Sexuality In The 1960s Essay

In “From Books As Bombs” by Louis Menand, the author talks about “The Feminine Mystique” that was published by Betty Friedan and her argumentative points on the true meaning behind being a housewife. Betty Friedan was the first president of the National Organization for Women and sought to gain rights for working women. She began documenting and recording facts from her classmates. “Friedman campaigned on behalf of the rights of working women when she was still a student at Smith.” One of her major points in the book is that “women were worse of in 1963, then they had been in 1963”. Reason being is because most jobs were taken by men and the amount of women accepted to college decreased due to gender. Friedman wants to further propose that

An Intersectional Analysis of “The Feminine Mystique” When it was first published in 1963, Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique was very popular among women in the 1960s, and the ideas presented in the book were extremely influential to second wave, liberal feminism. In The Feminine Mystique, Friedan discusses what she believes to be the myth of the happy, suburban housewife. She also addresses the societal pressure for women to be feminine above all else, and gives examples as to why this pressure is harmful. She highlights the ways in which women are taught by society that being a wife and mother will make them happier than having a career. When educated women give up careers and other ambitions to become a stay-at-home mother, many find

Betty Friedan advanced the Women’s Rights Movement in many ways. One of them being the publishing of the Feminine Mystique. The Feminine Mystique vented

In 1963, writer and feminist Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique in which she challenged the post-World War II credence that it was women’s purpose to get married and have children. The textbook nuclear family image portrayed and intensely promoted at the time, she wrote, did not reflect contentment and was rather demeaning to women. Friedan’s book was a best-seller and instigated the mindfulness of many women who decided that homemaking in the suburbia robbed them of their uniqueness and left them unhappy. The post-World War II wealth did not encompass one and all. A lot of Americans continued to live in poverty during the course of the 1950s, particularly mature individuals and the so-called Negro, the former of whom continued to make far than their white counterparts.

Women were growing tired of playing the traditional roles that were expected of them, especially after experiencing an independent life outside of domesticity during the wartime period. Feminist writer Betty Friedan participated in the movement by publishing The Feminine Mystique in 1963 in which she “contested the post-World War II belief that it was women’s destiny to marry and bear children. Friedan’s book was a bestseller and began to raise the consciousness of many women who agreed that homemaking in the suburbs sapped them of their individualism and left them unsatisfied” (889-890). Their efforts to participate in the protest movements came with a lot of difficulty as many women experienced sexual harassment and gender discrimination, causing them to later turned to the feminist movement in the 1970s. Members of the feminist movement were focused on contributing to their cause through the achievement of important accomplishments:

Friedan grabbed attention for her beliefs by going so far as to compare a women’s life at home to life in a Nazi prison camp. One of the most famous lines in Friedan’s Feminine Mystique captures what many believed was the quintessential dilemma facing women- “as she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night- she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question-- 'Is this all?”

As the economy expanded, more jobs were created and offered to women, particularly in the service sector. In turn, many women were struggling to maintain their roles as dutiful wives and mothers in their suburban communities while continuing to work. During the Second World War, women only composed about 25 percent of the workforce. In the post-war era, that percentage started to rise steadily. As more women were beginning to enter the workforce, it was becoming increasingly difficult for them to balance their careers and their more traditional roles at home as the caregivers. A woman’s primary role was deemed to be taking care of the household, instead of a career-driven individual. However, women during this time felt trapped by their suburban lifestyles and craved for more fulfilling lives outside of their homes. The dissatisfaction they felt eventually started to build up into a rebirth of the feminist movement in the 1960s. One significant contribution within this movement was the 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, written by women’s rights advocate Betty Friedan. In her book, she argued that the suburbs were “burying women

In 1973 in the case of Roe versus Wade abortion was legalized during the first trimester of pregnancy. According to McBride, prior to the ruling of Roe Verse Wade, most states in the United States banned women from abortion at any time, in exception to the situation if the mother’s life in at risk. The importance of this ruling helped bring to light the importance of women’s decision and choices in her own reproductive and life choices. The availability of the birth control pill (and the legalization of abortion) helped lessen the possibility that premarital sex would result in unwanted

Author and activist, Ruth Rosen in her novel, The World Split Open: How the Modern Women's Movement Changed America, skillfully composed an engaging, insightful and comprehensive review and analysis of the 20th century women's rights movement in America. The narrative covers the chronicle of women’s rights movements from Betty Friedan’s, The Feminine Mystique, all the way through the 1990s. While this novel embraces a large scope of women’s rights, Rosen’s main ideas are the path to the erasure of the cult of domesticity, how women made their way into the workforce, as well as the rising political influence women had on culture and society. American women who embraced the message Friedan was sending in her 1963 publication, that being that women were silent victims of the oppressive domesticity, which subsequently limited their freedoms, and sent them 20 steps backwards in the battle for equal rights. Additionally in The Feminine Mystique, Rosen

Feminists during this movement focused on “the typical social roles women were cast in and advocated for equal pay, sexual liberation, and breaking free from traditional gender roles” (Second). Countless organizations were created during this time period, allowing women to really fight against the oppression they faced for years. This wave was believed to have been sparked from The Feminine Mystique, a novel by Betty Friedan. While controversial, the novel really opened the conversation to what women’s roles were in and outside of their homes. Friedan argued that women through the twentieth century “neglected their own development in order to further the development of their husbands and children” and would “submerge their true identities for the sake of familial harmony” (Archer).

