The 1960’s and the American Woman: the transition from the “housewife” to the feminist

«   Introduction:  In 1960, the world of American women was limited in almost every respect, from family life to the workplace.

A woman was expected to follow one path: to marry in her early 20s, start a family quickly, and devote her life to homemaking.

 Imagine the life of a woman before the 1960s.

Her life had been difficult- denied basic rights, trapped in the home her entire life and discriminated against in the workplace.

Per example, in the 1960s, a bank could refuse to issue a credit card to an unmarried woman; even if she was married, her husband was required to cosign. The 38 percent of American women who worked in 1960 were largely limited to jobs as teacher, nurse, or secretary.

Women were generally unwelcome in professional programs.

Working women were routinely paid lower salaries than men and denied opportunities to advance, as employers assumed they would soon become pregnant and quit their jobs, and that, unlike men, they did not have families to support. So, we can see the discrimination between men and women.

Then, the 1960s came along with it, women began to fight for their rights because they were tired of the discrimination and began to band together in defense of their rights. The 1960s in the United States are often perceived today as a period of profound societal change. Feminist movements combined with important literature such as Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique helped change peoples concepts of the woman's role in relation to sex. So we are going to explain how the Betty Friedan's leadership has influenced and changed the living conditions of women since the 60s? Firstly we are going to talk about her and then what she did during this period.

    I.

biography Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.

Betty Friedan was born in 1921.                  So, In 1963, she published the book The Feminine Mystique, which explores the idea of women finding fulfillment. »