Throughout their history, women's mass circulation journals have played a major role in the lives of millions of American women. Yet the women's magazines of the early 20th century were quite different from those perused by women today. This book looks at changes that occurred in these journals and offers insight into these changes. Business forces formed a key shaping mechanism, tempered by individual editors, readers, advertisers, technology, and cultural and social forces. Founded in the second half of the 19th century, six titles became the largest circulators—Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, Pictorial Review, Woman's Home Companion, and Delineator. Capturing the interest of readers and advertisers, these journals published reliable service departments, fiction, and investigative reporting; however, competition eventually bred editorial caution. This, coupled with the depression of the 1930s, led to a narrowing of content and the beginning of Betty Friedan's feminine mystique. After World War II, the journals faced competition from television. The women's liberation movement and women's entry into the work force also brought changes.

Consumer magazines aimed at women are as diverse as the market they serve. Some are targeted to particular age groups, while others are marketed to different socioeconomic groups. These magazines are a reflection of the needs and interests of women and the place of women in American society. Changes in these magazines mirror the changing interests of women, the increased purchasing power of women, and the willingness of advertisers and publishers to reach a female audience. This reference book is a guide to women's consumer magazines published in the United States. Included are profiles of 75 magazines read chiefly by women. Each profile discusses the publication history and social context of the magazine and includes bibliographical references and a summary of publication statistics. Some of the magazines included started in the 19th century and are no longer published. Others have been available for more than a century, while some originated in the last decade. An introductory chapter discusses the history of U.S. consumer women's magazines, and a chronology charts their growth from 1784 to the present.

The only anthology available documenting 100 years of women in American sports

Women in the United States, 1830-1945 investigates women's economic, social, political and cultural history, encompassing all ethnic and racial groups and religions. It provides a general introduction to the history of women in industrializing America. Both a history of women and a history of the United States, its chronology is shaped by economic stages and political events. Although there were vast changes in all aspects of women's lives, gender (the social roles imputed to the sexes) continued to define women's (and men's) lives as much in 1945 as it had in 1830.