In this classic study of women in Britain from the Puritan revolution of the mid-seventeenth century to the 1930s, Sheila Rowbotham shows how class and sex, work and the family, personal life and social pressures have shaped and hindered women's struggles for equality.

She explores the different effects that changes in the process of production have on middle-class and working-class women; why birth control and the organisation of working women have been perceived as threatening to traditional male control of the family; how paid work and work in the home are intricately related and determine the social valuation of women - and why these and many other issues have continued to arise in different form throughout modern history.

About the Author
Sheila Rowbotham's books have been translated into many languages and her early works are currently being reissued as classic texts of feminism. She is an Honorary Fellow in Social Science at Manchester University. Her recent work includes Edward Carpenter: A Life of Liberty and Love (Verso 2008), Dreamers of a New Day (Verso 2011), Friends of Alice Wheeldon (Pluto, 2015) and Rebel Crossings (Verso, 2016).

Reviews
'Groundbreaking ... One of the first books to make women's history available to a wide audience.' -- Guardian
'I admire Sheila Rowbotham's directness. Women should be grateful for a book of this kind, which fills our inadequate record of the past' -- New Statesman
'An important and valuable achievement.' -- New York Times



Book Information
ISBN 9780904383560
Author Sheila Rowbotham
Format Paperback
Page Count 182
Imprint Pluto Press
Publisher Pluto Press
Weight(grams) 254g