Betty Friedan's _The Feminine Mystique_, published in 1963, was a truly groundbreaking book that seemed to capture the mood of an era before many people even fully realized what was happening. It generated such an intense reaction that Friedan was able to write another book, _It Changed My Life_, just about the feedback she received from the first one. This book is so significant that it's often included on lists of the most important books of the twentieth century, and tellingly, one conservative magazine even put it on a list of the "ten most harmful books of the 19th and 20th centuries" – that really gives you a sense of the impact it had. Even today, students respond deeply to its chapters that discuss the pressure to buy things and "to present themselves as objects to be consumed". **The Problem That Had No Name** At the heart of the book is what Friedan famously called "the problem that has no name". This was a widespread sense of dissatisfaction and a strange stirring that many American women, particularly suburban wives in the middle of the twentieth century, experienced. They struggled with this feeling alone, often while performing everyday tasks like making beds, shopping for groceries, or eating peanut butter sandwiches with their children. These were often intelligent, well-educated women who felt kept out of certain professions. Despite having what seemed like perfect lives – a husband, children, a nice home – they felt bored and trapped. They felt they had lost their sense of self, defining themselves solely as "Tom’s wife . . . Mary’s mother" rather than as individuals. It was a "quiet desperation" that Friedan noticed while she herself was writing for women's magazines. Interestingly, the sources note that this problem lay "buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women". Friedan herself described feeling this way while living as a suburban housewife, bored even though she continued to write freelance articles. She began to ask herself if she was truly happy. The book emerged from her analysis of what was bothering her and countless other women who felt the same way. **What Was the Feminine Mystique?** Friedan identified the root of this problem as the "feminine mystique". She sought to understand its origins and its effects on women. Essentially, the feminine mystique was an image and a set of assumptions about women that became pervasive in American society, especially after World War II. It defined women primarily by their domestic roles – as wives and mothers – and suggested that their highest value and only commitment should be to fulfill their "femininity". This femininity was portrayed as mysterious, intuitive, and inherently tied to creation and the origin of life, suggesting it might even be superior to the nature of man in some ways. According to the mystique, the troubles women experienced in the past stemmed from envying men and trying to be like them, instead of accepting their own nature, which could only find fulfillment in "sexual passivity, male domination, and nurturing maternal love". This image was widely promoted, particularly in mass media like women's magazines, television, and movies. Friedan, having written for these magazines herself, saw firsthand how they perpetuated this narrow definition of womanhood. Articles and stories in magazines like _McCall's_ and _Ladies' Home Journal_ presented an image of women as young, frivolous, passive, and content in a world of home, sex, and babies. The only acceptable "pursuit" for a woman was the pursuit of a man. Career women were often depicted negatively, either renouncing their ambitions to become housewives or being shown as unhappy and troubled. Stories even began to portray the housewife with interests outside the home as a "devil to be exorcised". Editors at these magazines often assumed women were not interested in politics, national issues, art, science, or ideas unless they could be translated into domestic terms. Friedan recounts needing to focus on an artist's cooking and marriage rather than her actual work when writing for a women's magazine. Even actresses, the one type of "career woman" welcome, were often portrayed primarily as housewives or mothers. This wasn't just a media phenomenon; it was supported by what the sources call "experts". Psychologists, psychoanalysts, anthropologists, sociologists, and family-life educators contributed to tracing and perpetuating the growth of this mystique. **The Role of Experts: Freud and Functionalism** The sources delve into how Freudian theory and functionalist sociology provided a seemingly scientific basis for the feminine mystique. Although the old prejudices against women were not entirely dispelled by earlier feminist efforts and education, they reappeared in the 1940s "in Freudian disguise". The mystique drew power from a specific interpretation of Freudian thought, particularly the idea that women's identity and destiny were determined by their biology ("Anatomy is destiny," as Freud was credited with saying). The concept of "penis envy," initially coined by Freud to describe a phenomenon he observed in his middle-class Viennese patients, was seized upon by popularizers in America in the 1940s as a literal explanation for anything seemingly "wrong" with American women. Those who pursued careers or independence were often labeled as suffering from a "masculinity complex". This filtered into popular magazines and the opinions of experts, becoming an "ideological bulwark of