Who Is Betty Friedan? Age, Biography and Wiki
Born on February 4, 1921, Betty Friedan was a prominent American feminist writer and activist, best known for her groundbreaking book The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963. This pivotal work is often credited with sparking the second wave of feminism in the United States. Friedan's advocacy extended beyond the pages of her books; she co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966, leading the charge for women's rights and equality.
Betty Friedan passed away on February 4, 2006, marking her 85th birthday, and although she is no longer with us, her influence on feminism and women's rights continues to resonate strongly in 2025.
| Occupation | Women's Rights Activists |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 4, 1921 |
| Age | 85 Years |
| Birth Place | Peoria, Illinois, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Aquarius |
| Country | U.S |
| Date of death | 4 February, 2006 |
| Died Place | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Popularity
Betty Friedan's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
During her life, Betty Friedan was known to maintain an average physical presence. Standing at approximately 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall, her weight fluctuated throughout the years, embodying the struggles and challenges many women face regarding body image and societal expectations. While specific measurements are not documented, her focus on women's empowerment brought attention to the diverse body types and experiences of women.
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
Betty Friedan married Carl Friedan in 1947, and the couple had three children together: Jonathan, Daniel, and Anne. However, they divorced in 1969 after over 20 years of marriage. Throughout her life, Friedan was known to have various relationships, but her dedication to her work and activism often took precedence.
In 2025, speculation about her past relationships continues, but it is important to remember her commitment to advocating for women's rights, which was a defining characteristic of her life rather than her romantic entanglements.
Harry owned a jewelry store in Peoria, and Miriam wrote for the society page of a newspaper when Friedan's father fell ill. Her mother's new life outside the home seemed much more gratifying.
Net Worth and Salary
At the time of her passing, Betty Friedan's net worth was estimated to be around $1 million, derived predominantly from her writing career, speaking engagements, and the influence of her works on feminist theory and activism. Her book The Feminine Mystique alone sold over three million copies and has been a seminal text in feminist literature, securing her financial status and legacy.
In 2025, her estate continues to be analyzed and celebrated, with her contributions to feminism ensuring that her legacy holds value both culturally and financially.
NOW lobbied for enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the first two major legislative victories of the movement, and forced the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to stop ignoring, and start treating with dignity and urgency, claims filed involving sex discrimination.
They successfully campaigned for a 1967 Executive Order extending the same affirmative action granted to blacks to women, and for a 1968 EEOC decision ruling illegal sex-segregated help want ads, later upheld by the Supreme Court. NOW was vocal in support of the legalization of abortion, an issue that divided some feminists.
Also divisive in the 1960s among women was the Equal Rights Amendment, which NOW fully endorsed; by the 1970s, women and labor unions opposed to ERA warmed up to it and began to support it fully. NOW also lobbied for national daycare.
Career, Business and Investments
Betty Friedan's career was not confined to just writing; she was an ardent activist who lobbied for women's rights, labor reforms, and healthcare access. After the publication of The Feminine Mystique, Friedan became a prominent speaker and leader in the women’s rights movement, participating in marches, interviews, and academic discussions that shaped public perception and policy towards gender equality.
Additionally, she wrote several other influential books including The Second Stage and The Fountain of Age, which further solidified her status as a key figure in feminist theory. In her later years, she also engaged in various charitable and educational investments that aligned with her vision of equality and empowerment.
Friedan asserted that women are as capable as men for any type of work or any career path against arguments to the contrary by the mass media, educators and psychologists.
Her book was important not only because it challenged hegemonic sexism in US society but because it differed from the general emphasis of 19th- and early 20th-century arguments for expanding women's education, political rights, and participation in social movements.
While "first-wave" feminists had often shared an essentialist view of women's nature and a corporatist view of society, claiming that women's suffrage, education, and social participation would increase the incidence of marriage, make women better wives and mothers, and improve national and international health and efficiency, Friedan based women'
s rights in what she called "the basic human need to grow, man's will to be all that is in him to be".
The restrictions of the 1950s, and the trapped, imprisoned feeling of many women forced into these roles, spoke to American women who soon began attending consciousness-raising sessions and lobbying for the reform of oppressive laws and social views that restricted females.
Social Network
Though Betty Friedan was not part of contemporary social media platforms, her reach and impact can still be felt through numerous feminist organizations and online communities that honor her legacy. Modern feminist groups and activists continuously reference her works and principles, creating an online network of empowerment that draws from her ideologies.
One of the most influential feminists of the twentieth century, Friedan (in addition to many others) opposed equating feminism with lesbianism.
As early as 1964, very early in the movement, and only a year after the publication of The Feminine Mystique, Friedan appeared on television to address the fact the media was, at that point, trying to dismiss the movement as a joke and centering argument and debate around whether or not to wear bras and other issues considered ridiculous.
In 1982, after the second wave, she wrote a book for the post-feminist 1980s called The Second Stage, about family life, premised on women having conquered social and legal obstacles.
Education
Friedan graduated from Smith College in 1942, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Her education laid the groundwork for her understanding of women's roles in society and fueled her desire to address the issues women faced during her time. She later continued her studies at the University of California, Berkeley, but ultimately shifted her focus to writing and activism.
As a young girl, Friedan was active in both Marxist and Jewish circles; she later wrote how she felt isolated from the latter community at times, and felt her "passion against injustice ... originated from my feelings of the injustice of anti-Semitism". She attended Peoria High School, and became involved in the school newspaper.
When her application to write a column was turned down, she and six other friends launched a literary magazine called Tide, which discussed home life rather than school life.
