New Fuel for the Fire: How Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique Ignited the 1960s Women’s Movement

Abstract

This paper examines how The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan affected the lives of 1960s women. It also looks at the historical trajectory of the women’s movement over two centuries. It also incorporates primary sources from the 18th and 19th century to build a background and assesses how critics reacted to this defining feminist book. It tells the story of how the 1960s and 1970s women's movement expanded after being dormant for many years.