The Influence of Betty Friedan's Work on Her Life and on the Lives of Women in Cold War America

Essay from the year 2004 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 1,7, Martin Luther University (Anglistik und Amerikanistik), course: Twentieth -Century American Women's History, language: English, abstract: This paper will deal with Betty Friedan, a famous woman activist in the 1960's, her achievements, and her influence on women in that time. Several statements of Betty Friedan in this paper are out of her famous book 'The Feminine Mystique', which I will use as primary literature. The first part of the paper will deal with Betty Friedan's life before she became a famous author with 'The Feminine Mystique'. It will focus mainly on her student life and her private life. The second part will deal with her life, as she calls it, 'new' life, after she published the book. This part will discuss her increasing activities in the women's movement and the changes that took place in her private life. Furthermore, direct changes in politics, laws and society will be examined. Part three of the paper will look in more general terms at the differences that Betty Friedan's works brought to women in cold war America. A main aspect will be the new passed laws that helped to improve women's situation. This part will also refer to negative influences and criticism that arose in that time and which were partly blamed on Betty Friedan's activism. The paper will end with Betty Friedan's 'second stage' statements in which she makes suggestions for the next step that must be taken by women and men, that is, by society.