Published in 1963, 'The Feminine Mystique' by Betty Friedan critiques the societal expectations that confined women to roles as housewives and mothers, arguing that these roles denied women their basic human need to grow and achieve personal fulfillment. Friedan coined the term 'feminine mystique' to describe the belief that women could find complete fulfillment in domestic duties alone. Through extensive research, including interviews with housewives, college students, and experts in psychology and education, Friedan exposed the widespread unhappiness among women and the detrimental effects of these societal norms on their mental and physical health. The book played a pivotal role in sparking the second-wave feminist movement, encouraging women to seek careers and personal achievements outside the home[1][3][5].
In this book, Carrie Gress argues that fifty years of radical feminism have led to the devaluation of women's attributes, virtues, and strengths. She contends that feminism has made male lives the norm for everyone, resulting in exploitation, unhappiness, and dependency on the state. Gress presents a historical analysis from various perspectives, including biblical and literary figures, to expose the legacy of abuse, abandonment, and anarchy within feminist ideology. She suggests that a rediscovery of true womanhood and motherhood is necessary to restore societal balance and happiness.
What are the consequences of feminist ideals on modern women? How have they affected the work-life balance, the denigration of motherhood, and the quest for female autonomy?
Carrie Gress is a fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center and at Catholic University. She is also the author of several books. Her latest is titled, The End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us.
Greg and Carrie discuss her latest book, where she argues that feminism has been detrimental to women's happiness and societal roles. Carrie explores the historical roots of feminism dating back to the French Revolution, and cites key figures such as Mary Wollstonecraft and the people around her. Carrie critiques the feminist movement’s focus on autonomy, notes its influence from communism and socialism, and laments its impact on modern societal issues, including motherhood, family dynamics, and mental health.
*unSILOed Podcast is produced by University FM.*
Episode Quotes:
What feminism forgot about motherhood
16:41: I think the problems really get bigger. The more you start seeing how it's not just about women going to work, but it's really an ideology that we've been fed over and over again, and told that this is really the route to happiness. Meanwhile, something like motherhood is denigrated, even though, you know, there's so much personal growth that happens from motherhood. There's so much growth in terms of just maturing. And I think that's one of the great things about motherhood — it just pulls you out of yourself. And that's what people are resistant to — you don't wanna see how impatient you are. You don't wanna see your limits. And that's what motherhood pushes you to, so that you have to surpass them and become better than what you were before. And there's nobody to take over for you at five o'clock. It just keeps going. And I think that the ways in which our virtues are really extended and can grow — but, you know, few people understand and think through that prism when it comes to motherhood.
Home solidifies who you are
20:26: Home isn't meant to just be a hotel where you check in at night, but it's meant to be a place where you really solidify who you are. You learn your gifts; you learn your connection to family. And in that rootedness, then you can go out into the world and be something.
What really is feminism?
03:51: Feminism is a way to protect ourselves against things, instead of really opening ourselves up to something more beautiful, which comes about within the family, within having children, within the home — which is not to say that women shouldn't work. I'm obviously a working mom, but I think it has to be balanced with understanding who we are. And instead of rejecting something, it's really going back to embracing ourselves — the life of womanhood as a mother and wife, and caring for others.
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