Betty Friedan Biography

Betty Friedan is a well-known women’s rights activist, journalist, and writer. She was born on February 4, 1921 in Peoria, Illinois to Russian Jewish immigrants (National Women 's, 2006). She passed away on February 4, 2006 in Washington, D.C. Friedan was, and still is, best known for her book, The Feminine Mystique published in 1963. Friedan also co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966, and she also served as its first president. She went on to publish two more books before she died. The Second Stage was published and 1982 and The Fountain of Age in 1993 (“Betty Friedan Biography,” n.d.). Friedan’s early life consisted of her excelling in college. She graduated from Smith College in 1942 with a bachelor’s degree. She received

The Feminine Mystique was written after her first child, Daniel, was born. The book became a sensation and very quickly turned into a bestseller. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica noted that the book was translated into a number of foreign languages. The website also stated, “Its title was a term she coined to describe “the problem that has no name”—that is, a feeling of personal worthlessness resulting from the acceptance of a designated role that requires a woman’s intellectual, economic, and emotional reliance on her husband. Friedan spoke on the setbacks, limitations, and lack of respect women faced throughout history and up until her

Some online articles such as the Betty Friedan Biography, state that Friedan was one of the top leading voices of the women’s rights movement. She was often credited with starting the second wave of feminism in the United States. She created many organizations to raise awareness for bridging the gap between men and women in society. This online source also spoke about her second book. The Second Stage focused on the time after feminism and been moderately accepted. According to the unknown authors of this article, “The demand for feminism done with, she wanted the focus of feminism to shift to effective juggling of career and home, equal distribution of responsibilities and economic freedom” (Betty Friedan Biography. (n.d.). This was one of her most famous works along with The Feminine Mystique. In The Second Stage, Friedan argues that once past the initial phases of describing and working against political and economic injustices, the women’s movement should focus on working with men to remake private and public arrangements that work against full lives with children for women and men both (The Second Stage. (n.d.). This writing focused more so on preserving