"Rivers (journalism, Boston Univ.) and Barnett (senior scientist, Women's Studies Research Ctr., Brandeis Univ.) take on today's recurring argument that discrimination against women has largely disappeared (see, e.g., Hanna Rosin's "The End of Men: And the Rise of Women"). It's our damaged men and boys, we often hear, who warrant our attention. Any close observer of the economic, political, and social roles of women today knows that discrimination against women endures, with biases that still harm women and families reliant on women for support. Rivers and Barnett point out that in some areas, such as reproductive health, women's rights are not gaining but eroding. In page after page, these authors catalog the barriers that women still confront: lower wages, hostility toward "aggressive" women, favoritism toward men who enter traditionally female occupations, and penalties for both men and women who take time off for family care, among others. They support their argument with solid data and illuminating anecdotes. Their prescription for progress is, however, disappointing: "We must move from rhetoric to action." Feminist organizations, national and local, do push for action, but to little avail in the current political environment. VERDICT Readers interested in women's circumstances today will appreciate this book." (Library Journal)
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