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Essay On The Feminine Mystique

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Betty Friedan’s, The Feminine Mystique, which originally started out as a survey for college students, was the outcome of Friedan’s curiosity of her fellow female peers attending university. The novel covers the topic of the average American housewife who feels unsatisfied in regards to the life she is living and the pressures society has placed upon her. The Feminine Mystique has made an impact in American society since the 1960’s due to its phenomenal breakthrough on the subject of female gender roles. Betty Friedan’s novel, The Feminine Mystique, brought about many changes within the society of 1960’s America; changing the perspectives of those that would pay no mind towards the topic prior to the novel’s release. Following the release of book, many women began taking notice of the injustices they had experienced in their lives as a housewife. Considering the time period, countless young girls were taught from an early age that this was their lifestyle, and, as a result, dreamed only of becoming a perfect housewife. This way of life forced women to utilize their feminine aspects for the purpose of appearing as a loving housewife in front of society. “They (housewives) could desire no greater destiny than glory in their own femininity”(Friedan,15) shows the influence society had over …show more content…

Through The Feminine Mystique we are able to understand the struggles that housewives went through, such as pressures placed by society and media, lack of education, and the emptiness they felt because of their lifestyle. As these topics surfaced to the public, people started to view women differently in society and acknowledged the struggles that these women had faced. Through the novel, many were able to understand the obstacles housewives had to face even among those who lived a lavish

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1. The Feminine Mystique In 1963, Betty Friedan, who was a housewife and journalist that graduated from Smith College, spoke and had interviews with other housewives. These housewives revealed that although they seemed to be having a good life (materialistically), they were very unhappy. Each of these women thought that they were dealing with this unhappiness alone.

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