Betty Friedan (February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American writer,
activist, and
feminist. A leading figure in the
women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book
The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the
second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. In 1966, Friedan co-founded and was elected the first president of the
National Organization for Women (NOW), which aimed to bring women "into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men".