Betty Friedan - University Of California, Berkeley, Career and Personal Life
Betty Friedan's Personal Details
Betty Friedan was an American feminist, activist and writer who worked ceaselessly for women’s equality
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | February 4, 1921 |
| Died on | February 4, 2004 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Feminists, University Of California, Berkeley, Activists, Writers |
| City/State | Illinois |
| Spouses | Carl Friedan (1947–69; divorced) |
| Universities |
|
| Notable Alumnis |
|
| Founder / Co-Founder |
|
| Birth Place | Peoria, Illinois |
| Political Ideology | Feminist |
| Gender | Female |
| Sun Sign | Aquarius |
| Born in | Peoria, Illinois |
| Famous as | Feminist, Writer |
| Died at Age | 83 |
// Famous Writers
Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer is a Christian author and speaker. This biography provides detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline
Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is a well-known American writer, autistic activist and animal expert. This biography profiles her childhood, life, achievements, career and timeline
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century. This biography of Tennessee Williams provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works and timeline.
Betty Friedan's photo
Who is Betty Friedan?
A leading voice of women’s rights movement, Betty Friedan was a phenomenal woman, often credited with starting the second wave of feminism in the United States, in the 20th century. She had founded many organizations to raise awareness for bridging the gap between men and women in society. Having been a bright student throughout school, she graduated summa cum laude from college, majoring in Psychology. An ardent worker for newspapers, she wrote articles for columns since her school days, a passion that continued into college, and after. Later, she worked as a journalist for leftist publications and assignments. The jewels in the crown to her writing career were the six books published by her, including her autobiography ‘Life So Far’. In all her books, she has tried to analyze the woman’s role in society and put forth ideas for her liberation from being the subdued one. She also worked as a visiting professor in various colleges. Though her struggle was for women’s equality, she was not in favor of feminism against men or the family. She sought for an agenda where the working woman was supported by child care, health care, housing and other facilities. She aimed for a political movement of women and men working towards a new society.
// Famous Activists
Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is a well-known American writer, autistic activist and animal expert. This biography profiles her childhood, life, achievements, career and timeline
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag is an American critical essayist, cultural analyst, novelist, political activist, filmmaker and playwright of international repute. Read on to find out more about her childhood, career, profile and timeline.
Serj Tankian
Serj Tankian is a famous American singer-songwriter and member of the band, ‘System of a Down’. This biography profiles his childhood, music career, life, achievements and timeline.
Childhood & Early Life
Betty Friedan, christened Bettye Naomi Goldstein, was born on February 4, 1921, in Peoria, Illinois, to Miriam and Harry Goldstein, who were Jews hailing from Russia and Hungary. Her father owned a jewellery store while her mother was a housewife who started to work after Harry fell ill.
She went to Peoria High School and soon became involved with the school newspaper. She was active in Jewish and Marxist circles and used the newspaper as a mouthpiece to express her feelings of injustice, especially from anti-Semitism.
She was very active, decisive, and rebellious right from her younger days. In school, when her request to start her own column was turned down, she retaliated by starting a magazine of her own called ‘Tide’ with six other friends.
She attended the prestigious ‘Smith College’ for girls, in 1938 and bagged a scholarship in the first year for outstanding academic performance. In the second year, she wrote poetry which got published in the college magazines.
As the editor-in-chief of the college newspaper, she used the medium to promote social and political issues such as anti-war and Marxist views. She graduated ‘summa cum laude’ in Psychology in 1942.
She received a fellowship from the ‘University of California’ in Berkeley, to work along with famous psychologist Erik Ericsson. However, her increasing involvement with Marxism and other political issues took her to New York, where she delved into the world of journalism.
Career
Betty Friedan began her career in journalism with ‘The Federated Press’ where she worked from 1943 to 1946. She moved on to ‘UE News’ and worked for six years before quitting when she was expecting her second child, after which she worked as a freelancer.
In 1957, as part of the 15th reunion at her alma mater college, she conducted a survey of college graduates. She focused on women’s thoughts on education and careers, and wrote articles that discussed the problems faced by them in daily life.
Women, who had to forego their education and career for the sake of families, identified with her survey. She researched more on the topic and authored her first book ‘The Feminine Mystique’ in 1963.
In 1966, she founded the ‘National Organization for Women’ (NOW) and became its first President. Through this organization, she campaigned fiercely for the equality of women and lobbied for legal rights.
In the 1970s, ‘NOW’, under her leadership lobbied strongly for the Equal Rights Amendment and brought it into implementation. Many women activists who had not supported the act came forward after Betty Friedan’s involvement in the movement.
On 26th August 1970, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the ‘Women’s Suffrage Amendment to the Constitution’, she organized the ‘Women’s Strike for Equality’. An estimated 20,000 women were led down the streets of New York City by her, in support of equal job opportunities and child care centres.
