For those who are unaware, The Feminine Mystique is a book that is often credited with kicking off the Second Wave of Feminism in American history. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that a neighboring small city library had a copy. I am only through a couple of chapters but already feeling regretful that I waited until now to read this profoundly impactful book. Then again, I doubt I would have appreciated it as a 20-something as much as I do now.
One thing that stands out is that post-WWII women were gaslighted by being told that marriage and children are a woman's destiny and will ultimately lead to fulfillment. Friedan talks about how the average age of marriage in the 50s and 60s began to drop sharply (even as young as high school), and the average number of children per household grew exponentially. Yet, many women were unfilled--particularly those with college educations. Could it be that cooking, cleaning, and raising children is NOT the dream job that many women thought it would be?
Fortunately, women began to protest in large numbers, and the result was an increase in women returning to work, to school, and finding themselves through fulfilling careers. Many of those woman remained married and raised their children, but they had something that was just for *them*, something to make them feel important, feel seen.
The current climate in 2025 in the U.S. is somewhat disturbing in relation to the not-so-distant past. Current leaders keep talking about making American "great again" without defining what that means. However, the events of the past 7 months lead one to conclude that it means making America an oasis for the straight, white, heterosexual male. For example, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is violently capturing and imprisoning Brown and Black people without warrants or due process. Programs that help even the playing field for people of color are being ended, and women's rights are under attack. Just recently, Pete Hegseth, our Secretary of Defense, posted videos of pastors decrying a woman's right to vote.
White women have been legally allowed to vote since 1920, and Black women since 1965. In a CNN video about Hegseth's posting, one pastor said that families should vote as a household, with the husband and father casting the vote. Another pastor, Doug Wilson, said, "Women are the kind of people that people come out of." Wilson has several churches, one of which is attended by Hegseth and his family.
You may be wondering at this point, what the hell is going on? Well, it appears that making America "great" means taking us back to a time where women were only housewives and mothers and deferred to their husbands on "important matters."
One recent trend on social media that points to this effort, and which I personally find troubling, is the proliferation of videos of women cleaning their homes. It's almost become a boast for women to post themselves cleaning a kitchen or living room that is an utter disaster. The video is usually sped up so that hours of work looks like minutes. At the end, the woman is smiling and proud of her achievement. I rarely see these same videos featuring men. It makes me wonder, is this propaganda? Is someone purposely putting these videos out there to convince women that a consistently clean home is their peak achievement?
Will American women lose their right to vote? That remains to be seen. I never thought women would lose their right to choose whether or not to reproducie. With a stacked Supreme Court, senate and congress, it seems almost as if this current regime can accomplish anything. We must remain vigilant and speak out against any new bills that seek to remove a woman's right to vote. Of all the rights we have fought for, this remains the most important. Without the ability to choose our representatives in congress/the senate, we will become powerless.
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