In response to - "Friedan’s Legacy and her vision of the future of women"
Dear Editor
I wish to give perspective on a recent article titled “Friedan’s legacy and her vision of the future”, the author discussed the contribution which Betty Friedan had on the lives of modern women and how her book “launched the modern feminist movement in America”. I find that the article was majorly misinformed on “equality” for women, and lacking in a women’s perspective. The “prophesised” future where women are once again made lesser than men, is a very vague idea and the article failed largely to explain the impossibility of that and what it may try to imply to people.
The idea that there is equality now between man and women is absurd, Friedan’s legacy would be her book The Feminine Mystique. It is true that her book did motivate a generation of women to fight for equality, it failed to make women and men to be treated same as human. Women have been given the same opportunities as men in all areas but what distinguishes the inequality between women and men is the pay or subtle treatment. It would be unfair of me to not recognise that the equal pay and discrimination acts do prevent obvious forms of discrimination, but these acts do not prevent subtle forms of discrimination. The article should have detailed how men and women are almost equal rather than equal.
The part of the article dedicated to Friedan’s “prophesy” is very opinionated and gives only Friedan’s perspective of what may happen in the future based on her views during her time. The article should have addressed the possibility of her warning and informed more on what her prophesy may be trying to imply to us.
The article was an interesting read but I find that it lacked to inform people, how much equality women have to men. It would have been better if the article did not try to over praise Friedan’s legacy but rather tried to explain how much closer her legacy has led to equality based on being people.
Solomon Steele
I wish to give perspective on a recent article titled “Friedan’s legacy and her vision of the future”, the author discussed the contribution which Betty Friedan had on the lives of modern women and how her book “launched the modern feminist movement in America”. I find that the article was majorly misinformed on “equality” for women, and lacking in a women’s perspective. The “prophesised” future where women are once again made lesser than men, is a very vague idea and the article failed largely to explain the impossibility of that and what it may try to imply to people.
The idea that there is equality now between man and women is absurd, Friedan’s legacy would be her book The Feminine Mystique. It is true that her book did motivate a generation of women to fight for equality, it failed to make women and men to be treated same as human. Women have been given the same opportunities as men in all areas but what distinguishes the inequality between women and men is the pay or subtle treatment. It would be unfair of me to not recognise that the equal pay and discrimination acts do prevent obvious forms of discrimination, but these acts do not prevent subtle forms of discrimination. The article should have detailed how men and women are almost equal rather than equal.
The part of the article dedicated to Friedan’s “prophesy” is very opinionated and gives only Friedan’s perspective of what may happen in the future based on her views during her time. The article should have addressed the possibility of her warning and informed more on what her prophesy may be trying to imply to us.
The article was an interesting read but I find that it lacked to inform people, how much equality women have to men. It would have been better if the article did not try to over praise Friedan’s legacy but rather tried to explain how much closer her legacy has led to equality based on being people.
Solomon Steele