The Problem that Has No Name: Betty Friedan (Penguin Modern)

Bought this because it seemed interesting and the price was great. I haven't had the time to read it yet but my mom quite enjoyed it and read me little snippets while I worked on my dissertation. Great stories about the early feminist movement and the strength it took to fight for the basic rights women have today.

This is a member of the Penguin Moderns series, which are true pocket-sized books. It has 55 small pages (including 3 pages of notes) and contains two pieces of writing “The Problem that Has No Name” (24 pages) followed by “The Passionate Journey” (28 pages). Both of these writings come from Betty Friedan’s 1963 book  The Feminine Mystique  available in Penguin Classics. I think it would make more sense to put the titular writing “The Problem that Has No Name” after “The Passionate Journey” as “The Problem that Has No Name” is a discussion of the situation in the late 1950s and “The Passionate Journey” is a selective overview of the history of feminism up to that time.“The Problem that Has No Name” is about the aspirational 1950s and the middle class suburbs. By this time women had the vote, could have careers, join the professions and go to college. Women seemed to have turned their backs on these hard won rights in favour of marriage, family and apple pie. However, the situation was changing. It begins: “The problem lay buried, unspoken, for many years in the minds of American women. It was a strange stirring, a sense of dissatisfaction, a yearning that women suffered in the middle of the twentieth century in the United States. Each suburban wife struggled with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slip-cover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night, she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question ‘Is this all?’”.“The Passionate Journey” is anchored by the first “Women’s Rights Convention” in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. It gives a general discussion both before and after this date of the journey of women. Thomas Paine noted women’s situation during the Revolutionary period, as did several women. Later, many women were involved in the Anti-Slavery movement. At an Anti-Slavery meeting in London two women found themselves denied entry because they were women. They were allowed to hear the meeting behind a curtain. This indignity led to the meeting in Seneca Falls.

My second book from the Penguin Modern Series is number 41, “The Problem That Has No Name” written by Betty Friedan in 1963.This book comprises of two non-fictional essays from Friedan’s larger work, ‘The Feminine Mystique’. Out of the two, I think I preferred the first but both are an important read and I’d definitely recommend picking this little book up.Friedan talks about the role of women in 1960s America, as mother and wife. The problem mentioned in the title of this book is that once married with children, women were told that they had everything and that they should be happy and content. But in reality, many women felt that something was missing, their lives were unfulfilled and many often couldn’t understand why they weren’t as happy as society said they should be. I particularly enjoyed reading the short extracts from real housewives of the time.“I seem to sleep so much. I don’t know why I should be tired. This house isn’t nearly so hard to clean as the cold-water flat we had when I was working. The children are at school all day. It’s not the work. I just don’t feel alive.”This book, while short, is written elegantly. Even when stating statistics, the writing is clear and logical, without losing interest and both essays were well paced. I sped though this little book in under and hour and have to say that I really enjoyed reading just a peek of Friedan’s larger work.Overall rating: Exploring and understanding the emptiness felt by housewives in America during the 1960s, this little book is a really interesting read, especially if, like me, you don’t know a great deal about the first two waves of feminism. 5 stars!

I do like how she writes, particularly in the first of these two essays. She was such an important figure in 1960/70s feminism as she explores the rise of women's rights and where it suddenly stalled in the face of consumerism and the stereotypical ideals of the perfect American dream.A generation (or more) of women caught in a trap of idealised femininity and family, confused, anxious and needing something more.

Arrived on time and value for money!

If you had to put a name to this problem, it would be “gender inequality“. Freidan makes some great arguments and has a persuasive writing style, so I enjoyed this one.

Great