Betty Friedan emerged as one of the most influential figures in the American feminist movement during the mid-20th century. Through her powerful writing and activism, she transformed public discourse about gender roles and opened new paths for women in society. Friedan’s goals were both broad and specific: she sought to challenge the cultural norms that confined women to domestic roles, advocate for political and legal reforms, and support a world in which women had the same opportunities as men to thrive in both personal and professional spheres.
The Feminine Mystique and Awakening Consciousness
Breaking the Silence of the 1950s
One of Betty Friedan’s most recognized achievements was the publication of her groundbreaking book,The Feminine Mystique, in 1963. This work identified and articulated what she called the problem that has no name, describing the dissatisfaction that many women felt as housewives and mothers. The book questioned why women were not encouraged to pursue careers, education, or public life beyond their domestic responsibilities.
This book gave voice to countless women who felt isolated and undervalued. Her goal was not only to highlight the emotional and psychological toll of domestic confinement but also to provoke action. Friedan wanted women to question their circumstances and push for societal changes that allowed them to achieve personal fulfillment beyond traditional roles.
Political Activism and the Formation of NOW
The National Organization for Women
In 1966, Betty Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW), which quickly became the largest feminist organization in the United States. As its first president, Friedan helped define the group’s goals and platform, focusing on issues such as equal employment, reproductive rights, and political representation.
- Ensuring enforcement of anti-discrimination laws in the workplace
- Promoting equal pay for equal work
- Combating gender stereotypes in media and education
- Advocating for legalized abortion and reproductive freedom
Friedan believed that without organized political advocacy, women’s rights would continue to be sidelined. Her goal was to unify women of different backgrounds under a common agenda of equality and to give them the institutional power necessary to influence public policy.
Equality in Employment and Education
Fighting for Access and Opportunities
One of Friedan’s principal objectives was to ensure women could access the same educational and professional opportunities as men. In her view, women were being systematically discouraged from attending college, entering male-dominated fields, or rising to leadership positions. Through NOW and her broader activism, she pushed for legal reforms, including the passage of Title IX in 1972, which prohibited sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational institutions.
Friedan envisioned a society in which women were not penalized for ambition. She saw equality in employment and education as fundamental to women’s independence and a necessary condition for achieving broader equality in family and civic life.
Redefining the Family and Gender Roles
Balancing Work and Family
While some critics claimed that Friedan was anti-family, she consistently emphasized that her goals were not to dismantle the family unit but to redefine it in more equitable terms. She advocated for policies like maternity leave, child care support, and flexible work schedules to help women balance career and family life.
She rejected the idea that motherhood should be the exclusive or defining role of a woman. Friedan’s broader aim was to free both women and men from rigid gender expectations so that they could share responsibilities and choices more equally.
Support for Legal and Reproductive Rights
Freedom of Choice
Friedan was a staunch supporter of a woman’s right to control her own body. She viewed reproductive freedom including access to contraception and safe, legal abortion as essential to women’s full participation in society. Without the ability to choose if and when to have children, women would remain subordinate to the demands of family life.
Her work helped galvanize public support for the pro-choice movement and led to significant legal victories, including the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade (1973). Through her activism, she sought to ensure that women’s voices were included in decisions affecting their health and futures.
Intersectionality and Internal Debates
Addressing Race and Class
Although Friedan’s early work primarily focused on the experiences of middle-class white women, she later acknowledged the importance of incorporating diverse voices into the feminist movement. Her goal evolved to include broader coalitions that addressed the interconnected issues of race, class, and gender.
Friedan sometimes clashed with more radical feminists, especially in the late 1960s and 1970s, who criticized her for being too moderate. Despite these tensions, she continued to call for unity and inclusion, emphasizing that the feminist movement had to adapt to changing social and cultural dynamics if it were to succeed.
Later Years and Legacy
A Lifelong Commitment to Equality
Even after her presidency at NOW, Betty Friedan remained an active voice in feminist debates. She co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus and remained involved in campaigns for women’s equality well into her later years. In 1981, she publishedThe Second Stage, a book that revisited earlier feminist goals and called for a more nuanced approach to gender equity that recognized women’s changing roles in society.
Friedan’s lifelong goal was to ensure that women had the freedom to make choices not just about work or family, but about every aspect of their lives. She wanted to empower women to live authentically, without being boxed in by outdated social norms or institutional barriers.
The goals of Betty Friedan were grounded in a desire for fairness, equality, and freedom. She worked tirelessly to expose the ways in which societal structures limited women and to build institutions that would help women reclaim their rights. Her legacy is visible in the countless changes that have taken place in law, education, employment, and public life since the 1960s. Whether through her influential writing or her political organizing, Friedan helped reshape modern feminism and inspired generations to keep fighting for a more just world for all.