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Additional biographical Facts
Betty Friedan was born on February 4, 1921, in Peoria, IL. Her father migrated from Russia, and a jewelry store owner. Her mother was an editor for a women's column in the local paper--she would eventually leave her job to raise her family. -
United Electrical Workers Union Fires Frieden
After Frieden became pregnant with her second child, she was dismissed from her job as a journalist for the United Electrical Workers’ UE news. The labor union refused to act on her behalf, stating that they had a right to dismiss her from her job because she was pregnant. This discriminating event influenced her advocacy for gender equality utilizing her experiences as a housewife and the limited options society provides for pregnant mothers. -
Smith College 15th Reunion
in 1957, Friedan surveyed other graduates of Smith College during her 15th college reunion. Her findings about her classmates lives would further highlight gender conforming roles and how it became challenging for women to balance multiple roles; Women were pressured to conform to traditional roles above others. She would later publish articles that highlighted women’s oppression and exclusion in society. The college reunion survey would be the baseline for the feminine mystique. -
The Feminine Mystique is published
In 1963,The Feminine Mystique is published. Her book explored the traditional roles of women in society and kick started the second wave of feminist movement. This event continued to challenge societal roles on women and femininity-- highlighting discrimination and pushing for gender equality to improve the lives of women. While the Feminine Mystique was published in the 1960s, women continue to still face similar challenges that are highlighted in the book. -
Co-founder for the National organization for Women (NOW)
Frieden became the cofounder and first president of the National organization for Women (NOW). This event influenced her advocacy--as the president of NOW her role was even more crucial for continued support for gender equality. NOW lobbied for the passing of title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; as well as the Equal Pay act of 1963. NOW also opened the door for recognizing and resolving claims involving sex discrimination that was ignored by the Equal Opportunity Commission. -
References
Kaplan, M. (2020). Betty Friedan | Jewish Women’s Archive. Jwa.org. https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/friedan-betty.
The Peoria Mystique – Peoria Magazine. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2022, from https://www.peoriamagazine.com/archive/ibi_article/2016/peoria-mystique/.
All images from https://pixabaay.com