The Feminine Mystique - Betty Friedan - Part 12

The Feminine Mystique - Betty Friedan

2017 Reading Challenge - Day 107

  April 17, 2017 

Book 31 - The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan (1997)
 Part 12 - pages 338-395
Reading Time - 1.5 hours

"What do I want to do"?

Ain't no easy answer to that question. How does one find oneself? Friedan argues that woman has to find herself by a creative work of her own. A job isn't necessarily the answer as it can just be part of the trap. It would have to be a job that a woman could take seriously - at her capacity.

Women need an objective... a long-term goal and they need an attitude of commitment. It can't just be dabbling in painting, sculpting, or writing. Need to make a commitment and run with it. For Friedan, education is key - it is the matrix of human evolution.Equality and dignity of women is based on economic independence. Women need to be able to earn enough money - which means they need to be educated to get the plum jobs.

Women need to learn to compete, not as a woman, but as a human being.  Get out there and make a difference in the world.

At the same time... I am mindful that all of the minutiae of daily life... the dishes, the vacuuming, the laundry... the chopping of wood and tilling soil... all of that can be deeply fulfilling. I think it's the attitude we bring to it. For me, chopping wood is a meditative practice... of expanding my abilities in chopping wood... of being present to what I am doing.

I get what Friedan is saying... and I also recall the other book I read earlier... Wonder Women... that challenged the idea that women could have it all. I think there is a middle ground... because the home front does need to be tended and minded. And the money does need to be earned. Somewhere between housewive and driven career woman lies a happy medium. At least that's my take on it!

And now... on to another book!