Feminist Class Structure Summary and Analysis

The first concern of many feminists was not racial divides but rather that of class. Once privileged groups of well-educated white women began to equal the success of men, the feminist class struggle was no longer considered important. The mass media focused on the "struggles" of these women and shined no light on the multitude of women still suffering under the sexist society. Betty Friedan's book, The Feminine Mystique, made the case for women who were stuck at home as housewives. However, the women she referred to were typically higher class women who did not want to do menial work for meager wages. The multitude of lower class women had no such options.

Once some of these disenchanted housewives began to take the low-paying jobs, it was a boon to the movement in that more light was...