--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What Friedan gave to the world was, \"the…" description: "\"“What Friedan gave to the world was, \"the problem that has no name.\" She not only named it but dissected it. The advances of science, the development o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/betty-friedan-3185_activism_what-friedan-gave-to-the-world-was-the-p_3203743.jpg" --- # What Friedan gave to the world was, "the problem that has… ![“What Friedan gave to the world was, "the problem that has no name." She not only named it but dissected it. The advances of science, the development of labor-saving appliances, the development of the suburbs: all had come together to offer women in the 1950s a life their mothers had scarcely…” quote by Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/betty-friedan-3185_activism_what-friedan-gave-to-the-world-was-the-p_3203743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/betty-friedan-3185_activism_what-friedan-gave-to-the-world-was-the-p_3203743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a2/betty-friedan-3185_activism_what-friedan-gave-to-the-world-was-the-p_3203743.jpg) > ““What Friedan gave to the world was, "the problem that has no name." She not only named it but dissected it. The advances of science, the development of labor-saving appliances, the development of the suburbs: all had come together to offer women in the 1950s a life their mothers had scarcely dreamed of, free from rampant disease, onerous drudgery, noxious city streets. But the green lawns and big corner lots were isolating, the housework seemed to expand to fill the time available, and polio and smallpox were replaced by depression and alcoholism. All that was covered up in a kitchen conspiracy of denial... \[i\]nstead the problem was with the mystique of waxed floors and perfectly applied lipstick.”” [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Women in post‑war America faced material comfort but increasing isolation and mental health struggles, revealing a hidden crisis of identity and purpose. **In simple terms:** Comfort brought loneliness and unseen mental illness. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hidden emotional needs. Themes gender mental health social expectations post‑war society Mood reflective critical empathetic Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - mid‑century suburban life - family dynamics - women’s career choices Key Concepts feminist critique psychology sociology Questions to Reflect On - How does material comfort mask emotional distress? - What can modern societies do to support mental health? A Different Perspective The quote overlooks men’s similar struggles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [City streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-streets/) [Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“Principle 4: Tackle your toughest challenge today. 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That's what I aspire to look like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-brook/women-in-the-1950s-were-so-much-sexier-that-s-what-i-aspire-to-look/) [Kelly Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-brook/) > [The oppressors develop a series of methods precluding any presentation of the world as a problem and showing it rather as a fixed entity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-freire/the-oppressors-develop-a-series-of-methods-precluding-any/) [Paulo Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-freire/) > [“The world has a very serious problem, my friend' Shiva went on. 'Poor children still die by their millions. Westerners and the global rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramez-naam/the-world-has-a-very-serious-problem-my-friend-shiva-went-on-poor/) [Ramez Naam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramez-naam/) > [“I will not add to the world’s problem, I will not live the world the way I met it; I will strife with every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anikor-daniel/i-will-not-add-to-the-world-s-problem-i-will-not-live-the-world-the/) [ANIKOR Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anikor-daniel/) > [“What is there to respect in any of this, or in any of the crimes now being committed almost daily around the world in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/what-is-there-to-respect-in-any-of-this-or-in-any-of-the-crimes-now/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [The world is not a problem; the problem is your unawareness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-is-not-a-problem-the-problem-is-your-unawareness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If what we already know were simply applied to all the agricultural land of the world and the problem of proper distribution were given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-bromfield/if-what-we-already-know-were-simply-applied-to-all-the-agricultural/) [Louis Bromfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-bromfield/) > [Every person have with them great gift that is unheard and unknown for the world or answer to the world's problem only situation bring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-person-have-with-them-great-gift-that-is-unheard-and-unknown/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-difference-between-what-we-do-and-what-we-are-capable-of-doing/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The world's problem is not too many people, but lack of political and economic freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-world-s-problem-is-not-too-many-people-but-lack-of-political-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Betty Friedan > [It is easier to live life through someone else than to become complete yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/it-is-easier-to-live-life-through-someone-else-than-to-become/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [This idea that the employment of women, the movement of women outside the home into the work world, and their demand for equality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/this-idea-that-the-employment-of-women-the-movement-of-women-outside/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [A good woman is one who loves passionately, has guts, seriousness and passionate convictions, takes responsibility, and shapes society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/a-good-woman-is-one-who-loves-passionately-has-guts-seriousness-and/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [You can have it all, just not all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/you-can-have-it-all-just-not-all-at-the-same-time/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [It is easier to live through someone else than to complete yourself. 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