Although many women longed to be housewives, … [14] Friedan notes that this was helped along by the fact that many of the women who worked during the war filling jobs previously filled by men faced dismissal, discrimination, or hostility when the men returned, and that educators blamed over-educated, career-focused mothers for the maladjustment of soldiers in World War II. She postulates that these women unconsciously stretch their home duties to fill the time available, because the feminine mystique has taught women that this is their role, and if they ever complete their tasks they will become unneeded. An air of intrigue and ambiguity surrounds her. She was flooded with letters from women reporting that the book had opened their eyes about their own lives and had validated their dissatisfaction with the status quo. [17], The Feminine Mystique drew large numbers of white, middle-class women to the feminist cause. She asks rather than assuming, and she always sees the goodness in people beyond their bad behavior. That The Feminine Mystique is at the same time a scholarly work, appropriate for serious study, only adds to its usefulness.” —Lillian Smith, Saturday Review “A highly readable, provocative book.” —Lucy Freeman, New York Times Book Review “The most important book of the twentieth century is The Feminine Mystique. Feminine Mystique, The From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ˌFeminine Mysˈtique, The (1963) a book by Betty Friedan which discusses the way women behave in US society. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-feminine-mystique-3528925. The feminine mystique has made higher education for women seem suspect, unnecessary and even dangerous. The mystique is an artificial idea of femininity that says having a career and/or fulfilling one's individual potential somehow go against women's pre-ordained role. A core document for the Second Wave of Feminism. This was a pattern in Friedan’s life, though eventually I came to see it in part as a result of her own battles with the feminine mystique. The Feminine Mystique is remembered as the book that “started” the women's movement and 1960s feminism in the United States. Chapter 10: Friedan interviews several full-time housewives, finding that although they are not fulfilled by their housework, they are all extremely busy with it. The myth itself is duplicitous, however. This chapter concludes by declaring "We can no longer ignore that voice within women that says: 'I want something more than my husband and my children and my home. 1- How to cultivate the feminine mystique 2- How to create the right Kind of Environment to Lean Back In any Relations 3- How to be the kind of feminine woman that men are and will remain highly attracted to 4- How to use self-meditation to awaken your inner goddess 5- The power feminine sexuality in cultivating the feminine mystique Jennifer Wallace meets a 'high priestess of ecriture feminine'. Although I concede that she made a few valid arguments, this book grew increasingly redundant as it went on. September 18, 1998 . The feminine mystique is the false notion that a woman's “role” in society is to be a wife, mother, and housewife - nothing else. Some are confused by the very thought of it but those who know her have no problem defining her. Despite these criticisms, her "language aimed at white American middle-class women won large numbers of supporters to the feminist cause," implying perhaps that Friedan's decision to exclude other groups was deliberate in mobilizing a group of women that had in some cases not thought of the improvement of their rights. "[34] When women critical of the work were not expressing personal offense at Friedan's description of the housewife's plight, they were accusing her of planning to destroy American families. Friedan ends her book by promoting education and meaningful work as the ultimate method by which American women can avoid becoming trapped in the feminine mystique, calling for a drastic rethinking of what it means to be feminine, and offering several educational and occupational suggestions. [2]In 1957, Friedan was asked to conduct a survey of her former Smith CollegeSmith College [24][25] An accompanying exhibit titled REACT was also on display, consisting of twenty-five pieces of artwork responding to The Feminine Mystique. The mystique says they can answer the question “Who am I?” by saying “Tom’s wife...Mary’s mother.” But I don’t think the mystique would have such power over American women if they did not fear to face this terrifying blank which makes them unable to see themselves after twenty-one. There is no way she can even dream about herself, except as her children’s mother, her husband’s wife. [18] Her book "took the complicated and jargon-laden ideas of psychologists, economists, and political theorists, and translated them into powerful, readable, relatable prose that touched millions. Friedan points out that this is unproven and that Margaret Mead, a prominent functionalist, had a flourishing career as an anthropologist. 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