Betty Friedan
The suburban housewife who gave voice to 'the problem with no name,' igniting a modern movement for women's equality.
1921–2006 (age 85)·American feminist writer and activist·Birthday: February 4·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Betty Friedan began as a journalist, but it was a survey of her former Smith College classmates that uncovered a deep, unspoken discontent among educated, middle-class women. That research became 'The Feminine Mystique,' a 1963 bombshell that diagnosed the stifling boredom and lack of fulfillment plaguing women confined to the domestic sphere. The book gave millions a vocabulary for their frustration, becoming a catalyst for the second wave of feminism. Never one to rest on theory, Friedan helped found the National Organization for Women (NOW), applying political pressure for concrete legal changes like the Equal Rights Amendment. Her vision was sometimes contentious, clashing with more radical factions, but her insistence that women claim a place in the public world fundamentally reshaped American society.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Betty was born in 1921, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Betty Was Born
The biggest hits of 1921
#1 Movie
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Betty's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1921Born
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1926Started school
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1934Became a teenager
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1937Could drive
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1939Could vote
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1942Turned 21
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1951Turned 30
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1961Turned 40
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 50
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 60
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 70
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 80
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2006Died at 85
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
Key Achievements
- Wrote 'The Feminine Mystique' (1963), a landmark book that challenged the ideal of postwar domesticity and sparked widespread feminist debate.
- Co-founded and served as the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), a major force for women's political advocacy.
- Helped organize the Women's Strike for Equality in 1970, a nationwide demonstration marking the 50th anniversary of women's suffrage.
- Was a key figure in the founding of the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL), advocating for reproductive rights.
Did You Know?
She was fired from her job as a reporter for a union newspaper after becoming pregnant with her second child.
Before writing her famous book, she wrote for women's magazines under the name 'Betty Friedan,' often hiding her feminist views.
She helped found the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 alongside Gloria Steinem and Shirley Chisholm.
In her later years, she wrote 'The Fountain of Age,' shifting her focus to the societal biases against the elderly.
“The only way for a woman, as for a man, to find herself, to know herself as a person, is by creative work of her own.”
