1.

Why do we need to “rethink” The Feminine Mystique?

We need to reconsider The Feminine Mystique because it was not an accurate

representation of the laments of all women during the period the book was
published. Friedan’s book largely addressed, “affluent and white” (557) women,
failing to recognize the increasing amount of Black women entering the workforce
and who were involved in “business, politics, and the arts” (557) In addition, the
author exaggerated the conditions of white women, for many of them were able
to blend a work and domestic lifestyle and there was public recognition of the
stress that comes in a domestic lifestyle in magazines. Finally, it is likely that
Friedan dramatized her work due to her political background and desire to have,
“a more marketable book” (557).

2. How did women’s activism in unions and voluntary associations plant the seeds
for challenging the prevailing ideas of women’s role in the family, the workplace,
and public life?

Since female activism was seen as against the cultural norm, their participation
was bound to shift societal views of women’s roles in the family, workplace, and
public life. Women at this time addressed their concerns over racial
discrimination, such as how, “white women had cleaner, better-paid positions
such as bacon slicers, while black women were relegated to dirty work such as
cleaning feces from sausage casings” (565). They also fought for equal pay,
refusing to accept that a woman’s work was seen as lesser than to a man’s and
criticized how unrealistic it was for women to” exercise [their] full talents and
inclinations.” (565) when needing to handle both a job and full responsibility as a
mother.

3. What role did women take in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and
1960s? How does the concept of “bridge leadership” help us understand
women’s contributions?

Women played a crucial role in the civil rights movement during the 1950s and
1960s. They engaged in a wide range of organizations ranging from, “American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP), or Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs), and
sometimes in all-female groups such as the Young Women’s Christian
Association (YWCA) and the League of Women Voters (LWV)” (568). Despite the
influence of anti-communism, women were still present in joining local civic
issues and ending racial inequality. Bridge leadership, or the act of providing
services to the community, helps us understand how women’s contributions
played a role in garnering momentum for grassroots movements.

4. What were the recommendations of the President’s Commission on the Status of

Women? What was the Commission’s long-term significance?
 The President’s Commission on the Status of Women in 1961 made
recommendations for, “overcoming discriminations in government and private
employment on the basis of sex and for developing recommendations for
services which will enable women to continue their roles as wives and mothers
while making a maximum contribution to the world around them.” (585).
Essentially, it sought to end gender discrimination in the workforce and to assist
women in balancing work life, home life, and their own passions to the
community. The long term significance of this was a recognition on a federal level
to gender inequality and gave momentum to the amount of progress women
have made today.

5. Making Connections How does this chapter demonstrate that women’s lives

were more diverse and complex than mainstream cultural prescriptions about
women’s “proper” place in the home would indicate?

Despite preconceived notions of a woman’s “problem that has no name”,

this chapter has shown that women were not exclusive to public affairs.
They participated in numerous organized efforts that would better their
own lives, such as recognizing how difficult it was to maintain societal
expectations of a proper role in the home while working in a gender
discriminatory environment. They also joined in movements larger than
themselves, such as the Civil Rights movement proving that women’s
consciousness of the injustices that occurs on a national level.