From the New York Times–bestselling author: “A rare find: a page-turning, can’t-put-it-down history text.” —Library Journal Writing about what she calls the “most cheering period in female history,” Marilyn French recounts how nineteenth-century women living under imperialism, industrialization, and capitalism nonetheless organized for their own education, a more equitable wage, and the vote. Focusing on the United States, Great Britain, and countries in Africa, French argues that capitalism’s success depended on the exploitation and enslavement of huge numbers, including women, but the act of working outside the home alongside other women, rather than in isolation, provided women with the possibility of organizing for emancipation. “The third volume of her remarkable four-volume survey . . . fascinating insight and detail.” —Publishers Weekly

Anne Wilson Schaef builds on her former bestseller, Women’s Reality, her New York Times bestseller When Society Becomes an Addict, and her multi-million copy bestseller Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much to bring us all up to date on the Women’s Movement. She explores the potentially positive impact that women can and must harness to step forward for further development of the human race and for the planet as a whole. She explores the history of the waves of the Women’s Movement and the personal, interpersonal, and cultural stoppers that have kept women from reaching their full potential. She demonstrates how women’s special talents and assets are essential for dealing with the symptoms of what has become a dysfunctional society. This book not only offers hope and opportunity for women to step up and shape a society with their unique gifts, it offers hope for the planet itself.

This Book makes an effort to dissect the emergence of various feminist movements. For many, "Feminism" refers to a worldwide movement that women from all walks of life have launched to end the patriarchal system of power that benefits males. There have been four major movements of feminism in history, all of which have sought to end the mistreatment of women. The first wave of feminism, which emerged in the United States and Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was primarily concerned with expanding women's access to the franchise and other areas of the law. Beginning in the 1960s and lasting into the 1990s, the second wave of feminism was started by women of all races and ethnicities in the West and the developing world. It campaigns to end domestic violence, marital rape, sexual harassment, and rape, as well as for equal educational and career opportunities, maternity leave, birth control, and abortion rights, etc. The third wave of feminism, which spans from the 1990s to the 2000s, is characterized by a vigorous criticism of earlier feminist political movements. Women in this movement see themselves as powerful and defiant, and they are not susceptible to sexist patriarchy in the workplace. Around 2012, a new feminism emerged, one that relies heavily on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. As a result of feminist movements, several nations have passed legislation encouraging women to take part in all aspects of public life. This research makes an effort to elucidate some topics associated with feminism's four distinct phases. In the past, feminist movements have been too exclusive, developing inside the narrow mind-set of the Western upper class and focusing on the problems and demands of that group. A new wave of feminism has emerged in the wake of the information technology revolution. Feminist activist groups may benefit from the internet's inclusive environment and ease of use when it comes to organizing mass protests. It also helps in highlighting shared structural disparities by connecting local tales with global ones. However, the internet can also be a place where bigotry and misogyny flourish. This summary tries to examine the impact that digitization may have on women's mobility, particularly in developing countries like India. This is accomplished through analyzing current forms of cyberfeminism in the context of postcolonial and postmodern feminist theory. The advantages and disadvantages of online advocacy are also highlighted in the summary. This book is significant because it shifts the focus of gender study away from women and towards feminism in the context of leisure studies. For anyone interested in diversity, women's studies, multiculturalism, social justice, gender, leisure, LGBTQQ studies, or feminist research, this book is a must-read.