Nata Betty Naomi Goldstein, in Peonia, Illinois, nel 1920, il 4 febbraio; si è spenta nello stesso giorno, all’età di 85 anni, Betty Friedan, una delle madri del così detto “femminismo della seconda ondata”.Scandalizzò l’America puritana e ben pensante con i suoi lavori sulla condizione delle donne americane, denunciandone l’insoddisfazione e la frustrazione mascherate da una esteriore facciata di brave madri e mogli.
Nata da un esule ebreo russo e da una madre russa che la iniziò alla carriera giornalistica, si dimostrò subito geniale nelle sue attività scolastiche. Si diplomò con il massimo dei voti nel 1942; vinse una borsa di studio per l’università di Berkley, in California, dove si laureò in Psicologia, e ne vinse una ancora più importante per il dottorato che rifiutò acconsentendo alle richieste del suo compagno di allora spaventato dal di lei successo. Un errore che ricorderà spesso nelle sue interviste.
L’opera che la rese famosa fu “The Femminine Mystique” ossia “L’Illusione della femminilità”, un lavoro di ricerca che era nato come studio per la sua maturità ma che successivamente fu ampliato da una serie di ricerche rivolte a confermare il suo operato ad un livello più ampio. Il risultato fu sconcertante per la stessa autrice, infatti, queste ricerche misero in luce quanto le donne, nonostante un’apparente facciata di perbenismo e serenità, fossero insoddisfatte delle loro vite, un male che lei definì: “Il problema senza nome”.
Inizialmente Betty cercò di far pubblicare il suo studio, sotto forma di articolo, su diverse testate femminili, ma i loro editori maschi, uno ad uno, lo rigettarono dicendo che si trattava di una donna malata, insoddisfatta della sua vita. La Friedan però non si arrese e trasformò quell’articolo, nel 1963, in un libro che venne pubblicato durante lo sciopero di un quotidiano e che successivamente fu ripreso anche da altri giornali. In questo libro la Friedan mette in evidenza come per le donne, anche quelle della buona borghesia con una cultura media- avanzata, l’unico modello disponibile fosse quello di madre e moglie.
Non soddisfatta dell’attenzione e dello shock provocato nella società americana, fondò nel 1966 insieme ad altre colleghe, il NOW, National Organization for Women, che con dimostrazioni e cortei, il più visibile fu lo sciopero per l’uguaglianza tenuto nell’agosto del 1970, ottenne importanti risultati che a noi oggi sembrano scontati come la presenza delle donne in politica, nelle forze armate, nelle scienze, nonché la legge per l’aborto. (Stiamo parlando degli USA!).
In realtà non fu mai molto amata dalle femministe per il suo carattere abbastanza rude e fu accusata di essere la portavoce di quelle donne dei ceti medi, bianche e benestanti e di non prestare invece attenzione alle minoranze, ai poveri e alle lesbiche. Nonostante questo però la Friedan è comunque considerata universalmente un’importante figura del femminismo contemporaneo, premiata con awards e lauree onorarie, ha passato gli ultimi anni della sua vita tenendo lezioni ed incontri nelle università americane, portando avanti instancabilmente il suo messaggio che potremmo così sintetizzare: “Some people think I'm saying, 'Women of the world unite — you have nothing to lose but your men. It's not true. You have nothing to lose but your vacuum cleaners." (Alcune persone pensano che io stia dicendo: ' Donne di tutto il mondo unitevi - non avete nulla da perdere, se non i vostri uomini. Non è vero. Non avete nulla da perdere, se non il vostro aspirapolvere ".
Bibliografia:
¨ The Femminine Mystique", New York: W.W. Norton,1963
¨ It Changed My Life", New York: Random House, 1976
¨ The Second Stage", Summit, 1981
¨ The Fountain of Age", Simon & Schuster, 1993
¨ Life So Far", Simon& Schuster, 2000 (la sua biografia)
¨ The Femminine Mystique", New York: W.W. Norton,1963
¨ It Changed My Life", New York: Random House, 1976
¨ The Second Stage", Summit, 1981
¨ The Fountain of Age", Simon & Schuster, 1993
¨ Life So Far", Simon& Schuster, 2000 (la sua biografia)
Betty Naomi Goldstein, was born in Peonia, Illinois, on the 4th February and on the same day, in 2006 at the age of 85 died.
