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__**Betty Friedan**__ __**Friedan’s Stance:**__ Friedan was a prominent supporter of women’s rights and a leading figure in the Feminist Movement. Her famous book, //__The Feminist Mystique__// effectively expresses Friedan’s belief that many women were dissatisfied with their roles as housewives and ignited the women’s movement. Friedan is also a supporter of legalizing abortion and lesbian rights.

__**Purpose Behind the Movement:**__ Friedan was a member of Marxist and Jewish communities when she was very young, and throughout her high school years enjoyed writing for school newspapers and local magazines. She attended the all women’s college Smith College. She worked various jobs at Newspapers but her defining moment came when she interviewed classmates at her 15th year college reunion. She began to publish these writings into articles and decided to build upon these articles, formulating for her no less than revolutionary book, //__The Feminist Mystique.__//

Friedan was perhaps dissatisfied with her own life and was frustrated with not having the same opportunities as men, and she soon found out that many women felt the same way. It was the knowing deep down inside that the role of the housewife wasn’t what she truly wanted to do with her life. After all, you only live once, and you deserve to strive for whatever you dream of wanting to do. Because of this, she began to lead the feminist movement. She believed that she could improve the lives of women, and she was the co-founder and first president of the National Organization for women which helped pressure the government to enforce government civil rights laws as well as create new ones. She felt she had a purpose to give women the opportunities that they deserved and move away from the stay-at-home mom lifestyle.

__**Occupation and Background:**__

Betty grew up in Peoria, Illinois and enjoyed writing throughout her child and teenage years, especially for school newspapers. She attended all-girl Smith College for 4 years and spent a year at the University of California in a postgraduate fellowship. From about 1943 until 1957 she wrote for various leftist publications.

It was at her 15th anniversary of Smith College that she found her calling card. She interviewed many of her fellow alumni and found that many of them were dissatisfied with their roles as homemakers. She began to write articles about them and then built on her articles in a masterpiece, //__The Feminist Mystique__//. Her book was extremely well received and essentially began the 2nd Feminist Movement. The Mystique talks about how women who are housewives are unhappy and often feel lonely. It also attacks some of theories of Sigmund Freud, particularly Penis Envy.

Friedan, now a leader of the feminist movement, helped found the National Organization for Women, which fought for Civil Rights and also pressured the government to effectively enforce them. She served as the Organizations first president between 1966 and 1969. She largely supported Affirmative Action. Friedan led the NOW to have a strike for equality on the 50th anniversary of the 19th amendment. The movement was largely successful, more than 50,000 women protested in New York City alone. The movement also got the feminist message out to millions of new women and further pushed for full equality between women and men.

__**Arguments:**__

Betty Friedan was a leading member of the modern feminist. Her book, //__The Feminist Mystique__// basically changed the meaning of being a feminist. Now, it meant being able to leave the role of the housewife and get a real job. Friedan believed that women were capable of doing any job that a man could do, and that there shouldn’t be anything holding them back from their ambitions. She claimed that because of the advances of technology women’s roles as housewives were becoming easier and duller, thus making them feel as though they are worthless and are doing nothing with their lives. She oftentimes suggested nationalized day cares so that women too could be able to accomplish their career goals. Friedan at first seemed to be against lesbians tainting the image of the feminist movement but later acknowledged her belief that lesbians deserved rights alongside all other women. She also believed that abortion should be legalized.


 * __Friends:__**

Bella Abzug Shirley Chisholm Gloria Steinam


 * __Foes:__**

Sigmund Freud Margarett Mead

__**References:**__

__**1.) Paula Murray-**__ Murray and Friedan worked together in the founding of the National Organization for Women. They wrote its mission statement.

__**2.) Gloria Steinam-**__ Though perhaps rivals as to being the most influential member of the feminist movement, the two worked together in founding the National Women’s Political Caucus.

__**3.) Erik Erikson-**__ The two spent a year doing a fellowship together at the University of California and have nothing but nice things to say about each other.

__** Works Cited **__"Betty Friedan, 1921-2006." //The Nation | Unconventional Wisdom Since 1865//. Web. 22 Dec. 2009. ."Betty Friedan." //American Writers//. Web. 22 Dec. 2009. ."Betty Friedan and the making of the ... -." //Google Books//. Web. 23 Dec. 2009. .**(Book Source)** "Women of the Hall." //National Women's Hall of Fame//. Web. 23 Dec. 2009. .