Friedan, Betty Naomi - 1921–, American social reformer and feminist, b. Peoria, Ill. as Bettye Goldstein, educated at Smith College (B.A., 1942) and the Univ. of California at Berkeley. In 1963 she published The Feminine Mystique, attacking the popular notion that women could find fulfillment only through childbearing and homemaking. In 1966 she helped found the
National Organization for Women and served as its president until 1970; she helped found the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. In The Second Stage (1981), she argued that feminists must reclaim the family and bring more men into the movement by addressing child care, parental leave, and flexible work schedules. In The Fountain of Age (1993) Friedan criticized "the age mystique" and society's frequently patronizing treatment of the elderly; she advocated new, positive roles for older citizens.
See her memoir (2000); biography by J. Hennessee (1999). The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. |