Debunking the many myths about how far women have come and the pervasive belief that American society is postfeminist, this account traces women's status and the assault on their rights from the 1950s—when Newsweek declared, "for the American girl, books and babies don't mix"—to the present, exploring the deception behind women's progress and contextualizing the current situation. The legacy of the women’s movement is being short-circuited in every aspect of life, as evidenced by statistics such as the growing wage gap between men and women that begins right after college, the U.S. ranking of 31st in world gender equity—behind Latvia and the Philippines—as well as trends ranging from rising medical insurance costs to shortening life expectancy for women. This passionate, extensively documented, humorous, and persuasive argument is simultaneously enlightening, frightening, and revitalizing and helps women understand where they are and why and how they can move beyond marginalizing strategies.
