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Suburban Secrets and Archival Truths: Why Betty Friedan Still Matters
When we think of the “Changemakers” who paved the way for the modern woman, we often think of the suffragettes of the 1910s. But there is another wave of revolution that happened in the 1960s—a revolution sparked by a single book, a seafoam-green typewriter, and a woman named Betty Friedan.
“The Problem That Had No Name”
In 1963, a year that feels both like a lifetime ago and just yesterday, Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique. Before she was a world-renowned activist and co-founder of NOW (The National Organization for Women), she was a journalist and a mother who began to notice a quiet, simmering dissatisfaction among her peers.
She called it “the problem that had no name.” It was that nagging feeling many suburban housewives had— a feeling that, despite having the “perfect” home, husband, and children, something was missing. Betty Friedan didn’t just identify the problem; she gave women permission to acknowledge it without guilt.
The Sisterhood of “Troublesome Women”
This era is captured so vividly in one of my favorite recent reads, The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. Set in 1963, the story follows four very different women who form a book club. Their first pick? Betty Friedan’s newly released The Feminine Mystique.
Much like the real women influenced by The Feminine Mystique in the 1960s, the characters in the book realize that their secret longings for a life outside the home aren’t “wrong”— they are a sign of a shifting world. I love how Bostwick shows that while the research of Betty Friedan was the catalyst, it was the sisterhood and the courage to be “troublesome” that actually changed their lives.
“History tells us what people do: historical fiction helps us imagine how they felt.” — Guy Vanderhaeghe
Reading about “The Bettys” in Bostwick’s novel made me feel the stifling reality of 1963— a time when a woman couldn’t even open a bank account without her husband’s signature— and it made me appreciate the scholarly work of Betty Friedan all the more.
The Legacy of NOW and Activism
Friedan didn’t stop at writing. She knew that for feelings to become progress, there needed to be action. In 1966, she co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) to push for equal pay and an end to sex discrimination in the workplace.
While Betty Friedan was often considered “troublesome” herself, that is exactly what makes her a Changemaker. She challenged the status quo so that women like us could have the freedom to be authors, scientists, and leaders.
Are you a “Troublesome Woman”?
Did the words of Betty Friedan change your outlook, or have you read The Book Club for Troublesome Women? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
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Betty Friedan is one of my all-time heroes! I haven’t read The Book Club for Troublesome Women, but it sounds like I should.
I really like your Changemaker columns!
I’m so glad to hear, Julie! She truly is a force to be reckoned with, and the book was one of my favorite reads last year! So glad to hear you’re enjoying the Changemaker columns. 🙂