Pushing for women to have a greater role in the political process, she co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966, subsequently serving as its first president. Co-Founding NOW, NARAL and the National Women's Political Caucusįriedan did more than write about confining gender stereotypes - she became a force for change. Other Betty Friedan Booksīesides The Feminine Mystique (1963), Friedan authored It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women's Movement (1976), The Second Stage (1982), The Fountain of Age (1993), Beyond Gender (1997) and her autobiography Life So Far (2000). The work is also credited with spurring second-wave feminism in the United States. The book quickly became a sensation, creating a social revolution by dispelling the myth that all women wanted to be happy homemakers and marking the start of what would become Friedan's incredibly significant role in the women's rights movement.
The results of her research formed the basis of her book The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963, throughout which Friedan encourages women to seek new opportunities for themselves. To answer this question, Friedan surveyed other graduates of Smith College. Friedan then stayed home to care for her family, but she was restless as a homemaker and began to wonder if other women felt the same way she did - that she was both willing and able to be more than a stay-at-home mom. She lost her job, however, after she became pregnant with her second child. 'The Feminine Mystique'Īfter the Friedans' first child was born in 1948, Friedan returned to work. The couple went on to have three children: Daniel, who was born in 1948 Jonathan, born in 1952 and Emily, born in 1956.
In New York, Friedan worked for a short time as a reporter. Although she received a fellowship to study at the University of California, Berkeley, she only spent a brief time there before relocating in the mid-1940s to New York City. She also helped advance the women's rights movement as one of the founders of the National Organization for Women.Ī bright student, Friedan excelled at Smith College, graduating in 1942 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. With her book The Feminine Mystique (1963), Friedan broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles.
Early Life and Careerįriedan was born Bettye Naomi Goldstein on February 4, 1921, in Peoria, Illinois. She published The Second Stage in 1982 and The Fountain of Age in 1993. Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966 and served as its first president. In 1963, writer, feminist and women's rights activist Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique, which explores the idea of women finding fulfillment beyond traditional roles.
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