Betty Friedan

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/betty-friedan

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Betty Friedan born?February 4, 1921
2. When did Betty Friedan die?February 4, 2006 (age 85)
3. Where was Betty Friedan born?Peoria, Illinois, USA
4. What is the career?Journalist, author, activist, feminist theorist
5. What did Betty Friedan write that helped many women feel heard?She wrote "The Feminine Mystique" in 1963, showing how many educated housewives felt unhappy and unfulfilled.
6. Why did Betty Friedan start the National Organization for Women?She wanted to turn her ideas into real change, so she co‑founded NOW in 1966 to fight for equal jobs, pay, education, and rights.

The Feminine Mystique: Betty Friedan's seminal 1963 book that identified and critiqued the societal pressures confining women to domestic roles, sparking widespread feminist consciousness.
Second-Wave Feminism: A period of feminist activity and thought, roughly from the 1960s to the 1980s, that addressed a wider range of issues including sexuality, family, workplace discrimination, and reproductive rights.
National Organization for Women (NOW): A leading feminist civil rights organization in the United States, co-founded by Betty Friedan, dedicated to achieving full equality for women.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): A proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex.