Coontz, Stephanie. A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s.

Abstract

Coontz, Stephanie. A Strange Stirring: Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2011. 222 pp. $25.95 (hardcover). ISBN-13: 978-0-465-00200-9. Stephanie Coontz's latest book examines the impact of Betty Friedan's (1963) controversial and best-selling book, Feminine Mystique. Coontz provides vivid accounts of the of women in America before and after the first and second waves of feminism. Her focus throughout the text is on revealing women's initial reactions to Feminine Mystique, addressing critiques, and debunking myths that surrounded Friedan and her influential work. Coontz articulates the impact of Friedan's book by providing a collection of evidence. She organizes A Strange Stirring into nine easy-to-read chapters and provides a selected bibliography as well as an index. It is important to note that although she initially critical of Friedan her egoism and her inconsideration of the African American experience, Coontz later became more appreciative of Friedan for reaching out to the many women who, like my mother, had found it a revelation at the time--women told me over and over that Feminine Mystique transformed their lives (xx). Coontz attempts to bring about a greater understanding of the context and time period during which Friedan wrote her famous book. She also works to provide the reader with a greater appreciation what individuals did in the past to help women gain power in society. Many women lived in states with head and master laws even in the 1960s. This meant that women were subject to their husbands by the law; women had to accept their roles. In the chapter The Unliberated 1960s, Coontz explains that the typical American woman, as depicted in the Saturday Evening Post in 1962, was thirty-five years old, had two children (but hoping a third), and a full-time homemaker (1). Coontz also reviews other media and political accounts of the role of women to expose their subservient position. Coontz quotes the President's Commission on the Status of Women's report issued on October 11, 1963, whereby a wife had no legal rights to any part of her husband's earnings or property during the existence of the marriage, aside from a right to be properly supported (5). American woman expected to be subordinate. belief that the husband allowed to control his wife widespread. To support her claims, Coontz provides extensive research on women's reactions to Feminine Mystique, many of which were intense and even life changing. Coontz successfully reveals, through large amounts of qualitative data, the viewpoints of women responded most fervently to what Friedan had to say--a group of women whose experiences and emotions are poorly understood today, even by their own daughters and granddaughters (xi). More specifically, Coontz reviews letters written to Ffiedan, as well as other materials that highlighted the role of women at the time. She also interviewed women who had experienced Friedan's text during the 1960s. A strength of A Strange Stirring is the powerful examples Coontz highlights. …