In 1963, The Feminine Mystique blew the cap off the frustration many American women felt over their role in a society that espoused democracy but smugly discriminated against the female half of its populace. More than 30 years later, in Beyond Gender , Betty Friedan acknowledges that she was never quite comfortable with the rage uncorked by loosing the genie of sexual politics, and wonders aloud if pitting women against men, "the oppressed against oppressors," serves to open up most women's lives. Gathering a group of scholars, policy experts, media mavens, and business and labor leaders, Friedan explores a meandering collection of ideas intended to replace the zero-sum game in which women gain only as men lose. This "paradigm shift," she hopes, could bring people together around life-enhancing work, family, and community issues. For example, the vast job cuts of corporate downsizing could be realigned to allow people to stay employed if they agreed to work--and be paid...
