In her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan argued that

In her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan argued that

• A. Divorced fathers should never be given custody of children under age fourteen.
• B. The idealization of domesticity pressured women to seek fulfillment in serving others.
• C. Women were not as intelligent as men even with access to higher education and training.
• D. Women should not be entering the workplace but should be at home with their children.

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that society’s ideal of women as primarily defined by domestic life creates a sense of emptiness for many women. In The Feminine Mystique, Friedan describes the “problem that has no name,” the widespread dissatisfaction of educated, middle‑class women who, despite material comfort, feel unfulfilled because their identities are limited to wife and mother. This idealization of domesticity pressures women to seek meaning in serving others within the home, rather than pursuing personal ambitions or work outside the home. The book argues for expanding women’s opportunities—education, careers, public life—rather than confining them to homemaking. The other statements don’t fit the argument Friedan makes.

The main idea is that society’s ideal of women as primarily defined by domestic life creates a sense of emptiness for many women. In The Feminine Mystique, Friedan describes the “problem that has no name,” the widespread dissatisfaction of educated, middle‑class women who, despite material comfort, feel unfulfilled because their identities are limited to wife and mother. This idealization of domesticity pressures women to seek meaning in serving others within the home, rather than pursuing personal ambitions or work outside the home. The book argues for expanding women’s opportunities—education, careers, public life—rather than confining them to homemaking. The other statements don’t fit the argument Friedan makes.