Friedan Praises Success of Women's Caucus; Predicts New Directions in American Politics

Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique and founder of the National Women's Political Caucus, said yesterday that a new politics concerned with human priorities will form out of the present "sex role revolution."

Friedan, who spoke at a seminar sponsored by the Kennedy Institute of Politics, argued that the greater number of women now involved in politics will change its direction. "There is more sensitivity to human concerns by women," she said in the hour-and-a-half session attended by some 60 people.

In reviewing the recent history of the women's political movement, Friedan explained that the important problem has been in translating the power of numbers into political power.

"It was obvious after the anniversary celebrations of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 26, 1970, that we could form an effective women's coalition," she said. "The support from women in Boston and New York on that day cut across all class and racial lines."

Women Delegates

Friedan credited the Women's Political Caucus groups, which were formed a year later, with increasing the number of women delegates at the Democratic and Republican conventions.

"Because women organized themselves into political caucuses, we got an unprecedented 40 per cent of the delegate seats in the Democratic party and 34 per cent at the Republican convention," she said. "Women's issue were discussed for the first time at the platform committee meetings."

Friedan charged that the McGovern headquarters used "extreme intimidation" to change 200 votes against the abortion plank written by women delegates.

State Elections

Women also made strides in the recent state elections, Friedan said. "Where there were no women in the New York State Senate, there are now three."

"The coalition of diverse backgrounds that we have formed in these state caucus groups," she added, "is a preview of the new politics which must also include men."

Women and the young will make the political agenda of 1976 concerned with issues of equality, abortion, pollution, and the quality of life in general, she said.