Betty Friedan (1921–2006) was a giant of the postwar second-wave feminist movement. Born into a secular Jewish family, she became an exceptionally high-achieving student at the elite women-only Smith College in Massachusetts, but still felt constrained by the power of gender expectations after graduating in 1942. Significantly, while other famous mid-twentieth-century ‘Smithies’ include fellow feminist icons Sylvia Plath and Gloria Steinem, the college also educated former US First Lady Barbara Bush, who dropped out midway through her course to plan her wedding to the future president. These contrasting pathways call into question the nature, purpose and value of higher education for young women at that time. While some acquired a liberal arts education beyond the dreams of previous generations of women, for others it was more akin to a finishing school experience for those aiming to support a husband’s career rather than forge her own.
The key question ‘Is this all?’ is the DNA of The Feminine Mystique. The book made Friedan famous overnight and secured her place in the pantheon of second-wave liberal feminism. This landmark in criticism is not a theoretical approach to literary study rooted in gender, but a foundational text of feminist politics: an ideas network as opposed to a practical literary-critical toolkit. This article provides an overview of Friedan’s signature work and suggests how you might apply her ideas to some of your A-level texts.
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