While fighting for civil rights in organizations such as the SNCC, women found themselves stuck in jobs that focused on typing, cooking, and cleaning for the male members.2 The irony of fighting for rights for people, while not getting any themselves really infuriated women, thus igniting the fuse of the feminist movement bomb. The most prominent event that blew up the feminist revolution bomb of the sixties was the publication of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. Friedan’s book discussed how the happy image of the 1950s American housewife was a sham and how suburban life was just a “comfortable concentration camp”3 for women.

In the book The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan brings attention to what she calls the feminine mystique, or “the problem that has no name”. Through the use of anecdotal narratives, her own personal experiences as a journalist, editor, mother, and the interviews of many women from different backgrounds in order to unveil the truth about the women of the 1950’s. The problem which sparked the second wave of feminism in the United States is one that focuses on the inequality between men and women and the undervaluing of women in both the social and private spheres. The women of the time gave up pursuing their passions, such as getting an education or careers in science or business in order to fit the image of the stereotypical stay-at-home mom whose main goal in life is to raise her children while providing a safe and comforting home for her husband. The Feminine Mystique, as she called it, was the idea of widespread unhappiness of women, despite the preconceived notion that women were happiest when they have a family. Throughout her work, she dives into many of the problems associated with the feminine mystique and builds a powerful concept of what would eventually be labeled feminism.

Betty Friedan wrote the book based on a survey she did for her former Smith College classmates on the their fifteenth anniversary reunion. The results of the survey showed that many of her former classmates were unhappy, despite being affluent and married with children. The reason her Smith College alumnus were so unhappy was due to the fact that their lives consisted of taking care of her family and children, but not doing anything that held significance to themselves and the nation. Her book The Feminine Mystique, was a major influence of the 1960s and 70s American Feminist Movement, selling 1.4 million copies.The Feminine Mystique, made in 1963 is a nonfiction book that is based on the lives and unhappiness housewives felt during the early 50s and 60s. The reason this book was so popular and influenced the 1960s and 70s American Feminist Movement was due to the books widespread relatability among housewives who were financially stable with children, the book impelled women to fight for a change in salary, the workplace, and laws; during a time where women did not have the same equal rights as men. Another popular writer during the 1960s and 70s American Feminist Movement is Robin Morgan. Robin Morgan is an

Abortion is the termination of pregnancy before birth, resulting in, or accompanied by the death of the fetus. ("Abortion," Encarta 98). In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, dramatically changed the legal landscape of American abortion law. The result of the ruling required abortion to be legal for any woman; regardless of her age and for any reason during the first seven months of pregnancy, and for almost any reason after that. ("Status of Abortion in America"). In the Roe v. Wade case, Roe (Norma McCorvey), had claimed she was gang raped and attempted to have an abortion in Texas. ("Roe and Doe"). After hearing the case, the Supreme Court ruled that an American’s right to privacy included the right of a woman whether or not to have children, and the right of a woman and her doctor to make that decision without state interference, at least in the first trimester of pregnancy. ("Celebrating 25 Years of Reproductive Choice"). The moral issue of abortion—whether or not it is murder—has been debated since it was legalized in 1973. Roe v. Wade has been one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions of the 20th century. ("Roe No More"). More than two decades since the Supreme Court first upheld a woman’s right to abortion, the debate over the morality and legality of induced abortion continues in the United States. ("Abortion," Encarta 98). Abortion is one of the most divisive and emotional issues facing United States policy makers today. ("Economics of

Married Love was an unprecedented book, which inadvertently redefined female sexuality. Often regarded as the precursor of sex-manuals, Married Love launched Stopes’ enormously successful career as a writer. Published in 1918, Married Love reviewed the intertwining relationship of marriage, sex and contraception, which in Stopes’ view were the fundamental components of a fulfilling and rewarding marriage. Like all discourse, Married Love is heavily embedded within a distinct historical and cultural context. Darwinian theory and the development of eugenics had a phenomenal impact on Stopes. Recognising the equal sexual desire of women would make Married Love greatly influential in the shaping of modern perceptions into female sexuality.