Author Description

John Stuart Mill in 1869 wrote that women would never be emancipated until some men within the citadel of privilege joined them in the struggle. This book describes how they did so on many fronts. Parliamentarians such as Stansfeld, Jacob Bright and Keir Hardie put the women's cause before their careers, whilst writers such as Meredith and Shaw popularized it. Men as different as F.D. Maurice and the millionaire Thomas Holloway pioneered women's education. A few members of the medical and other professions challenged the prejudices and self- interest of their colleagues. William Booth set a precedent by enabling women to command men in the Salvation Army. Both in Britain and America radicals and doctors were imprisoned or disgraced for making information available on contraception. In India, Gandhi (of whom the author was a friend) emancipated women through involvement in the freedom movement. This scholarly but lively study throws considerable light on many aspects of a somewhat neglected theme in women's history.