case studies of unhappy women from around the united states, and she wonders whether this unhappiness is related to the female. Although i was quite happy to finally finish reading it, it is an important book to read. She describes the feminine mystique as the heightened awareness of the expectations of women and how each woman has to fit a certain role as a little girl, an uneducated and.
Jan 14, 2019 the feminine mystique by betty friedan, published in 1963, is often seen as the beginning of the womens liberation movement. In 1963 betty friedan released the feminine mystique, commonly cited as setting off 2nd wave feminism in the us. The feminine mystique is a very specific cry of rage about the way intelligent, welleducated women were kept out of the. It took me some time and effort to get through it, but i am so happy i read this book. Feb 19, 2020 the feminine mystique, a landmark book by feminist betty friedan published in 1963 that described the pervasive dissatisfaction among women in mainstream american society in the postworld war ii period. Women find their own answers after facing the problem and realizing they need a change in.
The start of the feminist revolution in the 1960s, like so many other historical events, helps us to better understand issues women face today. In 1963 one book ushered in a tidal wave of change throughout american civilization. Primary source analysis on the feminine mystique essay. She is writing a book to be called the fountain of age. Published in 1963, it gave a pitchperfect description of the problem that has no name. The excerpt is titled the problem that has no name, details how women were expected to be a housewife and how they were unhappy with only having that role. The feminine mystique has made higher education for women seem suspect, unnecessary and even dangerous. The feminine mystique derived its power from freudian thought. With her book the feminine mystique 1963, betty friedan 19212006 broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles. The symbol of the feminine mystique in the feminine mystique. The mystique is an artificial idea of femininity that says having a career andor fulfilling ones individual potential somehow go against womens preordained role. The feminine mystique, in other words, didnt enter the world as the longawaited. Feminine mystique, the mp3 cd audiobook, mp3 audio, unabridged. I am outraged at bush for making liberalism the l word, women the w word and feminism the f.
Until i started writing the feminine mystique she confessed in 1973, i wasnt even. World war, and became the basis to her book, the feminine mystique. In her book she draws on research into popular culture of the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and interviews with nearly 200 women who read the feminine mystique shortly after it was published. The feminine mystique by friedan, first edition abebooks. Tess taylor betty friedans the feminine mystique was first published in the united states in 1963 by w. The feminine mystique simple english wikipedia, the free. Potter 1 rebecca potter gray section 4975 12 may 2015 primary source analysis on the feminine mystique the feminine mystique is the title of a book written by betty friedan who has also founded the national organization for women now to help us women gain equal rights. Jan 27, 20 in a strange way, all those deficits are the books strength. Coontz is clear that friedan wanted her work to sell to the white mainstream. The mystique, as friedan sometimes calls it, was a ploy to convince womenmany of whom had worked in factories and in other jobs during world war iito return to traditional domestic roles.
The feminine mystique, by betty friedan, was one of the most important and influential texts of feminism in the 1960s. In 1963 betty friedan published a groundbreaking work that empowered a generation of women. She coined the term feminine mystique to describe the societal assumption that women could find fulfillment through housework, marriage, sexual passivity, and child rearing alone. Betty friedan, the godmother of the postwar us womens movement, was an accidental feminist. Mar 07, 20 but milestones can quickly become millstones, and on the books 50th anniversary as well as on international womens day 20, womens liberations annual general meeting its worth taking stock of the feminine mystiques enduring influence. The feminine mystique forever changed the conversation as well. In 1963 betty friedan released the feminine mystique. The book highlighted friedans view of a coercive and pervasive postworld war ii ideology of female domesticity that stifled middleclass womens opportunities to be anything but homemakers. To ask other readers questions about the feminine mystique, please sign up. The feminine mystique was the idea that women were most content as wives, mothers, and homemakers. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition kindle. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan first published in 1963. This book is available in this website with simple word. The guardian s popup book club discussion of the feminine mystique starts wednesday at 3pm and will last for half an hour for our first chat, well be focusing on the first 100 pages.
The three women beside her were ariel levy female chauvinist pigs, of the new yorker. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The feminine mystique carries a timeless message for women who have begun fight back against patriarchy, but need the occasional reminder that beginning a fight isnt winning a war. This study guide consists of approximately 102 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the feminine mystique. Today, developing the online book becomes very increasingly. Feministic in a good way, without the morbid extravaganza other reads of that type hold, its relevant even now and if you dont choose to believe so, at least you can appreciate it as a. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition kindle edition. The feminine mystique by betty friedan is an iconic book that relentlessly changed the way the american woman saw herself, until its first publication in 1963.
