Feminist Betty Friedan is known for writing The Feminine Mystique. She was also one of the founders of the National Organization for Women and a leader of the women’s movement during the 1960s and 1970s. Although The Feminine Mystique and the myth of femininity it described became famous, some of Betty Friedan’s other writings are not as well known. Here is a look at the books by Betty Friedan, one of the legendary figures of second-wave feminism.
1. The Feminine Mystique – 1963
Betty Friedan’s most famous book was first published in 1963. After surveying her Smith College classmates at the time of their 15-year college reunion, Betty Friedan pursued the survey results with further research through years of interviews with U.S. women, eventually producing a best-seller, The Feminine Mystique. The book is often credited with “launching” the feminist movement of the 1960s. Betty Friedan herself said that the book spoke to a kind of middle ground – women who may not have become part of any socio-political revolution otherwise. Famous for its depiction of “the problem that has no name,” its chapters include “The Crisis in Woman’s Identity,” “The Sexual Solipsism of Sigmund Freud” and “The Sexual Sell.”
2. It Changed My Life: Writings on the Women’s Movement – 1976
It Changed My Life offers Betty Friedan's analysis of feminism and the women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s in a variety of writings. It Changed My Life contains commentary on the origins of and reaction to The Feminine Mystique. It also discusses some of Betty Friedan’s major accomplishments, such as the founding of NOW and the 1970 Women’s Strike for Equality. Other writings in It Changed My Life include a critique of the developing sexual politics of 1970s feminist theory and a look at Betty Friedan’s conversations with Simone de Beauvoir and the Pope.
3. The Second Stage - 1981
The Second Stage is Betty Friedan’s look at how to live with the equality feminism achieved. Of course, equality for women was not fully “achieved” and there was no “end” to the 1960s and 1970s women’s movement other than the fact that the calendar said it was now the 1980s. The Second Stage examines new and emerging realities for the next generation of women facing a new generation of struggles. “I see new dimensions to problems we thought were solved,” Betty Friedan writes in the first chapter of The Second Stage. The book has been criticized for retreating from some of the bold ideas of The Feminine Mystique, but it offers thoughts on how to keep the women’s movement from dying out when faced with backlash.
4. The Fountain of Age – 1993
In The Fountain of Age, Betty Friedan redefines aging as an adventure, another stage of life to be appreciated. In typical Betty Friedan style, it incorporates dozens of interviews as well as research from psychologists and social scientists. By examining the “age mystique” and “strengths that have no name,” Betty Friedan calls for a new paradigm for the elderly, one of transcendence and freedom. She rejects the focus on disease and debilitation and questions why aging is continuously depicted in the media only as a problem.
5. Beyond Gender: The New Politics of Work and Family – 1997
In Beyond Gender, Betty Friedan writes about sensing a need for a paradigm shift beyond identity politics. She considers the evolution of society beyond “feminism” as some had defined it. She includes 1990s political hot topics such as downsizing, flexible work hours and welfare reform. The family, the workplace, relationships – all of these areas cry out for progressive solutions to problems, and Beyond Gender urges society to reject divisive politics and concentrate on people first.
6. Life So Far: A Memoir – 2000
Life So Far looks at Betty Friedan’s childhood, her marriage, the founding of NOW, perceived enemies in the 1970s feminist movement and issues surrounding women and aging. Although it is widely considered to be a one-sided account of Betty Friedan’s life and the women’s movement she kick started, it is after all Betty Friedan’s memoir, told in Betty Friedan style.