Freidan helped set up ‘National Women’s Political Caucus’ in 1971 and ran as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She stood in support of Congress-woman Shirley Chisholm but was unsuccessful.
She founded the first ‘Women’s Bank and Trust Company’ in 1973. In the same year, the Supreme Court legalized abortion and Freidan went ahead to form the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws.
From her observations of her mother, her own self and other women, she sought to help women struggling with career and home through her next major book, ‘The Second Stage’ in 1982. By this time, she had begun to present a more moderate view on feminism, as compared to her earlier stance.
Though she was in support of legalizing abortion, she was opposed to it as being the focus of feminism. In 2000, she opined that organizations such as ‘NOW’ should not concentrate too much on abortion and must, instead, be a fight for the woman’s freedom to choose childbirth.
Major Works
Betty Friedan’s most popular book has been ‘The Feminine Mystique’, written in 1963, which revolved around women and the ‘problem that had no name’, which most women at that age were going through. In the book, she explores the lives of housewives who were largely unhappy in spite of leading comfortable lives and showed interest in education and careers of their own.
Her next book ‘The Second Stage’, published in 1981, dealt with the stage after feminism had been accepted as a change in the society, and had to be taken to the next level. The demand for feminism done with, she wanted the focus of feminism to shift to effective juggling of career and home, equal distribution of responsibilities and economic freedom.
‘Life So Far – A Memoir’ is her autobiography which was published in 2000. In the book, she wrote about how her life took its course and prompted her to adopt the path of feminism and fight for women’s liberty.
Awards & Achievements
Freidan received the ‘Humanist of the Year Award’, in 1975 from the American Humanist Association, an educational organization that rewards people for their aspiration for greater good of humanity. A leading figure in the woman’s movement in the United States, the award was given to Betty Friedan in recognition of her dedicated work on liberating women from the shackles of the home and family.
She received the ‘Mort Weisinger Award’ from the American Society of Journals and Authors in 1979. The society was established to help writers, journalists, authors and freelance writers in their efforts, and to reward those who made exceptional contributions in the field of writing.
Personal Life & Legacy
She married Carl Freidan, who was a theatre producer, in 1947. They had three children, Daniel, Emily and Jonathan, but she separated from Carl after twenty two years.
Freidan died of congestive heart failure on her 85th birthday, at her home in Washington D.C. She was given a fitting tribute at her funeral not only by her family members, but also by mourners from all over the world.
Trivia
In one of her famous books, this outspoken feminist compared housewifery to Nazi concentration camps. According to her, both housewives and concentration camp victims lost their identities and became dehumanized.
This founder of ‘National Abortion Rights Action League’ had stated that she was often beaten by her husband. However, she later admitted that the issue was blown out of proportion by the media and that her husband was not a regular wife-beater.
// Famous Feminists
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner truth was an African American abolitionist who was the first black woman to win a case against a white man. This biography provides detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Simone de Beauvoir
Simone de Beauvoir was an eminent French writer, intellectual, activist, and philosopher. This biography profiles her childhood, life, thoughts, achievements and timeline.
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was an American feminist who played a major role in the women's suffrage movement. This biography of Susan B. Anthony provides detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline
Betty Friedan biography timelines
- // 4th Feb 1921Betty Friedan, christened Bettye Naomi Goldstein, was born on February 4, 1921, in Peoria, Illinois, to Miriam and Harry Goldstein, who were Jews hailing from Russia and Hungary. Her father owned a jewellery store while her mother was a housewife who started to work after Harry fell ill.
- // 1938She attended the prestigious ‘Smith College’ for girls, in 1938 and bagged a scholarship in the first year for outstanding academic performance. In the second year, she wrote poetry which got published in the college magazines.
- // 1942As the editor-in-chief of the college newspaper, she used the medium to promote social and political issues such as anti-war and Marxist views. She graduated ‘summa cum laude’ in Psychology in 1942.
- // 1943 To 1952Betty Friedan began her career in journalism with ‘The Federated Press’ where she worked from 1943 to 1946. She moved on to ‘UE News’ and worked for six years before quitting when she was expecting her second child, after which she worked as a freelancer.
- // 1947 To 1969She married Carl Freidan, who was a theatre producer, in 1947. They had three children, Daniel, Emily and Jonathan, but she separated from Carl after twenty two years.
- // 1957In 1957, as part of the 15th reunion at her alma mater college, she conducted a survey of college graduates. She focused on women’s thoughts on education and careers, and wrote articles that discussed the problems faced by them in daily life.
- // 1963Women, who had to forego their education and career for the sake of families, identified with her survey. She researched more on the topic and authored her first book ‘The Feminine Mystique’ in 1963.
- // 1963Betty Friedan’s most popular book has been ‘The Feminine Mystique’, written in 1963, which revolved around women and the ‘problem that had no name’, which most women at that age were going through. In the book, she explores the lives of housewives who were largely unhappy in spite of leading comfortable lives and showed interest in education and careers of their own.
