In her controversial book The Second Stage (1981), Friedan defines a new mystique, the feminist mystique, which she says is supported by the superwoman stereotype—the woman who can do everything. Friedan advocates making the family the central focus in women's life and instituting separate standards for women and men, since women cannot be expected to perform at their highest levels at both work and home.

In The Masculine Mystique: The Politics of Masculinity (1995), Andrew Kimbrell argues that American men are in crisis. As in Friedan's book, Kimbrell's manifesto examines men's history, discusses sociological factors that affect men, and offers a plan of action to combat the masculine mystique.

In The Difference: Growing Up Female in America (1994), Washington Post columnist Judy Mann explores the difficulties of growing up as a female in the United States in the 1990s. Drawing on...