Betty Friedan: The Personal Is Political

Reflection Two – Chapters 4, 5, 6

General Information:

· This reflection is worth 10 points.

· It is due on or before November 11 (Wednesday).

· This reflection should between 150 – 200 words. Please proof read and use the “spell check” feature in your word processor.

The Reflection Topic:

As a co-founder and first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), Betty Friedan promoted her approach to gaining equality and equity for women in American society, politics, and economics. In writing NOW’s Statement of Purpose, Friedan called for a “true gender democracy” and for the end of discrimination by race and gender in the workplace. In large part, Friedan’s experiences as a labor journalist, suburban housewife, and author of The Feminine Mystique had shaped her feminist perspective.

In this reflection, review the central ideas and specific agenda items of NOW’s Statement of Purpose and then look for two connections from Friedan’s personal experiences as a suburban housewife (chapter 4), author of The Feminine Mystique (Chapter 5) and advocate for founding an organization to lobby for women’s rights (early section of chapter 6). (Note: you need to only cite two connections but these two must come from different chapters. The “Statement of Purpose” is in the Appendix of the biography.)