Norton in 1957, friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former smith college classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion. The symbol of the feminine mystique in the feminine. Her work propelled the stagnant womens rights movement into its second wave and helped women reclaim some equality. Free ebook the feminine mystique by betty friedan puqtsil.
In 1979, she had some interesting things to say about mens rights. Friedan begins the feminine mystique with an introduction describing the problem that has no namethe widespread unhappiness of women. I feel like ive written a lot about, or in connection to, the feminine mystique over at my other blog, a homebody, because of all the feminism issues. Further, prevailing attitudes held that truly feminine women had no desire for higher education, careers, or a political voice. Towards the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, there emerged a group of middle class women whose ideology and perception of things was unorthodox to the societal outlook on issues. In 1957, friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former smith college classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion. These citations may not conform precisely to your selected citation style. Feb 10, 20 at 50, does feminine mystique still roar. When i read friedans seminal 1963 work the feminine mystique at age. Feminist theorist bell hooks took betty friedans book to task for its racial.
Considering the impact of the feminine mystique jstor. In the book, friedan conducts a number of interviews with classmates, and finds that many of them were unhappy with their lives as housewives. While many book critics immediately recognized the potential in friedans book when it was released in. The boredom led to a problem among the american women which, according to her book is the unhappiness that came to be as a result of the. The work in the feminine mystique, betty friedan, a freelance writer and 1942 smith graduate, intertwines anecdotes and observations from her own life with facts and analysis from her research. It seems that everywhere i turn, theres some hotbutton oped that can be connected to the feminine mystique. Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s would later say the feminine mystique was the book that started it all. Friedans theory was that women who stayed at home an increased number had been able to do so since improved economic conditions meant many more men could afford to support a wife were bored, miserable, and destructive. In a strange way, all those deficits are the books strength. Please use this display as a guideline and modify as needed. In the book feminine mystique, friedan explores the different lifestyles the women had before marriage and compares it to their present lifestyles in the marriage. Though friedans book had spawned what came to be known as the secondwave feminist movement.
Just facing a problem is not a solution to the problem. Friedan notes that the uncertainties and fears during world war ii and the cold war made americans long for the comfort of home, so they. In this chapter, friedan attempts to help women build a new life plan that will allow them to break through the feminine mystique and live fuller lives. Nov 10, 2008 its a book by betty friedan, written in 1963. She was moderating a panel about the legacy of betty friedans the feminine mystique, published fifty years ago. The feminine mystique betty friedan 1943 words essay. The feminine mystique has been credited or blamed for destroying, singlehandedly and almost overnight, the 1950s consensus that womens place was in the home. A book is one of the important ways to get more knowledge and reference.
With world war ii over, women who had been working were told. The feminine mystique chapter 14, a new life plan for. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan that is widely credited with sparking the. One of the great online books is the book entitled the feminine mystique by betty friedan.
It is the most famous of betty friedans works, and it made her a household name. The feminine mystique is the false notion that a womans role in society is to be a wife, mother, and housewife nothing else. The new element is the poisoned bait of the mystique by which women today are voluntarily lured back into. In the feminine mystique, betty friedan put a spotlight on the hidden, yet immense problems women faced during the 1950s.
Why the womens movement needed the feminine mystique. Feminist theorist bell hooks took betty friedans book to task for its. The feminine mystique half a century later brain pickings. In the book, friedan defines womens unhappiness as the problem that has no name, then she launches. Friedan began writing this piece after she attended her fifteenyear college reunion at smith, a womans college. The feminine mystique, reassessed after 50 years the. The feminine mystique begins with an introduction describing what friedan called the problem that has no name the widespread unhappiness of women in the 1950s and early 1960s. A study of the feminine mystique by evelyn reed 1964. In the minds ear, a geiger counter clicks when the image shows too sharp a discrepancy from reality. Publication of the feminine mystique by betty friedan. Friedan believes that, while his work on repressive moral codes was beneficial to the feminist cause, freuds work on femininity was poorly interpreted by the popular media in the 1950s and lent dangerous credibility to the feminine mystique.
19 1016 1361 1394 1233 1443 1131 1151 264 832 829 1059 752 1235 417 700 1172 1216 555 179 796 404 1369 685 231 802 991 82 1453 445 1126 46