Betty Friedan

Friedan, Betty (1921– ), U.S. feminist leader and author. Her book The Feminine Mystique (1963) challenged attitudes that had led women to become housewives and mothers at the expense of more ambitious careers. She was founding president of the National Organization for Women (1966–70) and helped organize the National Women's Political Caucus (1971). It Changed My Life (1976) concerns her participation in the women's movement; The Second Stage (1981) charts the movement's course.

See also: National Organization for Women.