The Struggle In Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique

Following the Cold War, women began to fight for their own equality, however, by doing so they retained the inequalities of others. The Feminine Mystique was released in 1963. The Author, Betty Friedan, lays out for her readers this problem that has no name. The problem is described as, “a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggles with it alone. 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?”.” Before

Betty Friedan’s book began to push the second wave of feminism in response to these issues. However, one important fact was ignored in her ideas. Her book focused on what wasn't a universal female problem but rather a problem endured only by white, upper and middle class mothers and wives; the reading was racist and classist. She simply ignored the problems and needs of women without men, without children, without homes, without money, and she ignored the existence of all non-white women. How do you have a universal women's movement, by only focusing on the issues of the women just like

With careful examination, the document expressed gender equalities and provoked class gaps between women. The equal rights amendment stated that, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex… The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article… This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.” The wording of this amendment can be very vague and leaves room for interpretation. Though it provided equal opportunity and rights, it also took away the rights the women currently had, like the right that men had a duty to support their families and wives. The amendment also split classes in two. The working class women did not support the amendment because it left out certain protections regarding working conditions and hours. So, even though it appeased the wealthy white women, it ignored issues of lower class and black women once again. This tension promoted classism between the women who apposed, and those who supported the amendment. The amendment gave Congress the power to legislate on all areas of law which include traditional differences of treatment on account of sex, which would result in a massive redistribution of powers to the Federal government. Though it passed in both the house