Here is the story of the lives of ordinary Australian women from 1788 to the present. Drawing on the information provided by hundreds of families, as well as material and photographs from archives never before published, Alison Alexander has created an enthralling and different history of a nation.
While famous women get a brief mention, this is mainly the story of the rest of us. It contains humour and despair, tragedy and considerable achievements, many of them unsung until now.
The book is enlivened with brief and often funny stories of individual women's hopes and experiences, while a series of 'snapshots' reminds us of the changes in important aspects of life, from fashion to educations, from cooking to health.
Contents:
Preface
Early Days
The Australian Women
Snapshot: Food
Building a Nation
The First World War
Snapshot: Health
Beginning the Struggle
The 1920s
Snapshot: Fashion
Hard Times
The Boom Years
Snapshot: Education
The Women's Movement
The Struggle Continues
Snapshot: Inventions
Today
Acknowledgements
Notes
Picture Credits
Index
Review:I enjoyed reading this book very much. It is frank, and discusses the lot of women as it really was. It's full of stories an ordinary person can read and be interested in, very important testaments to what women have contributed to Australia - Colleen McCullough
