Essay about Liberated Women vs. Womens Liberation

Liberated Women vs. Womens Liberation The idealized American housewife of the 60s radiated happiness, freed by science and labor-saving appliances from the drudgery, the dangers of childbirth and the illnesses of her grandmother...healthy, beautiful, educated, concerned only about her husband, her children, her home, wrote Betty Friedan in The Problem That Has No Name (463). Women were portrayed as being freed, yet it was from this mold that liberated women attempted to free themselves. Many of these same women took part in the womens liberation movement that erupted in the 60s, fueled by their involvement in the civil rights movement. Liberated women were more than just members of the womens liberation†¦show more content†¦Esther Greenwood from Sylvia Plaths The Bell Jar exhibits some of the characteristics of the 60s liberated woman. When she decided to get a diaphragm, she thought, I am climbing to freedom, freedom from fear, freedom from marrying the wrong person...just because of sex...I was my own woman (182). Yet with this freedom came perplexing realizations about the double standard for women and men concerning sexual behavior. Women that exercised sexual freedom were viewed differently than males who did so. Men could be promiscuous and keep their reputation for integrity untarnished; women who behaved this way were viewed as impure with questionable character. Esther mused about this after Buddy Willard revealed his past sexual experiences to her, thinking, I couldnt stand the idea of a woman having to have a single pure life and a man being able to have a double life, one pure and one not (66). Liberated women also displayed a changing attitude towards their families and roles as mothers and wives. Betty Friedans The Feminine Mystique chronicled the discontent of American housewives. These women were the stereotypical ideal, and were supposed to be fulfilled with a life in which their family was their only concern. Friedan found that many of these women were depressed and wanted to diversify their lives by exploring other facets of themselves outside of their traditional role as homemaker. One woman Friedan spoke with said,Show MoreRelatedEssay about Women In Islam1540 Words   |  7 PagesToday, people think that women were liberated in the west and that the womens liberation movement began in the 20th Century. Actually, Islam preceded all the existing systems in introducing womens rights more than fourteen centuries ago. The womens liberation movement was revealed by God to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the seventh century. A whole package of new right s was given at once to women by their creator without their having to strive to get them. 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