The Paradox of Change

An analysis of the experiences of 20th-century American women, which considers the significance of events during the 1970s to 1990s, such as the rise of feminism. The author outlines that although women have entered more fully into economic and political life, complete equality remains elusive. The Paradox of Change is a revised and updated version of William Chafe's classic study The American Woman (1972). Building on his original analysis of the experience of twentieth-century American women, Chafe now also considers the significance of the events of the last two decades. In a period which has seen the rise of both feminism and the New Right, American women have gradually entered more fully into economic and political life, though complete social and economic equality remains elusive. Tension between public and private roles; the increasing feminization of poverty; and the struggle to have both a family and career remain important unresolved issues, each constituting part of the `paradox of change'.