1960's Lifestyles and Social Trends | The Feminine Mystique

Nonfiction work

By: Betty Friedan

Date: 1963

Source: Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton, 1963, 15–19.

About the Author: Betty Friedan (1921–), born in Peoria, Illinois, was a founding member of the National Organization of Women in 1966, the National Abortion Rights League in 1968, and the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. The author of "It Changed My Life": Writings on the Women's Movement (1976), The Second Stage (1981), The Fountain of Age (1993), Beyond Gender: The New Politics of Work and Family (1997), and Life So Far (2000), Friedan remains an advocate of women's and family issues.

Introduction

Although job opportunities for women had expanded during World War II, many women were displaced at war's end in favor of the returning veterans. Other women willingly left the job...