The memory of the righteous is a blessing.
RIP Betty Friedan.
In the racial, political and sexual conflicts of the 1960s and '70s, Friedan's was one of the most commanding voices and recognizable presences in the women's movement.As a founder and first president of the National Organization for Women in 1966, she staked out positions that seemed extreme at the time on such issues as abortion, sex-neutral help-wanted ads, equal pay, promotion opportunities and maternity leave.
My copy of The Feminine Mystique is about 20 years old now. Its pages are getting discolored and the spine is bent and cracked. And what bothers me most is, when you pick it up and read it some 40+ years after it was written, how little some things have changed since then.
We've made tremendous strides in women's rights since 1963, but there is still a long, long way to go. I'm very grateful to Friedan for the work she did in laying out the path.
UPDATE 2/5: Curious as to what I mean when I talk about how little has changed? Go read chapter 9 of The Feminine Mystique, 'The Sexual Sell'.
Comments (1)
Someday, sooner rather than later, men will realize what Betty did and said was as much benefit to them as to women.
Posted by The Heretik | February 5, 2006 9:41 PM