Betty friedan and the making of the feminine mystique. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely do justice to the pioneering vision and lasting impact of the feminine mystique. The feminine mystique, a landmark book by feminist betty friedan published in 1963 that described the pervasive dissatisfaction among. Norton published the feminine mystique by a thenunknown new york housewife named. Her work propelled the stagnant women s rights movement into its second wave and helped women reclaim some equality. In the feminine mystique, betty friedan put a spotlight on the hidden, yet immense problems women faced during the 1950 s. Betty friedans book, the feminine mystique, identified the problem that has no name which. Complete summary of betty friedans the feminine mystique. The feminine mystique by friedan, first edition abebooks. 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. Betty friedan wrote the feminine mystique to illuminate the plight of american women during the midnineteenth century through interviews with american housewives.
When betty friedan produced the feminine mystique in 1963, she could not have realized how the discovery and debate of her contemporaries general malaise would shake up society. Feminist theorist bell hooks took betty friedans book to task for its racial. Betty friedans 1963 book the feminine mystique a described. The feminine mystique 1963 a highly readable, provocative book.
The feminine mystique by betty friedan and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Even before the book came out, there were those who couldnt stand it within the very publishing house that ultimately produced it. According to the aforementioned thinkers and philosophers, betty friedans 1963 book is a courageous text with a noble goal, but. Betty friedan, who ignited cause in feminine mystique. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 592 pages and is available in paperback format. In the feminine mystique, betty friedan put a spotlight on the hidden, yet immense problems women faced during the 1950s. The feminine mystique by betty friedan is published history. Pdf the feminine mystique book by betty friedan free. The problem that betty friedan describes in her 1963 work, 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. Published in 1963, it gave a pitchperfect description of the problem that has no name. Excerpts from the feminine mystique 1963 1 betty friedan the problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of american women. Arianna huffington, writing for o, the oprah magazine says, if youve never read it, read it now.
Books by betty friedan author of the feminine mystique. 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. Home betty friedan research guides at harvard library. Betty friedans feminine mystique 50 years later the new york. February 4, 1921 february 4, 2006 was an american feminist writer and activist. The book that changed the consciousness of a countryand the world.
Buy the feminine mystique penguin modern classics 01 by friedan, betty isbn. In the feminine mystique 1963, american author and feminist betty friedan referred to the problem that has no name, in which women felt constrained, unsatisfied, and unhappy in their roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers. The feminine mystique, by betty friedan, was one of the most important and influential texts of feminism in the 1960s. How did television and womens magazines reflect the conventional role of women in america. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the united states. Feminists of the 1960s and 1970s would later say the feminine mystique was the book that started it all. The feminine mystique by betty friedan this persuasive argument against the cult of the 1950s housewife was an important motor for secondwave feminism hermione hoby. Writer, feminist and womens rights activist betty friedan wrote the feminine mystique 1963 and cofounded the national organization for women. Her work propelled the stagnant womens rights movement into its second wave and helped women reclaim some equality. That summer, civil rights leaders organized the august 1963 march on washington. Betty friedan the feminine mystique 1963 the text the feminine mystique, introduces the discussing with the title the problem that has no name. What was the thesis of betty friedans the feminine mystique. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Consult the catalog record for updated closure information. Betty friedan, the feminist crusader and author whose searing first book, the feminine mystique, ignited the contemporary womens movement in 1963 and as a result permanently transformed the. I hope to provide people with a general overview of each book, the author and the social context in which the book was written. It was and is important because it helped encourage so. Us history chapter 30 betty friedan the feminine mystique. Free download or read online the feminine mystique pdf epub book. First published in 1963, the feminine mystique ignited a revolution that profoundly changed our culture, our consciousness, and our lives. The impact of betty friedans the feminine mystique on american women has been hotly debated ever since the book hit the bestseller lists in 1963. Betty friedan and the making of the feminine mystique book. Betty friedans 1963 book that launched a revolution against the suburban cult of domesticity that reigned in the 1950s. Today is the anniversary of a book publishing event that was truly transformative. Victims of a false belief system, these women were following strict social convention by loyally conforming to the pretty image of the magazines, and found themselves forced to seek meaning in their lives only through.
