Thoughts on “Betty Friedan and the Movement That Outgrew Her”

By Stephen Gerritson

In 1973, during a course in Sociology at the University of Massachusetts, the topic of the women’s movement came up. “In my opinion, Betty Friedan,” the professor (a male) said, pausing for effect, “is a windbag.”

Even a decade after the publication of her book, The Feminine Mystique, widely credited for sparking second-wave feminism in the United States, the male establishment took neither Betty Friedan nor the women’s movement seriously. In this context, “Betty Friedan and the Movement That Outgrew Her” by Moira Donegan” reviews the early years of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and how Friedan dominated it, with decidedly mixed results.

On the one hand, NOW achieved several legislative and legal victories, most concerning workplace equality (or at least the move toward equality), credit and financial status, and other laws that improved women's lives. Yet, with its successes came struggles “with divergent feminist visions, competing egos, and insufficient funds.” Friedan was a major presence throughout this period (1966-1970), “alternately inspiring her comrades with her vivid political vision and frustrating them with her demanding and indomitable personality.”

According to Donegal, Friedan saw herself “with some justification, as the founder of the second-wave feminist movement. It was a self-conception that led her into grandiosity; she sometimes compared herself to Joan of Arc.” She insisted on and exercised control over the organization’s policies. Her desire for political effectiveness led her to focus on “elite women” (those well-educated and in managerial roles). This policy kept NOW disproportionately white and struggles for racial justice were seen as distinct. 

By 1969, Friedan’s hold on NOW was weakening, and she left her leadership position in 1970, apparently with a sigh of relief from the others in leadership positions. While NOW remained, and remains today, a powerful and influential force, the early years are a case study in organizational development. Friedan’s insistence on control of policies and her identification of herself as the organization led to internal strife and diminished capacity. As others have reported, this phenomenon is common in non-profit organizations.