In 1957, Friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former Smith College classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion; the results, in which she found that many of them were unhappy with their lives as housewives, prompted her to begin research for The Feminine Mystique, conducting interviews with other suburban housewives, as well as researching psychology, media, and advertising.
Pada 1957, Friedan diminta untuk mengadakan survei kepada mantan teman-teman sekelasnya di Smith College untuk reuni peringatan ke-15 mereka; hasilnya, ia menemukan bahwa beberapa diantaranya tak bahagia dengan kehidupan mereka sebagai ibu rumah tangga, membuatnya mulai meneliti untuk The Feminine Mystique, mengadakan wawancara dengan ibu-ibu rumah tangga lainnya, serta meneliti psikologi, media, dan periklanan.