Note

Writing in the post-war era.

Core Ideas

• Acknowledged as the “mother of the modern feminist movement” and “feminism’s matriarch”.
• Authored The Feminine Mystique (1963), which attacked the social norms trapping women in the role of the homebound housewife.
• Believed theatre was a “powerful cultural tool” for social change.
• Co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) and drafted its initial mission statement.
• In her later work, she moved “beyond gender” to focus on economic security, child care, and health care for all parents.
• Attacked ageism in The Fountain of Age (1993), urging seniors to combat internalized prejudices.
• Argued that women’s economic equality is hampered by rigid work schedules and a lack of “creative solutions” like telecommuting.

View on Society

Quote

“The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own. There is no other way.”

• Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (1963)

Freidan identified the “problem that has no name”, the deep sense of dissatisfaction felt by women whom were confined to the domestic sphere, and championed their entry into the professional workforce to achieve personhood.