- // 1966In 1966, she founded the ‘National Organization for Women’ (NOW) and became its first President. Through this organization, she campaigned fiercely for the equality of women and lobbied for legal rights.
- // 1970In the 1970s, ‘NOW’, under her leadership lobbied strongly for the Equal Rights Amendment and brought it into implementation. Many women activists who had not supported the act came forward after Betty Friedan’s involvement in the movement.
- // 26th Aug 1970On 26th August 1970, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the ‘Women’s Suffrage Amendment to the Constitution’, she organized the ‘Women’s Strike for Equality’. An estimated 20,000 women were led down the streets of New York City by her, in support of equal job opportunities and child care centres.
- // 1971Freidan helped set up ‘National Women’s Political Caucus’ in 1971 and ran as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. She stood in support of Congress-woman Shirley Chisholm but was unsuccessful.
- // 1973She founded the first ‘Women’s Bank and Trust Company’ in 1973. In the same year, the Supreme Court legalized abortion and Freidan went ahead to form the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws.
- // 1975Freidan received the ‘Humanist of the Year Award’, in 1975 from the American Humanist Association, an educational organization that rewards people for their aspiration for greater good of humanity. A leading figure in the woman’s movement in the United States, the award was given to Betty Friedan in recognition of her dedicated work on liberating women from the shackles of the home and family.
- // 1979She received the ‘Mort Weisinger Award’ from the American Society of Journals and Authors in 1979. The society was established to help writers, journalists, authors and freelance writers in their efforts, and to reward those who made exceptional contributions in the field of writing.
- // 1981Her next book ‘The Second Stage’, published in 1981, dealt with the stage after feminism had been accepted as a change in the society, and had to be taken to the next level. The demand for feminism done with, she wanted the focus of feminism to shift to effective juggling of career and home, equal distribution of responsibilities and economic freedom.
- // 1982From her observations of her mother, her own self and other women, she sought to help women struggling with career and home through her next major book, ‘The Second Stage’ in 1982. By this time, she had begun to present a more moderate view on feminism, as compared to her earlier stance.
- // 2000Though she was in support of legalizing abortion, she was opposed to it as being the focus of feminism. In 2000, she opined that organizations such as ‘NOW’ should not concentrate too much on abortion and must, instead, be a fight for the woman’s freedom to choose childbirth.
- // 2000‘Life So Far – A Memoir’ is her autobiography which was published in 2000. In the book, she wrote about how her life took its course and prompted her to adopt the path of feminism and fight for women’s liberty.
- // 4th Feb 2004Freidan died of congestive heart failure on her 85th birthday, at her home in Washington D.C. She was given a fitting tribute at her funeral not only by her family members, but also by mourners from all over the world.
// Famous University Of California, Berkeley
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag is an American critical essayist, cultural analyst, novelist, political activist, filmmaker and playwright of international repute. Read on to find out more about her childhood, career, profile and timeline.
Gerard Debreu
Gerard Debreu was a French-born American economist who brought mathematical precision to economics. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and other facts related to his life.
J. Paul Getty
J. Paul Getty was an American billionaire businessman and president of the Getty Oil Company. This biography offers detailed information about his childhood, life, career and timeline.
Mario J. Molina
Mario Molina is a Nobel Prize winning chemist from Mexico who co-developed the theory of ozone depletion due to CFCs. To know more about his childhood, career, profile and timeline read on.
Amir Blumenfeld
Amir Shmuel Blumenfeld is an American actor, script writer and comedian of Jewish origin. This biography profiles his childhood, family, career, personal life, achievements and gives some fun facts.
Vicki Iovine
Vicki Iovine is an American author, model, and lawyer. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.
Betty Friedan's FAQ
What is Betty Friedan birthday?
Betty Friedan was born at 1921-02-04
When was Betty Friedan died?
Betty Friedan was died at 2004-02-04
Where was Betty Friedan died?
Betty Friedan was died in Washington, D.C.
Which age was Betty Friedan died?
Betty Friedan was died at age 83
Where is Betty Friedan's birth place?
Betty Friedan was born in Peoria, Illinois
What is Betty Friedan nationalities?
Betty Friedan's nationalities is American
Who is Betty Friedan spouses?
Betty Friedan's spouses is Carl Friedan (1947–69; divorced)
What was Betty Friedan universities?
Betty Friedan studied at University Of California, Berkeley
What was Betty Friedan notable alumnis?
Betty Friedan's notable alumnis is University Of California, Berkeley
Which company or organization was founded by Betty Friedan?
Betty Friedan was the founder/co-founder of National Organization for Women (NOW)
What is Betty Friedan's political ideology?
Betty Friedan's political ideology is Feminist
What is Betty Friedan's sun sign?
Betty Friedan is Aquarius
How famous is Betty Friedan?
Betty Friedan is famouse as Feminist, Writer