Betty Friedan was one of the most influential women’s rights activists throughout the 1960s. She wrote about feminism and co-founded the largest women’s rights group in the United States. Friedan opened the eyes of women across the country and helped women realize that they deserve equality. Through her actions, she was able to make a great difference in the Women’s Rights Movement. Betty Friedan was born on February 4th, 1921 in Peoria, Illinois as Bettye Naomi Goldstein. As the daughter of Harry and Miriam Goldstein, she was the oldest of three. It is very likely that her parents sparked her feelings towards women’s rights. Friedan’s father was the owner of a jewelry store. When he married Miriam, she was forced to give up her job in newspaper. Betty Friedan’s mother was very passionate about journalism and urged Betty from a young …show more content…
Pauli Murray. Together, they founded the National Organization for Women (NOW). Betty Friedan was their first president. The organization worked to help enforce laws such as the Civil Rights Act and Equal Rights Amendment. Betty Friedan and NOW also tried to enforce abortion and preserve women’s rights. In 1969, she became one of the founders of the National Abortion Rights Action League. This league worked with NOW to legalize abortion and succeeded in 1973. When Supreme Court Justice Harrold Carswell was chosen by Richard Nixon, Friedan was firmly against it. Carswell ruled that employers had a right to turn away women and children, which contradicted the Equal Rights Amendment. Betty Friedan’s anger led to NOW organizing the 1970 Women’s Strike for Equality. Through this strike on August 26th, women across the United States led marches and speeches. Betty Friedan herself marched in front of over ten thousand others down Fifth Avenue in New York City. Many of the women there joined together to found the National Women's Political Caucus in
When asked to write about an important activist who has demonstrated protest, I immediately drifted towards a Hispanic and/or feminist activist. Various names came across my mind initially such as Cesar Chavez and Joan Baez but as a later discussion in class concluded, there are numerous others who are rarely highlighted for their activism and struggles, which lead to me researching more. In my research I came across Dolores Huerta, an American labor leader and civil rights activist, who I felt was an underdog and brushed over activist in the Hispanic community.
Alice Paul was a Quaker who had strong views about women’s rights. However, she thought that the NAWSA and Carrie Chapman Catt’s plan was too conservative. She broke away from the association to form a more radical group, the National Women’s Party (NWP). The NWP pushed for a Constitutional Amendment at a federal level and focused on President Woodrow Wilson (Alice Paul 1885-1977). To raise support for the cause, Alice Paul conducted public events such as marches. These events were often talked about in the media thus raising awareness for women’s suffrage (The Women’s Rights Movement). Alice Paul wasn’t alone in her efforts. Lucy Burns, also a member of the NWP, organized political campaigns, and was the editor of the Suffragist (Lucy Burns). Paul, Burns and the Silent Sentinels picketed in front of the White House (Alice Paul 1885-1977). They were often harassed because of their progressive beliefs. That however didn’t stop the suffragists from protesting day after day. They held banners and
In Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan wrote about women's inequality from men to women's equality to men. She also wrote about women accepting the inequality to women fighting for equality. Friedan comes across to me as a woman with strong beliefs who puts a lot of effort and information in her book. I wasn't aware that this book would give such an extreme amount of information. Her writing style proves that she has been in a feminist movement. Her writing style shows she has a passion for every word she put into this book. She also writes in a way that makes a person interested in what her beliefs are. Friedan has a mass amount of information to prove every point she has. I believe that Feminine Mystique is probably her favorite work to write about. Her writing style proves each point she responds to.
The Most Influential Woman of the Past Millenium: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Rosa Parks
One would have to be a fool to believe that men and women have always been or even are equal. Only in the past century have women been allowed to vote and 50 years since women of color could vote. Even today, women and men are held to different standards. Betty Friedan (1921-2006) was a feminist that was not only an author, but also, the first president of an organization known as the National Organization for Women. She is well-known for her work "The Feminine Manifesto", and she is the author of the article "The Importance of Work". Betty Friedan was a feminist during the height of the women's rights movement, so it is not surprising in the least that her article hit on women's rights. "The Importance
The first American woman in space, Sally Ride, paved the way for many women with aspirations in the field of science. She made great strides in the women’s movement. The women’s movement was a way for women to obtain equal rights. There were three aspects behind the women’s movement: suffrage, the glass ceiling, and feminism. Suffrage is obtaining the right that everyone in America should be granted, the right to vote. The glass ceiling is the idea of women getting equal rights at work. All women should get the position and pay that they deserve, not a position and pay based on their gender. Feminism is the way to legally protect women from men abusing them. Sally Ride created huge strides in proving what women could do. She is an inspiration for young girls to achieve their goals no matter what it takes.
Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights based on the equality of the sexes. However, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan did not agree that this definition was concrete, and it is essential to know who these women are because they were the start of the women's movement. They created feminism and equality, but each approached this idea differently. Steinem defined feminism to be an advocacy for women to become better than men. While Friedan viewed feminism to have never existed because it should have been a general human rights movement . Their ideas of feminism were split because of how they were raised and the predicaments they faced while growing up. This lead to Friedan’s belief that the National Organization for Women (NOW) had to focus
A feminist that was able who influenced many other women, was Betty Friedan who used her works to help women understand the different things that could do with their lives and find a greater meaning in them. In one of Frieden's more known works, “Feminine Mystique” she was able to reassure women that they weren’t alone in their thoughts of feeling meaningless in their lives. “Feminine Mystique” states that “In 1960, the problem that has no name burst like a boil through the image of
To get the answer to her question, she began to survey women of Smith College. Her findings lead to the writing of her first book, The Feminine Mystique. The book uses other women’s personal experiences along with her own experiences to describes the idea behind being a feminist. “At every step of the way, the feminists had to fight the conception that they were violating the God-given nature of woman… The image of the feminists as inhuman, fiery man-eater, whether expressed as an offense against God or in the modern terms of sexual perversion, is not unlike the stereotype of the Negro as a primitive animal or the union member as an anarchist” (86-87). That image of women that has been created by society and the same idea applies to race and how it is something that is so prone to society about things no one can change. Feminists were the ones who were able to fight for their rights even though some may believe that isn't what women are made to be but Betty Friedan did, which motivated her to fight for women’s rights in the second wave feminist movement. She was able to accomplish helping more women fight for their rights and set the ground for the women fighting
The thought of women having equal rights has caused major controversy throughout American History. Women have fought for their rights for many years, wanting to be more than a wife or a maid. Women’s Rights Movement was an effort by many women around the U.S standing up for themselves. Feminists like Charlotte Perkins Gilman had a big impact on the movement by writing stories and articles, she spread awareness by writing these. Throughout this Movement women got the right to vote, and many more opportunities they were not offered before.
In 1923, the equal rights amendment was introduced into the United States. This happened after women were granted the right to vote by the Nineteenth Amendment. However, the challenge of the equal rights amendment had gained very little support, to which labor unions were not in support of it for the reason that this would have a negative impact on the protections already gained for women workers. In the 1940’s, when there was some support, Congress was against passing this amendment. One aspect that changed this amendment was equal rights for African Americans. With much review congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which gave protection to minorities and women. Soon after, the National Organization for Women formed by Betty Friedan had a goal of adding an equal rights amendment to the Constitution. After it was passed, it had to be ratified to which within one year, thirty states approved the amendment.
But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today.
Every woman in the world has heard at least one “you cannot” in her lifetime. Believe it or not there used to be a time when society believed that statement and women were confined to cooking, cleaning, or housekeeping. Today, there are many amazing women pursuing their dreams, such as Hillary Clinton, a very famous politician, and Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. The women back in the 1840’s are the reason women today have this freedom, the women who changed feminism forever. The women’s suffrage movement was a long-standing battle for equality between men and women that should have been instituted from the start of our country due to women’s increasing political intelligence and work ethic. This became instituted thanks to Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony whose work was primarily in the 1880’s. Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony are still some of the most influential women in history because of their bravery and mental strength in the women’s suffrage movement.
Mother Teresa is one of the most recognized women in the world. Teresa brought in a revolutionary change in the world with her positive thoughts and love for humanity. Her missionary work started way back 1931 when she was still a little girl. She joined the Nuns as a kid in 1931, and she was later named Teresa from Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. It was in respect and honor of the Saints of Theresa. Mother Teresa’s missions were concentrated around helping the poor people with their basic needs such as food, water and shelter. She also demonstrated a lot of interest in taking care of the weak and defenseless people in the society. For example, it has been recorded that she spent a lot of time caring for the elderly, disabled and injured. At the same
History has taught us that human nature is about judgement and ignorance. Betty Friedan is one influential person that has left a lasting legacy due to the second-wave feminism she introduced. Thanks to her, women had the courage to say “Yes, I can” and choose to follow their dreams without the pressure. Society had forced women to be limited in their options, but Betty Friedan took the challenge and broke society for a time being to make a path for women and their journey’s. She was very legendary and had many influences on how modern day women live. She is a hero and deserves a holiday for all her hard work and dedication to make the world a better place for women’s