Sunday, February 05, 2006

Goodbye Betty, Not-So-Crocker

Today I mourn the loss of a woman who was a source of many discussions at my Women's College. Betty Friedan's book, "The Feminine Mystique", inspired the Women's Movement in the United States and encouraged women to fight for such controversial rights as equal pay, maternity leave, and abortion. Betty Friedan helped women begin to think outside the box and realize that our worth lies in much more than our ability to get married and have children. It is difficult to grasp the immensity of what Friedan and other prominent women have done for me, especially for men who have always had the rights my gender had to fight for. My meditation for today will focus on the struggles of women in our country as well as the extreme difficulties facing women around the world. For more information on how you can help women, visit the bipartisan National Council of Women's Organizations.

3 comments:

BarbaraFromCalifornia said...

I remember that book in college as well. Ms. Freedan was such an inspiration to women of my generation.

What a nice tribute to her.

Laura said...

Friedan and her contemporaries did a lot for women and the women's movement.

United We Lay said...

Still, there is much more to be done. We don't have affordable health care or day care. Birth control is not covered under health plans.