Betty Friedan
Also known as Bettye Naomi Goldstein
American feminist writer and activist (1921 to 2006); wrote The Feminine Mystique.
At a glance
Main ideas
The problem that has no name, Women are as capable as men, Economics first …
See all 4Criticism
Narrow focus, On lesbian members
See all 2Books to start with
The Feminine Mystique, It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women's Movement, The Second Stage …
See all 5Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Friedan was a journalist whose 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking second-wave feminism in the United States.
- In 1966 she co-founded the National Organization for Women and became its first president.
- In 1970 she organised the nationwide Women's Strike for Equality.
- She pushed the movement to focus on economic equality and child care, and later criticised what she saw as its extremist excesses.
Why it matters
- She named "the problem that has no name" and built the organisations that turned it into law and policy; the women's movement in the US runs through her.
Key facts
- Born
- 4 Feb 1921, Peoria, Illinois, as Bettye Naomi Goldstein1
- Died
- 4 Feb 2006, her 85th birthday, at her home in Washington, D.C., of congestive heart failure1
- Education
- Smith College, psychology, 1942 (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa); graduate fellowship in psychology at UC Berkeley, 19431
- Journalism
- Federated Press from 1943 to 1946; UE News, the United Electrical Workers' paper, from 1946 to 19521
- Founded
- National Organization for Women, 1966, as co-founder and first president; National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (later NARAL); First Women's Bank and Trust Company, 19731
- Co-founded
- The National Women's Political Caucus, 19711
- Organised
- The Women's Strike for Equality, 26 Aug 19701
- Honours
- Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, 19931
Main ideas
-
The problem that has no name1
Many suburban housewives felt a dissatisfaction they could not name and each faced alone.
-
Women are as capable as men1
Against the media, educators and psychologists, she argued women can do any kind of work.
-
Economics first1
She wanted the movement to focus on equal employment and child care, so women and men could balance work and family.
-
Against polarisation1
She criticised factions that attacked men and homemakers; The Second Stage took on what she saw as feminist excesses.
Criticism
-
Narrow focus2
The Feminine Mystique was criticised for centring white, middle-class women and leaving out women of colour and working-class women.
-
On lesbian members1
As NOW president she coined "lavender menace" in 1969; in 1977 she seconded a lesbian rights resolution.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
-
The book that named the problem and set off the second wave.
-
It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women's Movement1
Her writings from the movement years.
-
The Second Stage1
On family life after the legal battles, and the movement's excesses.
-
The Fountain of Age1
On ageing.
-
Life So Far1
Her autobiography.
Connections
Links
Sources
Last checked against its sources today
Is something on this page wrong or out of date? Tell us
The line under a date fills as time passes: empty when new, then one equal share each for a day, a week, a month and a year. For episodes and other items it is full at 2 years; for "last checked", at a year. A striped line means the date is known only to the month or year.