Chapter 10, Housewifery Expands to Fill the Time Available Summary

Betty Friedan went in search of the happy housewife, as she was portrayed in the media and in advertisements. She was looking for women "of ability and education who was fulfilled as a housewife." She went to suburban mental health centers and one doctor referred her to four women said to fit her description. She went to visit the four and found four women who had not retreated from the world into full time housewifery. Among them were a computer programmer, a professional psychoanalyst, a dancer and a woman committed to politics. Another woman whom she met had learned a second language while at home with the children, and she was certified to teach, which she did shortly after the interview.

Friedan interviewed many women living in the image...