Phyllis Lee Levin, 104, Wrote Feminist Essay Years Before Betty Friedan

Phyllis Lee Levin, a former fashion reporter for The New York Times, has died at age 104. Her career, however, went far beyond fashion. In 1960, she wrote a groundbreaking essay. It described the deep frustrations of educated women who were restricted to domestic life. This work came three years before Betty Friedan's famous book, "The Feminine Mystique." Friedan's book is widely credited with starting a new wave of the feminist movement. Levin later became a respected biographer. She wrote detailed books about important historical figures. These included U.S. President John Quincy Adams and Abigail Adams, a founding mother. Levin's early writing showed she understood a major social issue long before it entered the national conversation.