The Feminine Mystique

The Feminine Mystique is a book written by Betty Friedan and published in 1963. The book is considered the start of second-wave feminism by presenting the catch in the perfect housewife fantasy of 50’s. Friedan’s writing inspired women all over American to re-examine whether or or not they were truly happy with their lives and their own personal fulfilment. They were encouraged to pursue a path out of choice, of expectations set on them. Before trying to make others happy, they realized that they needed to be happy with themselves first.

## How It Came To Be

During the 50's, a woman's only goals were to find a husband, have his children, and tidy his house. Unless she was buying groceries or attending a garden party, the average woman spent most of her time in her home. Managing a career and running a house simultaneously was considered to be too much pressure on a woman, so all she was expected to do was cook meals and care for the kids while her husband handled the money-making. She had no boss and no work hours. She had plenty of leisure time that she could spend reading magazines or using her “allowance” (which her husband gave her) to buy herself a new dress or jewelry. To most Americans, the life of a housewife sounded like a fantasy.

That is where Friedan’s observations came into play. In the later 1950’s, she started noticing a certain behavioural pattern of these happy housewives that she called “The Problem That Has No Name.” These women experienced episodes of depression and hysteria that came from the lack of fulfillment in their lives, as their whole existence was centered around whether or not their husband was pleased and their house was clean. They had no life or interests or ambitions. It was as if they weren’t even a person. As one woman interviewed by Friedan stated, “I begin to feel that I have no personality. I’m a server of food and putter-on of pants and a bedmaker, somebody to be called on when you want something. But who am I?” Although progress was made by the suffragettes and the working women of the 40's, women still weren’t given any opportunities to choose their own path. Their husband’s and children’s needs always had to come before their own otherwise they were selfish mothers and wives. They weren’t treated like people, they were household appliances and decorations.

## Reactions

The book didn’t blow up immediately, but it was able to gain some positive reactions from its readers. Its publication happened during the four-month New York City newspaper strike, but it still gained success without newspaper advertising. Excerpts of the book were printed in magazines like McCall and the Ladies Home Journal, which put together had thirty-six million readers. Thanks to its newfound success, the Feminine Mystique was one of the few books at the time to get a book tour as a method of promotion. It sold three million copies in its first three years of print and spent six weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Many women identified with Friedan’s writing, and like her, wanted to change the culture they lived in so that they would be viewed as people in an equal playing field.[1]

## Controversies

While the Feminine Mystique continues to be a celebrated work in feminist history, it has faced backlash both when it was first published and in the present. Its first critics thought that she and the women she had interviewed were being overdramatic. One claimed that Friedan was encouraging women to follow the ambitions of their choice, but she dismissed the women who chose to be housewives and enjoyed it. A woman could choose her own path, unless it was the traditional path. If these women did choose to take a non-traditional path, there was no answer to how they could make it work in the long run. Friedan does not offer any suggestions on how the children or the house would be looked after while both the husband and wife were at work besides one option of hiring a nanny. The book talks more about change than about the ways to make change happen. While reassessing it, some journalists such as Ashley Fetters of the Atlantic have said that the book does not cover every female perspective. Friedan wrote the book to describe the issues of white educated middle-class married woman, not women in general.

## Its Significance Today

Despite its controversies, the Feminine Mystique still holds a place as both classic feminist literature and a major force of change. Now 55 years old, it has been printed in 20 languages. It still serves as the inspiration to the feminist writers of today. It helped to make a cultural shift that allowed more opportunities for women and paved the path for the change yet to come.