What Is The State of Woman’s Rights As Feminine Mystique Turns 50?

In many ways the civility of a society can be measured by the way in which it ensures the rights of woman. 50 years ago, Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” was published, ushering a new era of woman’s rights that would last throughout the 60’s. This important birthday in the history of Woman’s Rights comes at a time when the gains made in the last 100 years seem to be challenged daily. Yet an article in The Take Away makes this point:

Stephanie Coontz, professor of family history at Evergreen State College and the author of “A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s,” argues that Friedan succeeded in revolutionizing American attitudes about gender.

At the same time, the piece points out that women have also been forced into the work place in record numbers, but still struggle for equal compensation. Even the high-minded field of social work falls prey to classic “glass ceiling” with the majority of management positions still occupied by men, even as woman make up the majority of the work force.

I wanted to put this to our readers: has the public consciousness changed as Coontz argues, or is just smoke and mirrors? Specifically, what is the state of Woman’s Rights and social work?

Written By Matthew Cohen
SJS Staff Writer