'THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE' PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK CITY
New York City (JFK+50) On February 19, 1963, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan* was published by W.W. Norton & Company** here in New York City.
The idea behind the book came from a survey Ms. Friedan gave to 200 of her fellow Smith College*** classmates.
The survey showed that women were unhappy but did not know why. Ms. Frieden argues in her book that the reason was the "idealized image of femininity "which confined women to the role of housewife. That role limited the ability of women to pursue a career outside the home.
Lisa Kathleen Graddy of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History says that The Feminine Mystique is "not a scholarly work" but "a very personal series of observations and feelings."
At the end of Chapter 1, Friedan writes that the inner voice of women is saying...
"I want something more than my husband, my children and my home."
The Feminine Mystique launched a second feminist movement.
*Betty Naomi Friedan (1921-2006) was born in Peoria, Illinois & graduated from Smith, 1942 & attended University of California Berkely. BNF was co-founder & 1st president of the National Organization for Women & authored 6 books.
**W.W. Norton & Company publishers was founded in NYC in 1923 & located at 500 Fifth Avenue. WWN is known for its Norton Anthology of English Literature. Since the early 1960s WWN has been entirely owned by its employees.
***Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college which opened in 1875 & is located in Northampton, Massachusetts.
SOURCE
"The Powerful, Complicated Legacy of Betty Friedan's 'The Feminine Mystique'," by Jacob Munoz, February 4, 2021, Smithsonian Magazine, www.smithsonianmag.com/
