First Wave Feminism By Betty Friedan

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

In her essay “The Importance of Work,” from The Feminine Mystique published in 1963, Betty Friedan confronts American women’s search for identity. Throughout the novel, Betty Friedan broke new ground by seeking the idea of women discovering personal fulfillment away from their original roles. She ponders on the idea of the Feminine Mystique as the cause for the majority of women during that time period to feel confined by their occupations around the house, restricting them from discovering who they are as women. Friedan’s novel is well known for creating a different kind of feminism and rousing various women across the nation.

In her Feminine Mystique essay, “The Importance of Work”, writer Betty Friedan talks about how the identity crisis of American women beginning about a century ago. More and more of the work that was used by human abilities in which they could find self-realization that was taken from women. The identity crisis for women did not begin in America until the fire, strength, and ability of the pioneer women were no longer needed. Women today whom feel that they have no goal, purpose, or future will commit suicide. Betty Friedan attempts to explain the causes of women’s unhappiness as she tags it, “the problem that has no name”. (Friedan, pg.790, 1963) Friedan’s rhetoric in the essay is constructed and based upon three persuasive techniques, which are known as ethos, pathos, and logos. In her essay, her main goal was to bring about how successful her approach in determining the role of women in society. She did an excellent job at defending her argument with facts from history to back it up.

In 1890, various women 's clubs united to form the General Federation of Women 's Clubs. Also in 1890, the two largest women 's suffrage organizations united to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association under the leadership of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Then “in 1891 Marie Owens, born in Canada, was hired in Chicago as America 's first female police officer” (Wikipedia, 2016). This was significant since not that long ago women were looked down upon for getting jobs, and a police officer job was concentered a man’s job. In 1891, “women were told that they could not be forced to live

The National Organization for Women (NOW), a feminist organization, was formed in Washington, D.C. on June 30, 1966 (National Organization for Women [NOW], n.d.). It was established by twenty-eight women and led by Betty Friedan (NOW, n.d.). This group was created due to the discrimination and unfair treatment that women were facing as they moved from work in the home to public employment. NOW work to bring equality for women and “focuses on a broad range of women’s rights, including economic justice, pay equity, racial discrimination, women’s health and body image, women with disabilities, reproductive rights and justice, family law, marriage and family formation rights…” (NOW, n.d.). Their goal is to stop harassment and discrimination against women in society such as in the work force, schools, government,

The timeline of women’s suffrage is a one that spans from 1848 to 1920. The women’s rights movement in the United States started in the year 1848 with the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York. During this convention the ‘Declaration of sentiments’ was signed by 68 women who agreed that women deserved their own political identities. This document set forward the agenda for the women’s rights movement. In the year 1869, Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Women’s suffrage Association which demanded that the 15th amendment be changed to include women right to vote. In the year 1890, The National Women Suffrage Association and the American Women Suffrage Association merged to form National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Colorado was the first state to grant women the right to vote in the year 1893, followed by Utah, Idaho, Washington, California, Oregon, Kansas, Arizona, Alaska, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, New York, Michigan, South Dakota and Oklahoma. The National Association of Colored Women was formed in the year 1896 to promote the civil rights of colored women. The National Women’s Trade Union League was established in the year 1903 in order to improve the working condition for women and also to bring their wages in par with that of men.

There was a time where women were hardly acknowledged as anything other than a housewife. From the year of 1848 to the year of 1920, dawned the era of the original Women’s rights movement of America. Eventually, the movement was modernized. A very influential woman in particular, named Betty Friedan, took action during this modern movement. Betty Friedan changed how her generation and future generations view women’s rights by advancing the Women’s Rights movement, by advocating for women being involved in politics and by leading women into thinking they were more than society wanted them to be.

In The Feminist Mystique, Betty Friedan combats the notion that women could only find fulfillment and be successful by having children and taking care of the home. This book sparked a re-emergence in the feminist movement and is widely attributed for converting more supporters for the cause. Her book describes the unhappy status of women in the ‘50s and 60’s and found her proof by holding interviews with women and also researching many topics. She discusses topics such as the fact that men wrote the women’s magazines, early feminists, female education and how it was changing, and the lack of fulfillment housewives felt in their everyday duties. The Feminist Mystique is reputed to be one of the most influential books in the 1960s.

The National Organization for Women is an organization that focuses on obtaining total equal rights for women. Founded in 1966, their work includes gaining social rights, family rights, economic rights, and just general human being rights, among others, for women, which are still lacking in today's society. Actions that they have taken include decreasing the wage gap, expanding knowledge on women's health issues, gaining marriage and family rights, and targeting the lack of realistic representation of women in our society. The National Organization for Women also operates on an international base, with the United Nations as their main international focus. Even so, though the majority of their actions are focused with the United States.

The moment for women's suffrage started in the early 19th century during the agitation against slavery. In 1888, the first international women's rights organization formed. The National Women’s Suffrage Association was formed in 1869. Then, Lucy Stone formed the American Women Suffrage Association and in 1890 the two organizations united under the name of NAWSA (The National American Woman Suffrage Association) worked together for almost

The first of the three main goals, was free abortion on demand. This was a very important yet controversial goal. Abortion, the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, was something woman felt was a right, and needed to be legal immediately. People against abortion argued that it was considered illegal, and thought it should be illegal. Others thought that it women should be charged, out of pocket, for the procedure. However many women did not have the money to do so. That is why woman need to strike on their own behalf, to prove that their request for free abortion was reasonable. The next goal was that women recieve equal opportunity in employment and education. This meant that woman could be offered all the job oppurtunities as men, as well as equal pay for the work. They would also recieve the right to take all the same classes, and recieve the same class work as men in educational

The National Organization for Women was first created in June of 1966. NOW’s main goal was to take action against the social problems of not only women’s rights, but also gender inequality in the world. The famous Betty Friedan and Pauli Murray met in June of 1966 with other women’s rights activists at the Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women. Friedan suggested her idea of forming the National Organization for Women. Before the conference was even over, she and the other women’s rights activists were meeting to lay out specific goal for the new organization.

The Feminine Mystique is the title of a book written by the late Betty Friedan

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.

After women won the right to vote, the second wave of feminism began in the 1960s and continued on to the 90’s. This wave was highly associated with the anti-war and civil rights movement and the movement started growing conscious to a variety of minority groups all over the world. Out of three waves, the second wave’s voice was increasingly radical and theoretical as sexuality and reproductive rights were dominant issues. Protest began in Atlantic City in 1968 and 1969 against the Miss America Pageant. Many activists thought it to be a degrading “cattle parade” that reduced women to only objects produced by the patriarchy. Along with fighting against sexism in cartoons and politics, second wave feminists found their voice among other movements such as Civil Rights and the Anti-War movement. While the first wave was fought by middle class white women, the second wave invited and incorporated women of color and developing nations demonstrating that race, class, and gender oppression were all related and seeking sisterhood and solidarity (Rampton).