Betty Friedan, one of the mother of the so called “second wave feminism”.
She shocked the puritan USA with her works about American women condition, show out their frustrations under their well appearance of good manner wives and housewives .
She was the daughter of an exile Russian Jew and from a Russian mother who started her to the journalism, she make early clear her qualities of genius during her scholar career. She graduated with the best results on 1942, won a scholarship for Berkley University, in California, where she degree in Psychology and won the doctorate which she refused to accomplished her husband. An error she would remark throughout all her life.
Her major work that give her popularity was The feminine Mystique, a work born during her scholar period which was enlarged . The result of this study was shocking even for her author, Betty herself, because this research showed how, women although the surface of wellness and happiness , were unsatisfied of their lives, an illness she defined: “The problem with no name”.
At the beginning Betty tried to publish this work as an article on women’s magazines but with no success, male’s directors say she was just a sick, frustrated woman.
But during a strike she could publish her work on paper so media noticed at list her study, on 1963. She so could put in light that for women even those of good family the only model were those of mother and wife.
She wasn’t satisfied about the attention she could have on this issue and on 1966 she found NOW, National Organization for Women, which with strikes, one the most important was that one on 1970 for the equality, could reach important scores such as the presence of women in policy, in the us force, in sciences, and the abortion right.
We have also to say that she wasn’t loved by all feminists for her rude behavior and because she was accused to represent only the wait good family women and to don’t talk for the minorities, the poor and the lesbians.
Although this, she is universally considered a very important feminist, who received awards and degrees; she has passed her next lifetime having lessons and meetings in Universities around US, to keeping forward her message that one can summarized with this words: “Some people think I'm saying, 'Women of the world unite — you have nothing to lose but your men. It's not true. You have nothing to lose but your vacuum cleaners."
She shocked the puritan USA with her works about American women condition, show out their frustrations under their well appearance of good manner wives and housewives .
She was the daughter of an exile Russian Jew and from a Russian mother who started her to the journalism, she make early clear her qualities of genius during her scholar career. She graduated with the best results on 1942, won a scholarship for Berkley University, in California, where she degree in Psychology and won the doctorate which she refused to accomplished her husband. An error she would remark throughout all her life.
Her major work that give her popularity was The feminine Mystique, a work born during her scholar period which was enlarged . The result of this study was shocking even for her author, Betty herself, because this research showed how, women although the surface of wellness and happiness , were unsatisfied of their lives, an illness she defined: “The problem with no name”.
At the beginning Betty tried to publish this work as an article on women’s magazines but with no success, male’s directors say she was just a sick, frustrated woman.
But during a strike she could publish her work on paper so media noticed at list her study, on 1963. She so could put in light that for women even those of good family the only model were those of mother and wife.
She wasn’t satisfied about the attention she could have on this issue and on 1966 she found NOW, National Organization for Women, which with strikes, one the most important was that one on 1970 for the equality, could reach important scores such as the presence of women in policy, in the us force, in sciences, and the abortion right.
We have also to say that she wasn’t loved by all feminists for her rude behavior and because she was accused to represent only the wait good family women and to don’t talk for the minorities, the poor and the lesbians.
Although this, she is universally considered a very important feminist, who received awards and degrees; she has passed her next lifetime having lessons and meetings in Universities around US, to keeping forward her message that one can summarized with this words: “Some people think I'm saying, 'Women of the world unite — you have nothing to lose but your men. It's not true. You have nothing to lose but your vacuum cleaners."
Bibliography:
"The Femminine Mystique", New York: W.W. Norton,1963;
¨ It Changed My Life", New York: Random House, 1976;
¨ The Second Stage", Summit, 1981;
¨ The Fountain of Age", Simon & Schuster, 1993;
¨ Life So Far", Simon& Schuster, 2000
