Betty Friedan's 'We Can Do It'

Mass media is a powerful tool. Radio broadcasts and newspaper articles convinced women that their husbands needed ammunition to fight World War II, so women worked in factories to help the war effort. Many females played dual roles as they worked outside the home and took care of their homes and families while their husbands were away. Rosie the Riveter was considered a heroine. Her “We Can Do It” attitude empowered women. Problems arose for women when the war ended in 1945. Men returned from war and wanted their normal lives back. They also wanted their jobs back. Some women returned to being housewives because their jobs were taken away and given to a man. A baby boom sent many more women back to work at home to take care of the babies.
Typical housewives in the 1950s cared for the home and the children without complaint. Betty Friedan cared for her home and her children, but she complained that her life was not fulfilling. She attended college and enjoyed a career before having children. Raised by Jewish parents in Peoria, Illinois, Friedan felt alienated. As a student at Smith College in …show more content…
She knew some working mothers struggled with guilt for not being home with their children, but she was convinced that not all women were content being housewives. She composed a survey at the request of her class at Smith College for their 15 year reunion in 1957. She asked questions about family, income, and politics. The results from the questionnaire resulted in more questions than answers. Further research resulted into a book, The Feminine Mystic, published in 1963. No one studied the common woman prior to this. Friedan’s book received acclaim as one of the most influential books of the 20th century and started a second wave of feminism. Friedan’s theorized that television brainwashed women into thinking their place was in the