The circumstances leading to Betty Friedan's feminist writings can be attributed to her experiences in the post-World War II era. After graduating from Smith College, she encountered the disillusionment of women who were pressured back into domestic roles as society idealized the nuclear family. Her work as a magazine writer and a mother herself revealed the limited roles available to women and sparked her desire for reform. The publication of her book, The Feminine Mystique, in 1963 ignited the second-wave feminist movement by articulating these frustrations and advocating for women's rights and opportunities.