The Triumph and Tragedy of Betty Friedan | Time of Monsters with Jeet Heer

<p>Betty Friedan, author of <em>The Feminine Mystique</em> (1963) and one of the founders of the National Organization for Women (NOW), was a hero of feminism, but a complicated and difficult hero. Her book and activism were pivotal for igniting second-wave feminism in the 1960s. But as head of NOW, her leadership was irascible and nettlesome, marred especially by her homophobic hostility towards lesbian activism.</p><p>In <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/09/18/the-women-of-now-how-feminists-built-an-organization-that-transformed-america-katherine-turk-book-review-betty-friedan-magnificent-disrupter-rachel-shteir" rel="nofollow">a recent review</a> for <em>The New Yorker</em> looking at books about NOW and Friedan, Moira Donegan lays bare the contradictions of Friedan’s legacy, her world-changing importance but also the way she sabotaged both herself and the movement she did so much to create. On this episode of <em>The Time of Monsters</em>, we talk about the lessons of Friedan’s life and how they remain urgent in current feminist struggles. Moira is a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/profile/moira-donegan" rel="nofollow">frequent guest</a> of the podcast. She’s a columnist for <em>The Guardian</em> and also cohosts <a href="https://gender.stanford.edu/inbed" rel="nofollow">a podcast</a> called <em>In Bed With the Right</em>.</p><br/><br/>Advertising Inquiries: <a href='https://redcircle.com/brands'>https://redcircle.com/brands</a><br/><br/>Privacy & Opt-Out: <a href='https://redcircle.com/privacy'>https://redcircle.com/privacy</a>