Often, the voice the loudest is interpreted as the voice of the masses. This is the case with Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. That doesn’t dismiss its awe-inspiring influence; it is still responsible for much of the effort put into the second wave of feminism back in the 60s. Her book sold 1.4 million copies of its first printing, a feat in itself that verifies its influence. Friedan used her book to persuade women to have a common goal, and by doing so their culminating voices became the loudest, and it was their agenda that was followed in the feminist movement. The Feminine Mystique’s role in the second wave of feminism was as a catalyst for the suburban women, who furthered the cause of feminism. Friedan’s book outlines a problem that…show more content… Specifically, it outlines a problem that many women share, a feeling of being less than their potential. Women of this time period were discouraged from pursuing careers. They were told that their role as housewife was enough, and that it was more than they could ever aspire to be. They were taught that college had no value to them and that it was more important that they tend to their family, putting their husbands and sons through college . Freidan wrote about the many things expected of women, to the point that anyone reading this chapter would be overwhelmed by the apparent burden women must carry. Through many lists, Freidan evicted both pride for the strength of women and the sense of unjust appropriations set upon them. Women looked into their own lives and found exactly what Friedan described. They felt validated and enlightened by her words. This fundamental reaction to the book is what made women want to be freed from their shackles. Freidan had awaken them and made them realize that they could be more than a housewife if they wanted to, the problem was that their were many setbacks that kept them from being equal to their