Betty+Friedan+-+F08

 I am Betty Friedan, and I am a feminist. You may know me as the writer of the Feminist Mystique. This book played a crucial role in the feminist movement. My book exposed the role of a housewife and the dissatisfaction involved with it. Here is a passage from my book representing this :"If I am right, the problem that has no name stirring in the minds of so many American women today is not a matter of loss of femininity or too much education, or the demands of domesticity. It is far more important than anyone recognizes". Testimonies from women in this situation empowered other women to begin a feminist movement to gain rights and dignity. After my book succeeded I moved on in my journey with feminism to become the president of NOW (National Organization of Women). This organization was very successful, some achievements we made were: suing 1,300 companies for sexual discrimination, along with the EEOC, an eight-point bill of rights which led to the ERA, Executive Order 11375, and the reform of abortion laws. I am pro-choice, leading me to start the NARAL. I would like everyone to recognize that the feminist movement is not related to lesbians, though I do accept this view, it is not what we are about. I was born into a Jewish family in Peoria, Illinois. Growing up I was frustrated by the fact that because of my religion I did not have the same opportunities as others and I vowed to move away from my hometown. Also, as I was growing up I had a difficult relationship with my mother, and her wife-role was one I resented and was determined to avoid. I attended Smith college, majoring in psychology. Unlike other women my age instead of marrying off immediately after college I decided to better myself and go to graduate school. I have not always been a feminist though, only after I graduated from college did I search my past and look at my mother's past to form my views. I went on to become a journalist for the Federated Press. Through this job, I was able to report on some hearings of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, due to some things I experienced in these hearings I realized the will to destroy the feminist movement by some. This was another root of my feminist ways. I then left my life as a bohemian to raise a family. My marriage was a violent one. This gave me first-hand knowledge and inspiration to write The Feminine Mystique. Growing up I lived in a middle class family. My father was a jeweler and my mother was a housewife. I went to school to become a psychologist, but this is not the path I took. I became a journalist after college and after raising a family decided to pursue a career in writing. My book became very successful, which allowed me to have a good economic standing. I believe having your own income is very important to having your independence. This allows women to feel stronger about themselves and take themselves more seriously. Today I am spending most of my time as the president of NOW. I also recently set up NARAL ( National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws).

References Elanor Roosevelt- Chair of the President's Commission on the Status of Women, Equal Pay Act of 1963 Germaine Greer- Fellow feminist and author of //The Female Eunuch// Pauli Murray- Also helped begin the National Organization of Women Works Cited  Australian Feminist Studies, Vol. 22, No. 53, July.ISSN 0816-4649 print/ISSN 1465- 3303 online/07/020163-04– 2007 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/08164640701361725 __The Feminine Mystique__. New York: Laurel, 1963."Interview with Betty Friedan." Interview with Kathleen Erickson. Sept. 1994. 19 Dec. 2008.Mintz, S. "Women's Liberation." __Digital History__. 2007. 22 Dec. 2008.