the sexual counter-revolution" that diverted educated women from realizing their potential. Friedan argues that while Freud's basic discoveries were genius, the _application_ of his theory of femininity to modern American women was obsolescent and an obstacle to truth. She suggests that what Freud saw as biological issues like penis envy might actually have been a cultural reaction to the lack of freedom, status, and pleasures denied to Victorian women. The idea that a woman's capacity for sublimation was less than a man's, or that psychoanalysis couldn't do much for women, reinforced the notion of women's inherent deficiency. Friedan highlights how Freud's followers, like Helene Deutsch, struggled to fit observations of real women into this framework, ultimately concluding that society, female anatomy, and a deficient female mind all combined to produce femininity, defined by the renunciation of personal goals to fulfill oneself through a husband or son. Functionalism in social science also played a crucial role. Functionalist thinkers, influenced by Freud, accepted the idea that women were what society said they were. They focused on fitting into established social structures. Margaret Mead is highlighted as a powerful influence, both as a functionalist and in terms of the "feminine protest" – the idea that it's good to be a woman and not copy men. While Mead's work showed the potential plasticity of human nature and variety in sexual patterns across cultures, the feminine mystique selectively took from her work a glorification of the female sexual function and biological role. This reinforced the idea that a woman's ultimate sense of achievement comes from childbearing, and other pursuits are merely pale substitutes. Mead's emphasis on adjusting to societal roles, particularly those defined by sex, discouraged women from seeking roles defined as male, suggesting it was "bad for both men and women". This provided scientific authority for not challenging traditional gender roles. Even education became influenced by this sex-direction. Higher education, instead of empowering women, often reinforced their biological function, incorporating popularized Freud and Mead and offering courses on "Marriage and Family Life" focused on "how to play the role of woman". This left many women with a sense of dissatisfaction and a weak core of self, seeking identity solely through marriage and motherhood. **The "Sexual Sell" and the Trap** Another key force perpetuating the mystique was the "sexual sell". American business depended heavily on women's "passive dependence" and "femininity," making them a target for consumption. Motivational researchers advised advertisers on how to appeal to women based on this image. They realized that while labor-saving devices like washing machines freed up time, women needed justification for using them and sought a "feeling of creativeness" in the home to use their otherwise liberated talents. Advertisers were encouraged to frame baking or other domestic tasks as "creative efforts" or to induce guilt if women didn't fully utilize products for their family's pleasure. Shopping was presented not just as filling a material need, but as satisfying a psychological compulsion and a yearning to feel connected to the world, with stores becoming "women’s school of life" and ads their textbooks. The problem, according to Friedan, was that advertisers used psychological insights to sell things that would never satisfy women's deeper, nonsexual needs. This "sexual sell" drained women's energy into buying things, persuading them to stay home and remain unsatisfied. Ads skillfully diverted needs for achievement into sexual fantasies or domestic pursuits. The sources suggest that the very design of modern suburban homes, like the open-plan ranch house, could feel like a "domestic trap". Women often poured all their energy and intelligence into running a perfect home and supervising their children, leaving little time or energy for interests outside the domestic sphere. The mystique even affected discussions about women's health and tiredness. Articles in women's magazines attributed housewives' fatigue to the inherent difficulties of their role, rather than suggesting the role itself was the problem. Marriage counselors and social workers also seemed to interpret issues within the framework of the mystique, sometimes blaming women's insistence on sexual satisfaction for their husbands' problems or seeing women's dependence as stifling to men. **Consequences and Criticisms** The mystique, by encouraging women to evade tests of reality and real commitments outside the home, arrested their development at an infantile level, leading to a weak sense of self. This infantilism, in turn, made them more likely to seek fulfillment exclusively through husband and children, further limiting their connection to the world and their own identity. While there was a human need to grow and fulfill potential, the feminine mystique blocked this, leading to frustration and what Friedan suggests could manifest as neurosis or "the problem that has no name". This problem was a "warning that her human existence is in danger". The sources acknowledge criticisms of _The Feminine Mystique_. Some critics feel Friedan ignored important issues, such as the experiences of African American women, working-class women, and the legal restrictions women faced in 1963 (like needing a male cosigner for credit, being barred from juries in some states, or husbands