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Showing posts with the label Betty Friedan The Feminine Mystique Feminism Second Wave Feminism Women's Rights Movement Gender Equality American History

Betty Friedan: The Catalyst for the Second Wave of Feminism

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In the tapestry of American history, few names are as synonymous with the fight for women's rights as Betty Friedan . A brilliant feminist, writer, and activist, Friedan’s contributions have fundamentally reshaped the way we think about gender roles, women's rights, and the structure of American society. Her seminal work, The Feminine Mystique , published in 1963, challenged the prevailing assumptions about the role of women in post-war America and sparked a new wave of feminism that would change the cultural landscape forever. The Context of the Time Before diving into Friedan's impact, it's important to understand the era in which she wrote. In the 1950s and early 1960s, American society was dominated by a traditional view of women's roles. Women were expected to be housewives, mothers, and caretakers, with their lives revolving around their husbands and children. The ideal of the "perfect suburban housewife" was perpetuated by the media, advertisement...