ABSTRACT
In 1963, Betty Friedan wrote The Feminine Mystique, a best-selling book that castigated male-dominated society for hobbling women's creativity and freedom. In so doing, she sparked a worldwide movement demanding women's equality with men. Betty Naomi Goldstein was born on February 4, 1921, into a middle-class household in Peoria, Illinois. Goldstein was always an excellent student, which helped her get into Smith, a prominent women's college. In the mid-1960s, Friedan made feminism a household word and assumed leadership of groups that sought women's rights. After 1970, Friedan quickly lost her leadership in the women's rights movement as younger, more radical women came to the fore. By 1973, she turned to writing and individual support of women's causes. In 1981, Friedan published The Second Stage, an evaluation of the women's movement. Betty Friedan launched a worldwide women's rights movement whose impact continues to expand every day.
