Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women's Lives Aren't Getting Any Easier--And How We Can Make Real Progress For Ourselves and Our Daughters
Starred Review.  Rep. Maloney, a U.S. congresswoman from New York since 1992, has spent her career fighting for women's rights. Though women are now an accepted and unremarkable part of the workforce, Maloney documents some surprisingly grim realities, among them: the gap between men and women's wages is still widening, working mothers are still penalized for dealing with family obligations, and affordable quality child care is in short supply nationwide. Health care issues, life-work balance issues and equality issues, Maloney reports, are only getting more difficult for women, with real quality-of-life results: studies show a "growing 'happiness gap,'" as "women have become less satisfied with their lives over the past 30 years." "Take Action Guides" punctuate the (largely) bad news, offering concrete steps to create "A Workplace that Works for Families" ("Demand what you're worth," "Urge your congresspeople to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act"), and help push back against community and domestic violence ("Educate yourself and others about how to prevent rape," support activist and treatment organizations like RAINN and H-E-A-R-T). Though she admits that "documenting the stark reality... is much easier than abolishing it," this comprehensive look at the contemporary American woman is an important and impassioned report, especially eye-opening for those who insist the fight for women's equality is already won.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.