1. Unit 9 Day 9 (Baby Boom) Quote: “The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own.” - Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique Focus Question(s): How was the American economy shaped by post WWII policies and programs? Specified Content: Baby Boom, Betty Friedan (Feminine Mystique), cars/highways State Standards: Strand 1 Concept 9 PO 3 a

2. Baby Boom After WWII returning soldiers began settling down to family life. From the late 1940s through the early 1960s the birthrate in the soared, creating the largest generation in U.S. history.

3. During the 1950s, the role of homemaker and mother was glorified but many suburban wives were unhappy with their lives. Author Betty Friedan, described this problem in her book The Feminine Mystique.

4. The Feminine Mystique described an “unnamed problem” that many women faced because they were not treated the same as men. The jobs women could do were limited and they did not have the same access to education that men had.

5. Gasoline was really cheap after WWII and people had more money to spend. The number of cars in the US began to increase by large amounts. People needed cars to get to work from their homes in the suburbs.

6. President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act in 1956 which authorized the building of a nationwide highway network. This helped suburbs grow, encouraged people to buy cars, and helped unify American culture.

7. Activity Answer the following sentence in a paragraph: What message about women is conveyed by this ad?