Synopses & Reviews
First published in 1981,
The Second Stage is eerily prescient and timely, a reminder that much of what is called new thinking in feminism has been eloquently observed and argued before. Warning the women's movement against dissolving into factionalism, male-bashing, and preoccupation with sexual and identity politics rather than bottom-line political and economic inequalities, Friedan argues that once past the initial phases of describing and working against political and economic injustices, the women's movement should focus on working with men to remake private and public arrangements that work against full lives with children for women and men both. Friedan's agenda to preserve families is far more radical than it appears, for she argues that a truly equitable preservation of marriage and family may require a reorganization of many aspects of conventional middle-class life, from the greater use of flex time and job-sharing, to company-sponsored daycare, to new home designs to permit communal housekeeping and cooking arrangements.
Called "utopian" fifteen years ago, when it seemed unbelievable that women had enough power in the workplace to make effective demands, or that men would join them, some of these visions are slowly but steadily coming to pass even now. The problem Friedan identifies is as real now as it was years ago: "how to live the equality we fought for," and continue to fight for, with "the family as new feminist frontier." She writes not only for women's liberation but for human liberation.
Review
The right book at the right time. The Second Stage is intelligent, compassionate, and pertinent. It's an education. And it provides a course of action. -- H. J. Kirchhoff - Globe and Mail [Toronto]
Review
Friedan's second major theoretical statement--important for what it says and essential when considered against the background of her past accomplishments. -- Washington Post Book World
Synopsis
First published in 1981, The Second Stage is eerily prescient and timely. Warning the women's movement against dissolving into factionalism, male-bashing, and preoccupation with sexual and identity politics rather than bottom-line political and economic inequalities, The problem Friedan identifies is as real now as it was years ago: "how to live the equality we fought for," and continue to fight for, with "the family as new feminist frontier."
About the Author
Betty Friedanwas a founder and first president of the <>National Organization for Women, and convener of the National Women's Political Caucus and the <>National Abortion Rights Action League. She is author of The Feminine Mystique, The Second Stage, and The Fountain of Age. She is currently Distinguished Visiting Professor at <>Cornell.
Table of Contents
Introduction, 1998
Introduction
End of the Beginning
End of the Beginning
The Half-Life of Reaction
The Family as New Feminist Frontier
The Quiet Movement of American Men
Reality Test at West Point
The Second Stage
The Limits and True Potential of Women's Power
The New Mode
Take Back the Day
The House and the Dream
Human Sex and Human Politics
Afterword: How to Get the Women's Movement Moving Again