Final answer:
Betty Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966 to fight for women's rights, enforce gender equality, and address issues that hindered women's participation in all aspects of American life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Betty Friedan and the National Organization for Women (NOW)
In 1966, Betty Friedan co-founded the National Organization for Women (NOW), a pivotal group in the feminist movement, which aimed to fight for the rights of women. The organization was established to enforce the gender equality provisions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and quickly became a leading force in pursuing equality and women's rights. Betty Friedan, who became NOW's first president, was also a celebrated author known for her influential book The Feminine Mystique, which challenged the restricted domestic roles of women as wives and mothers and underscored the need for greater opportunities for women in society.
As NOW's founding president, Friedan helped to set an expansive agenda for the organization. This agenda advocated for the full participation of women in all aspects of American life and sought to secure all rights enjoyed by men, including the pursuit of the Equal Rights Amendment. The activities and mission of NOW were central to the revived women's movement, that broadened political activism for women and addressed the inequality in household responsibilities that hindered women's ability to engage fully in public life.