In 1963, betty friedan wrote a book describing a problem facing middle-class american women. what problem did she describe, and why did she say women suffered from it? course hero

Friedan's very influential 1963 book was called "The Feminine Mystique". In it, she described the problem that many American middle-class women faced in the 1950's: a feeling of unhappiness, in spite of relatively pleasant and well-off lives they had. This feeling, which was becoming ever more pervasive among women, was a consequence of their position of housewives, constrained to their roles of wives and mothers. Women suffered from it because they felt obliged and compelled to give up their careers and personal dreams in order to become good wives and mothers. They couldn't even talk about it, for fear of being exposed. They often gave up their education and jobs out of fear that a successful and independent woman would repel men.