Betty Friedan Is A Hero Essay

According to Dictionary.com, a hero is "(n), 1. A person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character, and/or 2. A person who, in the opinion of others has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal." Based off of this information, my hero is Betty Friedan because she was a major activist in the feminist world and played a leading role in helping us get to where we are today with women's rights. Many people mistake feminism as the belief that women are better than men. In fact, that is the complete opposite of the true definition. "What is it then?", you may ask. Feminism is the belief of political, social, sexual, and economic equality of the sexes. Betty Friedan was an amazing

and admirable woman all around and will be respected well into the future after her death. To clarify, Friedan is a hero because she's one of the leading voices in the feminist and the women's rights movements of the 20th century, she fought for the rights of women, and not only that, but she pushed women to step outside of their cages and be free to do what makes them happy. Now that’s what I call girl power!
To begin, Friedan is a hero because she is one of the leading voices in the feminist and the women's rights movements of the 20th century.

This is due to her enormous involvement in protests, activism, and fights for equality. For example, according to Thoughtco.com, they said "In 1970, Friedan led in organizing the Women's Strike for Equality on the 50th anniversary of winning the vote for women." The Women's Strike for Equality was a national embodiment of women's rights. The National Organization for Women (NOW) organized the strike and their president [at the time] was Betty Friedan. She commenced the protest by requesting that women around the nation to stop working for the day to draw attention to the ongoing problem: the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap is the obstacle in many women's lives that separates their pay by men's pay by 20 cent. However, that is only in the present. In the 1970s, women earned 59 cent to every dollar made by men. With Friedan's leadership skills and her liberal activism flowing through her veins, this proves her heroism by revealing that she was one of the ideal leaders for the feminist and women's right movement of her

time.
As a matter of fact, Betty Friedan did more than have a leading role in the feminist world, she also fought for the rights of women.

Friedan was against abortion laws on women because she thought that it was unfair for others to be in control of what happened to their own bodies. According to History.com, they stated, "Friedan also fought for abortion rights by establishing the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL) in 1969." NARAL was one of the first pro-choice organizations, meaning it was the individual's choice on whether they wanted to have a child or not. Regarding this, she is a hero because she wanted to protect the rights of each and every woman by ensuring that their abortion matters would be up to them and not at the hands of the government. She wanted the women of America to have safe abortions and not have to result in dangerous back alley abortions. In the end, America still has many citizens pro-life movements. Some states have successfully abolished the strict laws of abortion but others still have a long way to go. It is a continuous fight in the U.S. but the activists are fighting as hard as they can for what they believe is

right.
Lastly, Betty Friedan is my hero because she pushed women to step outside of their cages and be free to do what makes them happy. This is a general term but she truly did encourage women to step out of their happy home-maker role. She did this by writing a book [titled], The Feminine Mystique, and eliminated the myth that all women wanted to be stay-at-home-moms and cater to their husbands and children. She also discusses lesbianism and women pursuing their own dreams in her book too. The book became a sensation and created a social revolution on the truth about women. Similarly, Biography.com said, "With her book, The Feminine Mystique (1963), Friedan broke new ground by exploring the idea of women finding personal fulfillment outside of their traditional roles." Fast-foreword fifty years later and she would be proud of what she helped accomplish today. Now, women are as free as men and are able to do what makes them happy.
In conclusion, Betty Friedan is my hero because she was a leader in the feminist world, fought for women's rights, and encouraged women to pursue fulfillment in their lives. All in all, she was an amazing woman. She was a principal activist, argued for the safer conditions and less stricter laws on abortion, and pushed women to ditch their accustomed duties. To be truthful, everyone should look up to Betty Friedan because of her tremendous amount of bravery and selflessness. She is a role model to not only women of all ages but men too. She fought for the good, the better, and equality. This is what a hero is to me.