Women and the Politics of Empowerment

According to popular conception, working-class women in the United States are part of the silent majority. But during the 1970s and early 1980s these women have been far from silent. Speaking out both individually and collectively, they have staked new political ground for themselves and their families. Drawing on case studies of community and workplace organizing, these original essays redefine our notions of the political and address a wide range of topics, including the creation and reform of unions, domestic service, street vending, working-class education, health care, and social services. The contributors have focused on working-class women from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds employed in a wide variety of jobs. Women and the Politics of Empowerment documents the story of women learning about the sources of their powerlessness and mobilizing to increase their power. Ann Bookman is Assistant Director of the Mary Ingranham bunting Institute at Radcliffe College. Sandra Morgan is Assistant Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.