Betty Friedan was born on Febuary 4th, 1921. Her mother gave up her job as an newspaper editor to raise her three children which upset her because she enjoyed working even though she couldn't. This was Betty's first experience with the restriction women in America had after giving birth
Education
Betty Friedan studied psycology at Smith College where she wrote articals for the school news paper about America's role in WW2 and in 1942 she graduated college with honors. After accepting a fellowship at the University of California and doing a year of research, she moved to New York City and worked as a reporter.
Family
Betty got married in 1947 to Carl Friedan. While she did continue to work after having her first child, she had to stop working after having her second because her boss wouldn't allow her to take another maternity leave. Her and her husband moved to the suberbs after having their 3rd child. She finally experienced what her mother felt raising her but this time, she felt the emptiness that came with it.
The Feminine Mystique
Betty was depressed due to her inability to work. She was a model student at Smith College had had completed a year of research with University of Claifornia but she felt that she couldn't use her education as a housewife. Feeling disatisfied with the trajectory of her life, she wanted to understand if other women felt the same way. She reconnected with other graduates from Smith College and asked then to participate in a survey asking them about there satifsaction with their life as a housewife. She collected the responses and turned it into a book, now known as The Feminine Mystique, this book talked about society making women believe being a housewife was the best thing they could do. Friedan aruged that women having careers improved the econmony because of the increase in the labor force and improved the status of their marriges because they weren't disatisifed. She explained that having a career shouldn't be something that women should be ashamed of and talked about her depression as a housewife.
How did it impact housewives in America?
The book was a huge sucess around the globe. As it talked very personally about the discontent of being a housewife, many women saw themselves within its pages. It inspired many women to persue careers, increasing the equality in many different fields, aw well as helping many women, including herself, advocate aginst other inequalities between men and women.
