Betty Friedan, whose work brought feminism to national consciousness, died Saturday at age 85.

Arse Poetica writes:

“I met Betty Friedan about a decade ago when she came to sign copies of her book, The Fountain of Age, at a local bookstore. Though my politics were more radical than hers, her contribution to the public conversation about women's rights was invaluable, and no matter how ‘bourgeois’ she was or seemed, I'm not one to throw the baby out w/ the bathwater. I am one to thank my feminist foremothers for their courage and bloodymindedness. It takes a village, folks, and we need Betty like we need me and you and so-and-so and her sister.”

Samhita Mukhopadhyay of team-blog Feministing notes Friedan's desire for a mainstream feminism camouflaged her radical organizing, concluding:

“Although, Friedan's work is not as pertinant now as it was then (especially with respect to race, class and sexuality) I STILL think folks need to be reminded that a women's one and only role is *not* in the kitchen or as mommy and wife. It is important for us to note her contributions and see not only how far we have come, but how much further we have to go, especially in light of the current attack on women's rights in this country.”

Fiat Lux's blog entry, “Zecher Tzadik Livracha”, is a mixture of grateful respect and bitter awareness of lack of progress:

“My copy of The Feminine Mystique is about 20 years old now. Its pages are getting discolored and the spine is bent and cracked. And what bothers me most is, when you pick it up and read it some 40+ years after it was written, how little some things have changed since then.”

Artemisia at community feminist blog Our Word registers her feelings upon hearing the news, promising a more detailed post at a later date:

“I'll no doubt be writing more about Betty Friedan's legacy in the next couple of days. But for now I just want to sit with my feelings of loss. She may not have been able to lead us all the way home, or perhaps even envision our ultimate destination, but she was an amazing force in getting this wave of the march started. May she rest in peace.”

Pinko Feminist Hellcat gives credit to Friedan for leading the initial movement:

“Although she would not have liked me or my politics, I have to give her props for her part in kickstarting the movement.”

Finally, Tennessee Guerilla Women writes of Friedan as both defining and shaping the public discourse about abortion, and as a disputed figure in feminist history:

“Friedan certainly wasn't the first woman to say it, but she was the first to say it in a national best seller at that moment in her/history. She did her research in women's magazines where she found page after page attesting to the widespread discontent of college-educated white women. She has been criticized for speaking only for middle class straight white women, yet she was hardly in a position to speak for anyone else.”

Related links:

• BBC News: US feminist Friedan dies aged 85
• San Francisco Chronicle: Betty Friedan, feminist, dies at 85 - Writings in 'Feminine Mystique' had global impact still felt today

Melinda Casino, Contributing Editor, Feminism & Gender
Sour Duck / Sour Duck's Link Blog