Thought leader | Betty Friedan

Oct 24

Betty Friedan

Author · Activist · Feminist Leader

If you’ve ever wondered why so many women in the 1950s and 60s felt trapped by “having it all” at home, Betty Friedan gave it a name: the problem that has no name. As a writer and activist, she became famous for her book The Feminine Mystique, which launched second-wave feminism by exposing the dissatisfaction of suburban housewives. Her mission was to expand women’s roles beyond wife and mother and demand equality in work, education, and politics.

Spotlight: The Feminine Mystique

Topics: Feminism, gender roles, women’s rights

Noteworthy Ideas: The “problem that has no name” describes women’s hidden dissatisfaction

What We Use: Her framing of women’s cultural oppression

Start Here: The Feminine Mystique