Studies In Betty Friedan’s Feminism

Rights of women is an important political and legal issues. As a practitioner and theorist of liberal feminism in the United States, Betty Friedan, whose thought had a deep effect to the second wave of American women’s movement which also spread to other countries and regions. Built on the basic structure of liberal states, she took American female confused life from mid-20 th century to the late 20 th century as an opportunity, claimed that women and men should have equal reason and rights.Friedan inherits feminism legal view from Marry Wollstonecraft, John Stuart Mill and Simone de Beauvoir, focusing on the equality in the rights of women to receive education, as well as the partnership in marriage. She encourages women to enter in a profession, and share the personality and dignity independence. In 1950 s and 1960 s, she questioned the feminine mystique, exposing American men’s false lie, advocates women’s liberation. In 1980 s, feminism went astray in an unchecked trend. After witnessed women’s efforts and burden, Friedan analyzed the limitations and potential of feminism, and proposed that women should return to family and build a harmonious partnership with men. She also criticized Freud and functionalist, it was their narrow view on women that distorted their life thoughts in the United States. Friedan’s thought of feminism has a strong legal significance, which not only gave Chinese women a baptism of mind, but also provided a profound theoretical arguments and practical experience for women of the world fight for freedom, equality, human rights and democracy. Freedom is birthright and fundamental principle of human existence. Equality is the basis of the society, and also the premise of human progress. Both are the vital principle in modern human rights. They promote and conflict with each other, constituting the basis of human rights theory. To achieve freedom, equality and human rights need a good environment rule by law and fair education, while government by law aims at protect human rights. We can still feel the charm of Friedan’s thought through reviewing classics, which has an important referential significance for women to coordinate sexual harmony in our social transformation. Women in our country should surmount gender politics to position their own value, deepen the equality of opportunity to seek spiritual freedom and an independent personality. Everyone should abandon gender discrimination and pursue harmony and diversity to build a harmonious, fair and stable society.