Title | : | The Paradox of Change: American Women in the 20th Century |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | 0195044193 |
ISBN-10 | : | 9780195044195 |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 272 |
Publication | : | First published January 1, 1972 |
The Paradox of Change: American Women in the 20th Century Reviews
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As a fairly die-hard feminist, I am ashamed that I did not read this book before the age of 26. Published in the year of my birth, this wealth of information was available to me for my entire life, and I did not know of its existence until recently.
William Henry Chafe does an excellent job of outlining not only the problems experienced by white, middle-class women but also poor women and women of color, beginning before the passage of the 19th amendment and concluding with the third-wave feminism of the 1980s and 1990s.
Sometimes, the anecdotes, quotes and statistics presented in this work made my heart ache. Sometimes it felt like I was seeing the truth, crystallized in all its ugly glory, before me for the first time. It's a truth I've always known, growing up female, but seeing the struggle articulated so clearly both saddens and invigorates me simultaneously. Throughout history, women of all colors and classes have exhibited extraordinary strength, courage, dignity and grace in the face of unbearable sexism, prejudice and ignorance. Women have stepped up to lead movements, to demand equal treatment, and at times, to call for even basic levels of civility in political discourse. Reading this book made me proud to be a woman. I wish it were mandated reading for everyone. -
A historian's analysis of the progress and status of American women during the 20th century.
Beginning with the suffrage movement, Chafe evaluates how the campaign began, its organization and methods, and success. Chafe does not shy away from pointing out the movement's shortcomings in race and class relations; yet reminds readers that the leaders of the campaign aligned themselves with the only political example they had to follow. Thus, in following the white-male dominated political structure of the country, suffragist leaders, regrettably, did not align their efforts or goals with minority races or inferior classes.
With the vote gained in 1920, Chafe moves on to examine how women exercised their new right.
After examining women's gains in industry, the economy, and society as a whole Chafe concludes that women have made significant strides during the 20th century yet much ground remains to be covered. -
Older and still useful discussion of women in the 20th century U.S. Chafe uses the idea of how each change brought a new paradox to the lives of women. Limited in focus as it is not as pluralistic as more contemporary studies.
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While I wish it went up to the present, this is one of the best and most concise overviews of 20th century women's history that I've read yet. Highly recommended.