controlling property/earnings). Friedan also didn't widely discuss job discrimination or gender-segregated job ads, which were perfectly legal at the time. However, the sources also suggest that these "deficits" were strangely a strength of the book, allowing it to be a "very specific cry of rage about the way intelligent, well-educated women were kept out of the mainstream of American society". Later critiques mentioned in the epilogues point out that Friedan paid too little attention to the role of individual men who benefited from the existing system and resented the loss of a servant class. **Looking Beyond the Mystique: Solutions and the Path Forward** Despite the power of the feminine mystique, Friedan believed women could affect society and choose their own destiny. She argued that the problem was not that women were inherently passive or dependent, but that society, through the mystique, perpetuated this image. Education, freedom, and access to traditionally male spheres were the paths by which women could realize themselves. The mystique, however, made higher education seem suspect or dangerous for women. Friedan suggests that the first step for women is to see housework realistically, not as a career, but as something to be done efficiently. She encourages women to say "no" to the mystique and the domestic trap it creates. Moving out of the trap requires effort and what the mystique had made into a "dirty word": ambition. Taking that first step, like applying for a job or contacting old contacts, was often the crucial point. The sources note that education has been, and can continue to be, a saving force for women against the dangers of the mystique. Friedan initially struggled to suggest a solution or "way out" for women who felt trapped. She wondered how women could use their abilities in society and find identity without renouncing home and family. However, she came to believe it was possible to combine marriage, motherhood, and a personal purpose (what used to be called a "career") with a new life plan. _The Feminine Mystique_ wasn't just a book; it was a catalyst for change. Friedan was involved in founding the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966, partly in response to the federal government's failure to enforce sex discrimination laws in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. NOW, under Friedan's leadership, would go on to file lawsuits on behalf of the working women that _The Feminine Mystique_ was sometimes criticized for overlooking. In 1970, Friedan called for a mass march to celebrate the 50th anniversary of women's suffrage, demonstrating women's determination to transform their lives and society. The sources highlight that since the book's publication, significant changes have occurred. More women work outside the home, including mothers. Marriage is now more of a choice and doesn't fully define a woman as it once did. Women are participating in areas previously dominated by men, like sports at the Olympics. Women are also carrying a significant burden of income-earning in many households. The problem that had no name became visible, and women began to take their own experiences seriously. However, the journey isn't complete. Friedan notes that the question of women's role continues to evolve. She reflects on the tension between pursuing one's own authenticity and the need for love, family, and male partnership. She points out that both obsolete masculinity (represented by groups like gun-obsessed militiamen) and the struggles women face trying to fit into existing male-defined structures are ongoing issues. The ultimate hope is for women and men to come together to define the terms of success, failure, joy, and the common good _together_. **Further Ideas and Questions to Explore:** - How did the economic conditions of the post-World War II era, particularly the rise of the middle class and suburban living, contribute to the environment in which the feminine mystique flourished? - How did the experience of women who had worked during World War II and were then expected to return home influence their later feelings of dissatisfaction? (The sources mention the postwar economy and desperate employers seeking part-time female workers, but don't explicitly detail the experience of women returning from wartime work.) - The sources mention that many experts, forced to recognize "the dilemma of the American woman," were redoubling efforts to "adjust women to it in terms of the feminine mystique". What specific methods were being used, beyond the general influence of popular psychology and media? - How did the feminine mystique impact women of different socioeconomic backgrounds, given the book's focus on intelligent, well-educated, middle-class women? The sources note that Friedan's organization, NOW, later addressed the issues of working women, but the book itself primarily focused on the suburban housewife experience. - What does it mean that the book was considered "harmful" by some conservative critics? What were the specific reasons for this opposition? - How did the portrayal of women in other forms of media, like movies and television shows, reinforce the feminine mystique in ways similar to or different from women's magazines? (The sources mention movies and television generally, but focus mostly on magazines). - The sources mention the divorce rate of 1950s marriages "exploded" after the 1960s. How might the challenging of the feminine mystique have contributed to this trend?