The feminine Mystique is a book written by Betty Friedan in 1963. It explores the life of a middle class, educated housewife in suburbia. The feminine mystique is something that traps a woman. It is a struggle between having a career and being a "good" mother and wife. When being held captive in the feminine mystique a woman can lose her identity within her family and domesticity.


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the unfulfilled feeling felt by educated housewives, specifically referencing the 50s and 60s, wherein the housewife lost her identity and sense of self to a life centered around a husband, children, and home maintenance and little else. It was a trap felt by american women who were afraid to address the problem for fear of being perceived as "unfeminine" for not having orgasms mopping the kitchen floor.


Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_definition_of_feminine_mystique#ixzz1Th5usPAW