The Feminine Mystique 50th Anniversary Edition

When I first heard about this book I was immediately intrigued. I couldn't wait to read it and see how far women have come. Imagine my surprise when the author seemed to be describing the present day instead of a distant past. I couldn't believe how relevant a book from the 1960's is today.Betty Friedan describes a generation of women who were manipulated into thinking that motherhood and housewifery is the be all and end all for women. She explained that in the 50's and 60's women defined themselves solely through their children and husbands instead of developing an identity of their own. Women were seen as childlike with limited capabilities and, thus, education for females was dismissed as unnecessary. However, many women were unsatisfied with their only career choice as wife and mother. They were desperate for a sense of meaning and true identity. Some attempted to fill this void by using sexual promiscuity, focusing on their appearance, and/ or buying an endless amount of material things for their homes. This is still true for a lot of women today.Friedan thinks that women tried to elevate the status of housework and child rearing by obsessing over natural child birth, breast feeding, and homemade bread and clothes. Mothers became so over involved in the lives of their offspring that the kids could hardly develop into independent human beings. Researchers later found that children are actually happier, and develop better, when the mother has a career, or other purpose besides her children. Unfortunately, women seem to be falling into the same trap again. The media seems to be telling them, once again, that unless they give up everything and turn into helicopter-parents, their children are doomed for failure. It almost seems as if there is a second wave of this back- to-the- home trend. I see many women that are so preoccupied with their children that it appears as if they are trying to live their lives through them. Just think about shows like Toddlers& Tiaras- is it really the dream of those little girls to be presented like a show pony for the adults?I have to admit, there have been times when I, too, have thought about how idyllic it would be to have a big family, prepare all their organic food at home, and even (gasp!) home school the children. But after reading this book, there is no way that I will ever give up my education and career. Defining yourself through your children and husband is simply not the way to live a fulfilling life. This book may have been a bit dated and repetitive at times, but obviously our generation hasn't gotten the message yet, and it can't hurt to hear it more than once. In my opinion, they should really make this work required reading in high school. It's very powerful.

Ladies, the next time you decide you don't want to cook dinner that night, that you'd rather read a book instead... I want you to give a little fist-bump to the heavens in honor of Betty Friedan. It's because of her that you even have that opportunity to make that choice.Let's clear something up right now - The Feminine Mystique is not a text on how to become a man-hating, radical. If that's what you think this is about, my review isn't going to change your mind so you might as well stop reading it now.The Feminine Mystique does, however, bring attention and awareness to the mystique that is femininity - that women are good for use of their wombs and their cooking skills and maybe one or two other things, so long as those things benefit the husband (and maybe the children) more than anyone else. Friedan noticed that there was this "problem that could not be named" , this increase in fatigue in women across the country, a form of depression that made them want to sneak a few drinks when the kids were off to school or to pop a couple Valium while they vacuum the house every couple of days. What Friedan wanted to bring attention to was that it didn't need to be that way. That women could be educated, and they did not have to get married right after high school, that they could have a career as well as a family, if they so desired.Her thesis is that women stop growing after a certain point - for some women it's in grade school, for some women it's in high school. Even the women who went to college (keep in mind that this book was published in 1963 so her focus was primarily on the fifties in America) went just to hone their skills as a woman and to (hopefully) find a man. Once the ring went on the finger, the women became housewives and had children, but then couldn't figure out why they were so unhappy. Because they hadn't actually finished growing....Duh! It makes perfect sense really - you're no good to anyone if you haven't evolved yourself.

Beautifully written and insightful, The Feminine Mystique is also surprisingly relevant 60 years after it was published. Betty Friedan’s exasperation with women being treated as if “biology were destiny” will feel very contemporary when, for example, a debate about abolishing no-fault divorce is brought up in the news.Each chapter can be read mostly on its own. Some of the discussion will feel dated (such as her critique of Freudian psychoanalysis). But most of it will feel alive and kicking today. She is writing at the peak of the baby boom and sees it as a mixed blessing.Man this is a great book.

In "The Feminine Mystique," Betty Friedan challenges the idea that women find fulfillment solely through life as a housewife. She argues that the "feminine mystique" traps women in a cycle of unhappiness and unfulfilled potential. Friedan's work inspired the new wave of feminist activism, and she prompted women to redefine their roles in society. While I agree some of her ideas may be outdated, I think her work still resonates deeply with feminism today.

I am reading this now, more than 50 years later, and it is as relevant and as true as it has ever been. The basic premise can be put simply as, "Every human being, across all nationalities, races, ethnicities, religions, sex and genders ought to be able to pursue a life plan that aspires to and actually fulfills the full genetic potential of each individual. If there are systemic obstacles to this they must be called out and changed by legal and political action. This is so simple and so compelling. On with research, study, education, economic advancement, and self-fulfillment! Who could argue with such things? But when you look at our history and the power of such opposing campaigns as that led by Phyllis Schafly, you need to engage. Let YOUR voice be heard.