9.3: Betty Friedan: Commencement Speech to Smith College Graduates (1981)

Paired Sources from U.S. History, 1877-present
Table of Contents

  You don't have access to this content. Please try to log in with your institution. Sign In

Abstract

Betty Friedan first came to public attention for writing the book The Feminine Mystique, a national best-seller upon its publication in 1963. The book was an examination of how her classmates at Smith College, an all-female school in Northampton, Massachusetts, had fared in life during the prosperous post-World War II era. Their dissatisfaction, and the letters she received from other women who read her book, helped inspire Friedan to co-found the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966. When she returned to give the Smith College commencement speech to graduates in 1981, the feminist movement had become part of the American mainstream.

Contents