FRIEDAN, BETTY

FRIEDAN, BETTY (1921–2006), U.S. writer and feminist. Born Naomi Goldstein in Peoria, Illinois, she received her B.A. in psychology from Smith College in 1942. She then held a research fellowship in psychology at the University of California at Berkeley, assisted in early group dynamics at the University of Iowa, and worked as a clinical psychologist and in applied social research. She also turned to freelance writing, contributing to various magazines. After her marriage in 1947, her main efforts were devoted to raising her three children. In 1963 she published The Feminine Mystique, which focused on the plight of women and their lack of equality with men. An immediate and controversial bestseller, it is now regarded as one of the most influential American books of the 20th century. This represented the start of the women's movement in the United States. Friedan was the founder of the National Organization of Women (NOW) and served as its president from 1966 to 1970. The organization aimed at bringing women into full equal participation in American society, exercising all privileges and responsibilities. In 1970, she organized a march of 50,000 women through New York City. She was also a founder of the National Women's Political Caucus (1971) and the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL). In 1973 she became director of the First Women's Bank and Trust Company. In 1978 Friedan chaired the Emergency Project for Equal Rights and the following year the National Assembly on the Future of the Family. Her second book, The Second Stage (1981), outlined new directions for the women's movement based on shared female experience. Friedan was seen in the 1980s as one of America's senior statespersons in the struggle for equal rights and was outspoken over what was perceived as backsliding on the issue of women's rights under the Reagan administration. During the span of her career she became more closely identified with Jewish issues and served on the board of Present Tense – the Magazine of World Jewish Affairs. She also denounced antisemitism and anti-Zionism at the UN. Friedan traveled and lectured all over the world and wrote for such diverse publications as McCall's, Harper's, The New York Times, The New Republic, and The New Yorker. She was a Visiting Distinguished Professor at the University of Southern California, New York University, and George Mason University, an adjunct scholar at the Wilson International Center for Scholars at the Smithsonian, and Distinguished Professor of Social Evolution at Mount Vernon College. In 1993 she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. Other books by Friedan include It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women's Movement (1976); The Fountain of Age (1993), based on 10 years of research on changing sex roles and the aging process; Beyond Gender: The New Politics of Work and Family (1997); and Life So Far: A Memoir (2000). -BIBLIOGRAPHY: M. Meltzer, Betty Friedan: A Voice for Women's Rights (1985); S. Henry and E. Taitz, Betty Friedan, Fighter for Women's Rights (1990); S. Taylor-Boyd, Betty Friedan: Voice for Women's Rights, Advocate of Human Rights (1990); J. Blau, Betty Friedan (1990); J.A. Hennessee, Betty Friedan: Her Life (1999). (Susan Strul / Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)