Betty Friedan

Betty Friedan

Photograph of Betty Friedan, women's equality, strike

This is a photograph taken of Betty Friedan on March 23, 1970. She is displaying equality for women buttons at the organizations national convention in Chicago. This photograph was taken in the last year of Friedan’s presidency for the National Organization of Women. Friedan was a woman of many accomplishments but did not get cast into the public eye until her book, The Feminine Mystique was published in 1963. The Feminine Mystique was a result of interviews Friedan had conducted with her old college classmates. Her results were that even though women had husbands, homes, children, and material assets they were experiencing a level of discontentment amongst themselves. This issue became known as “the problem that has no name.” This problem referenced women not having the opportunities to utilize their intellectual capabilities. Through The Feminine Mystique, Friedan was able to give encouragement to women who felt the same way and her and push the issue of women’s inequality into the public sphere influencing the establishment of a national organization for women’s rights.

United States International Telephoto

Mississippi Valley Collection. Memphis State University, National Organization for Women, Memphis Chapter. Mss66 Box #1 of 5

The University of Memphis Libraries

March 23, 1970

Digital Image © 2016, University of Memphis Libraries Preservation and Special Collections Department. All rights reserved.