Friedan, Betty (Elizabeth) (1921–2006)
US liberal feminist. Her book The Feminine Mystique (1963) started the contemporary women's movement in the USA and the UK. She was a founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966 (and its president 1966–70), the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971, and the First Women's Bank in 1973.
| Born in Peoria, Illinois, her other works include It Changed My Life (1976) and The Second Stage (1981), a call for a change of direction in the movement. |
| Friedan also helped to organize the Women's Strike for Equality 1970 and called the First International Feminist Congress 1973. |