The feminine mystique by friedan abebooks passion for books. The feminine mystique derived its power from freudian thought. Betty friedans 1963 book the feminine mystique identified the problem that has no name as the frustration of educated middleclass wives and mothers who. Publication of the feminine mystique by betty friedan. Betty friedan 1921 2006 was an american writer, activist and feminist, widely credited with starting the second wave of the womens movement in the united states with her 1963 book the feminine mystique. Norton in 1957, friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former smith college classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion. Introducing womens and gender studies louisiana state university. The first edition of the novel was published in february 19th 1963, and was written by betty friedan. Penguin books the feminine mystique published on february 19, 1963 catalyzed the modern feminist movement, helped forever change americans attitudes about womens role in society and catapulted its author into becoming an influential and controversial public figure. Some material in this collection will be closed during digitization, including items relating to the feminine mystique. Betty friedans 1963 book, the feminine mystique, a. She was the primary founder of the national organization for women in 1966 which aimed to bring women into. Best known for starting the second wave of feminism through the writing of her book the feminine mystique an account of housewives lives in which they subordinated their own aspirations to the needs of men. In one of the most shocking passages of her 1963 feminist classic, the feminine mystique, betty friedan claimed that the women who adjust as housewives, who grow up wanting to be just a housewife, are in as much danger as the millions who walked to their own death in the concentration camps.
Sweeping generalities, in which this book necessarily abounds, may hold a certain amount of truth but often obscure the deeper issues. 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. When i read friedans seminal 1963 work the feminine mystique at. With her book the feminine mystique 1963, betty friedan 19212006 broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal. Betty friedans most popular book is the feminine mystique.
Friedan begins the feminine mystique with an introduction describing the problem that has no namethe widespread unhappiness of women. Betty friedan uses this to generally mention the discontent of women, as young as ten years old, in the 1920s throughout the 1960s. The feminine mystique provoked even wider outrage in its day. The feminine mystique is a book by betty friedan that is widely credited with sparking the beginning of secondwave feminism in the united states. Ask a schlesinger librarian if you have any questions. Study 25 terms apush ch 38 terms flashcards quizlet. Betty friedan, author of the landmark the feminine mystique, died five years ago today on her 85th birthday.
Friedan traces the return of women to domestic life after their preworld war ii emancipation. The feminine mystique, by betty friedan, ushered in a second wave of feminist thought and progress in the united states. We took a look back at her life and the impact of her work. 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, 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. A by 1963 political conditions in the united states had changed. Although this dissatisfaction was often treated as. It is a cliche of our own time, betty friedan wrote in her 1963. Betty friedan has 17 books on goodreads with 79663 ratings. Betty friedan is not responsible for all of our unhappiness.
In her book, friedan labeled the problem that has no name, and in. Are the ideas promoted in the book the feminine mystique popular today. 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. The feminine mystique should be required reading for anyone who cares about women. A leading figure in the womens movement in the united states, her 1963 book the feminine mystique is often credited with sparking the second wave of american feminism. The feminine mystique and american women at the dawn of the 1960s basic books, 248 pp. A leading figure in the womens movement in the united states, her 1963 book the feminine mystique is often credited with sparking the second wave of american feminism in the 20th century. In the feminine mystique, betty friedan wrote about this problem of idealized happysuburbanhousewife image that was marketed to many women as their best if not their only option in life. Betty friedans the feminine mystique hit bookshelves the same. The book s overall message that the only acceptable role of housewife and mother does not fulfill women reached over one million readers in 1964, a year after the book was published.
What was the thesis of betty friedans the feminine. The feminine mystique 50th anniversary edition by betty. 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. Today, the feminine mystique seems far from freaky, at times even. This short book summary will be the first of three which collectively focus on a mix of contemporary and classic feminist texts. Landmark, groundbreaking, classicthese adjectives barely describe the earthshaking and longlasting effects of betty friedans the feminine mystique. It is the most famous of betty friedans works, and it made her a household name. Her book, the feminine mystique, published on february 19, 1963, shook the ground beneath an american society rooted in a myth of.
Betty friedans book, the feminine mystique, launched a conversation about womens roles in society, which started the secondwave of feminism where society began to see women as selfreliant, and capable to do the tasks men had been doing as long as time. Today it newly penetrates to the heart of issues determining our lives and sounds a call to arms against the very real dangers of a new feminine mystique in the economic and political turbulence of the 1990s. Analysis of betty friedans the feminine mystique bartleby. Betty friedan was a project entered into the 20092010 national history fair. The feminine mystique by betty friedan, published in 1963, is often seen as the beginning of the womens liberation movement. The book that ignited secondwave feminism captured. 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. If you want to understand the passion that helped fire up the modern womens movement, there may be no better place to start than with the feminine mystique. Summary of betty friedans the feminine mystique 1537.