Betty Friedan: the Struggle for Women's Rights, Abortion Laws, Establishment of National Organization for Women’s Program

“Who knows what women can be when they are finally free to become themselves?” (Betty Friedan)

Betty Friedan was a writer, feminist, and women’s rights activist. She was from Peoria, Illinois, and lived for 85 years. She went to Peoria High School and was involved in many activities, like the school newspaper. She had an academic scholarship and published magazines. This led her to become politically active. She graduated from Smith college in 1972 with a physiology degree and went to work at the University of California, Berkeley. She got most of her writing ideas from Karl Marx’s theories. Karl Marx was a significant person because he published The Communist Manifesto, with Friedrich Engels, and both argued about the social class struggles during the 20th century. Friedan’s aim was for women to find individual accomplishments outside their traditional roles, which were producing babies and doing household tasks. Her characteristic, actions, and associations lead her to become a hero to numerous women by leading the women’s rights movement (NOW), establishing abortion laws, encouraging herself of what women needed, and craving women to have a greater role in the political process.

First of all, Friedan is a seeker because she led the women’s rights movement. Regardless of the social stigma that surrounds the topic of female equality, she constantly was, “Pushing for women to have a greater role in the political process, she co-founded the National Organization for Women in 1966, subsequently serving as its first president”. This illustrates that she advocated for an enhanced role for women in politics, which directed to the feminist movement. In her book, The Feminine Mystique, written in 1963, argued that women should be outside of traditional roles. They should have goals and their dispositions that they want. In one of her quotes, she mentions, “A woman has got to be able to say, and not feel guilty, ‘Who am I, and what do I want out of life?’ She mustn’t feel selfish and neurotic if she wants goals of her own, outside of husband and children”. This emphasizes that the traditional role of mothers and housewives is coming to an end. Friedan’s main focus was on women seeking new opportunities like having a job. She also helped women to grant freedom by, “The feminist argument that marriage was a form of oppression, as marriage meant sex-role segregation also led to the pursuit of a divorce”. This expresses that The Equal Rights Amendment argues legal distinctions between men and women in terms of the divorce are proceeding to a conclusion, which leads her to write the Second Stage in 1982. This gave women an opportunity to pursue a divorce. More women were getting a divorce from there harsh husbands. Furthermore, The Feminine Mystique also sparked the idea of second-wave feminism in the United States.

Next, she was an outstanding citizen because she respected people’s opinions while advocating for change. For instance, “Friedan also fought for abortion rights by establishing the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (now known as NARAL Pro-Choice America) in 1969”. At this moment, she helped legalized abortion which led her to help women’s reproductive rights. Providing women with options of having a baby whenever they wanted to have one. When legalizing abortion, people began to demand the right to use birth control pills and stated, “In 1965, the Supreme Court in Griswold v. Connecticut found that an earlier law against birth control violated the right to marital privacy, and, by extension, the right to use birth control”. This describes the US Supreme Court Case that gave the right for married females to use birth control. Birth control is the practice of preventing unwanted pregnancies. More women used birth control and led to the rise of birth control pills. People also had the option of not getting pregnant.

Furthermore, Friedan was an achiever because she was going through harsh and severe punishment by her husband but still accomplished advocating for women’s rights. Unfortunately, her husband, Carl Friedan, did not support her in any way because she was helping women achieve their goals. In her book, Life so Far describes that Carl Friedan had abused her when she became famous, “The allegations of abuse, made for the first time in print, include claims that he regularly beat her up after she became famous”. In addition, with the help of her friends, such as Dorolas Alexander, was able to cover up her bruise and black eye by applying foundation. This demonstrates that she did not desire any other woman to know what was happening in her life. Moreover, she also did not want other women to acknowledge that they cannot push for women’s rights. For them to stay convinced was essential. In addition, “She is said to have been surprised that journalists have focused on the wife-beating allegations, telling one interviewer: ‘It’s been sensationalized out of context. He’s no wife beater’. This reveals that women were punished by their husbands and women could not do anything about it. Women should stand up and not tolerate the punishments given by their brutal husbands. This also shows that she was an achiever because she divorced her husband in her early seventies to help women achieve what they wanted.

Lastly, she is a responsible individual because she helped organize the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971. For example, “That organization advocated for equality between both genders, and through her tenure as president, Friedan pushed for enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963”. This reveals that both genders, men and women, should have equal rights and equal wages. John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963, so the distinction between women and men would be abolished. She also stated that there should not be any sex discrimination in employment and in jobs. To demonstrate, in 1972, she pushed for Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution. By the same token, “She lobbied for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, calling for equal protection for men and women under the Constitution”. Based on the Amendment, she wanted to influence people to who opposed by spreading the equal rights of protection for both men and women. This teaches that women and men should have equal protection.

In conclusion, Betty Friedan lead the women’s rights movement, established abortion laws, craved women to have a greater role in the political process, and encouraged herself of what women needed. She is a seeker because she found a variety of ways to communicate thoughts and solutions. She co-founded the National Organization for Women’s program. She is an outstanding citizen because she worked with others, and respected their thoughts and opinions. Likewise, she pushed for abortion laws. She is also an achiever because she challenged herself to achieve full academic potential. Even though she went through hardships, she tried to help other women. She is also a responsible individual because she contributed to the advancements of school, community, state, nation, and the world. She changed the way how women were being stereotyped. Similarly, she also wrote The Fountain of Age which stated that when people grow, they change throughout time. This also stated that people have their unique styles and different personality. People are aging and their face starts to look different after several years.