Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American feminist writer and activist whose 1963 book *The Feminine Mystique* helped spark second-wave feminism.
The book challenged the assumption that women found fulfillment solely through homemaking and motherhood, articulating what Friedan called "the problem that has no name"—the widespread dissatisfaction of educated middle-class housewives.
She co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966 and remained a prominent voice in the women's movement until her death in 2006.
1960s-80s equality movement
- women's liberationMovement for female equality
- consciousness-raisingIncreasing social or political awareness
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
- glass ceilingUnacknowledged limit blocking advancement
sexism · equal pay · reproductive rights · NOW · gender equality · women's movement · Title IX · discrimination
Residential areas outside cities
- domesticityLife centered around home
- housewifeHome-focused married woman
- gender rolesExpected behaviors by sex
- 1950sDecade after WWII
identity crisis · middle-class · American Dream · women's magazines · traditional values · social norms · gender expectations · maternalism
Arrangement tool or person
- campaignerOne who advocates publicly
- advocatePublic cause supporter
- demonstratorOne who protests publicly
- lobbyistPaid legislative influencer
grassroots · reformer · protest · march · petition · civil rights · nonviolent · coalition-building
Creator of written works
- journalistNews profession practitioner
- columnistRecurring newspaper feature writer
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
- nonfictionLiterature about real events
manifesto · cultural critic · public intellectual · lecturer · spokesperson · memoir · freelance · social commentary
Early explorer or settler
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- influentialHaving considerable effect
- groundbreakingIntroducing radical new ideas
controversial · icon · founder · catalyst · transformative · historian · cultural shift · women's history
second-wave feminism
1960s-80s equality movement
- women's liberationMovement for female equality
- consciousness-raisingIncreasing social or political awareness
- patriarchyMale-dominated social order
glass ceiling · sexism · equal pay · reproductive rights · NOW · gender equality · women's movement · Title IX · discrimination · gender bias
suburbia
Residential areas outside cities
- domesticityLife centered around home
- housewifeHome-focused married woman
- gender rolesExpected behaviors by sex
1950s · identity crisis · middle-class · American Dream · women's magazines · traditional values · social norms · gender expectations · maternalism · feminine ideal
organizer
Arrangement tool or person
- campaignerOne who advocates publicly
- advocatePublic cause supporter
- demonstratorOne who protests publicly
lobbyist · grassroots · reformer · protest · march · petition · civil rights · nonviolent · coalition-building · abortion rights
author
Creator of written works
- journalistNews profession practitioner
- columnistRecurring newspaper feature writer
- bestsellerHigh-volume publication
nonfiction · manifesto · cultural critic · public intellectual · lecturer · spokesperson · memoir · freelance · social commentary
pioneer
Early explorer or settler
- trailblazerFirst to forge ahead
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- influentialHaving considerable effect
groundbreaking · controversial · icon · founder · catalyst · transformative · historian · cultural shift · women's history · feminist movement
- notable womenRosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony
- women's historywomen's history, herstory, women's movement, suffrage movement, notable women
- activistsactivist, Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights activists, protester, campaigner
- American WomenRosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, Amelia Earhart
- feminismfeminism, feminist theory, gender equality, women's rights, feminist novels
- 70s Activismantiwar movement, Black Power, boycotts, Cesar Chavez, consciousness raising