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When Everything Changed
Gail Collins, New York Times columnist and bestselling author, recounts the astounding revolution in women's lives over the past 50 years, with her usual "sly wit and unfussy style" (People).
When Everything Changed begins in 1960, when most American women had to get their husbands' permission to apply for a credit card. It ends in 2008 with Hillary Clinton's historic presidential campaign. This was a time of cataclysmic change, when, after four hundred years, expectations about the lives of American women were smashed in just a generation.
A comprehensive mix of oral history and Gail Collins's keen research--covering politics, fashion, popular culture, economics, sex, families, and work--When Everything Changed is the definitive book on five crucial decades of progress. The enormous strides made since 1960 include the advent of the birth control pill, the end of "Help Wanted--Male" and "Help Wanted--Female" ads, and the lifting of quotas for women in admission to medical and law schools. Gail Collins describes what has happened in every realm of women's lives, partly through the testimonies of both those who made history and those who simply made their way.
Picking up where her highly lauded book America's Women left off, When Everything Changed is a dynamic story, told with the down-to-earth, amusing, and agenda-free tone for which this beloved New York Times columnist is known. Older readers, men and women alike, will be startled as they are reminded of what their lives once were--"Father Knows Best" and "My Little Margie" on TV; daily weigh-ins for stewardesses; few female professors; no women in the Boston marathon, in combat zones, or in the police department. Younger readers will see their history in a rich new way. It has been an era packed with drama and dreams--some dashed and others realized beyond anyone's imagining.
When Everything Changed begins in 1960, when most American women had to get their husbands' permission to apply for a credit card. It ends in 2008 with Hillary Clinton's historic presidential campaign. This was a time of cataclysmic change, when, after four hundred years, expectations about the lives of American women were smashed in just a generation.
A comprehensive mix of oral history and Gail Collins's keen research--covering politics, fashion, popular culture, economics, sex, families, and work--When Everything Changed is the definitive book on five crucial decades of progress. The enormous strides made since 1960 include the advent of the birth control pill, the end of "Help Wanted--Male" and "Help Wanted--Female" ads, and the lifting of quotas for women in admission to medical and law schools. Gail Collins describes what has happened in every realm of women's lives, partly through the testimonies of both those who made history and those who simply made their way.
Picking up where her highly lauded book America's Women left off, When Everything Changed is a dynamic story, told with the down-to-earth, amusing, and agenda-free tone for which this beloved New York Times columnist is known. Older readers, men and women alike, will be startled as they are reminded of what their lives once were--"Father Knows Best" and "My Little Margie" on TV; daily weigh-ins for stewardesses; few female professors; no women in the Boston marathon, in combat zones, or in the police department. Younger readers will see their history in a rich new way. It has been an era packed with drama and dreams--some dashed and others realized beyond anyone's imagining.
475 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2009
456 people are currently reading
9241 people want to read
About the author
Gail Collins
19 books197 followersGail Collins was the Editorial Page Editor of The New York Times from 2001 to January 1, 2007. She was the first woman Editorial Page Editor at the Times.
Born as Gail Gleason, Collins has a degree in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. in government from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Beyond her work as a journalist, Collins has published several books; Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics, America's Woman: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, and The Millennium Book which she co-authored with her husband Dan Collins.
She was also a journalism instructor at Southern Connecticut State University.
She is married to Dan Collins of CBS.
Born as Gail Gleason, Collins has a degree in journalism from Marquette University and an M.A. in government from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Beyond her work as a journalist, Collins has published several books; Scorpion Tongues: Gossip, Celebrity and American Politics, America's Woman: Four Hundred Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates, and Heroines, and The Millennium Book which she co-authored with her husband Dan Collins.
She was also a journalism instructor at Southern Connecticut State University.
She is married to Dan Collins of CBS.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 873 reviews
February 7, 2013
Holy smokin moley. Please, please, pretty please with freedom on top, read When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, by Gail Collins. Read it and remember your foremothers—your great-grandmother, your grandmother, your mother. Read it and weep. Read it and sing. And then tell your friends to read it. This book will make you want to finish history, because it will tell you what history is—and remind you, in the skin of your own life, why history needs now: so she can finish herself, and rest. If you were alive for the women’s rights movement, When Everything Changed will stand as a testimony to your experience; if you weren’t, you will be able to place your own life in context like never before.
The book is divided into three parts: 1960, When Everything Changed, and Following Through. Ms. Collins does a wonderful job of interweaving the many social factors at play—the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution, key pieces of legislation, the legal battles that made the laws stick, and the gaps in equality that still exist. Each chapter is divided into brief sections headed by a quotation from a particular woman’s experience, which provides a rich context for the astounding social changes that were occurring. Sometimes, the quotations are from women who are widely recognized for their accomplishments—women who have shaped history. The book includes the stories of all the major players, including Margaret Sanger, Alice Paul, Ella Baker, Rosa Parks, Betty Friedan, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Gloria Steinem. In telling the story of Loretta Weeks, who spent years fighting workplace discrimination after civil rights legislation had been passed, Ms. Collins quotes Ms. Weeks as saying, “…I knew women worked and needed a place in the world.”
But this isn’t just the story of well-known women fighting public battles for equality. Just as often, Ms. Collins quotes women whose trials and accomplishments were behind the scenes, women whose lives were affected by social change but didn’t necessarily become a catalyst for it. This narrative technique allows the reader to place herself in history; oh, you think. Here is where my story would fit.
I found this book extremely enlightening, as I was born in 1971, smack in the middle of the movement. By the time I was old enough to understand a bit of the world, I took for granted freedoms that were mere fantasies in the two decades before my birth, including a college education, an ability to see myself as a career woman first and a mother second, and the luxury of choosing any career I set my sights on.
The struggles of my generation, and those who have come after me, are charted in the last part of the book: the difficulty of balancing work and childcare for mothers, the continued, and expanded, emphasis on beauty as a woman’s most important asset. After reading this book, I understand both the blessings and the difficulties of my own time in a new way. Ms. Collins describes the legislation that changed women’s lives as well as the legislation, such as the Child and Family Services Bill of 1975, that never went anywhere. In doing so, she fills in the blanks for those of us who are familiar with the broad strokes of women’s history but fuzzy on the details.
Because women’s history isn’t taught as—well, you know, history—most of the women who fought to change our lives aren’t household names. When Everything Changed, by chronicling these lives, begins to right that wrong. This book should be required reading in high school and college history courses—it is both accessible and straightforward, and provides a window into our own lives. This book, in short, is essential; by reading it, we gain a deeper understanding of where we have been, and a fuller understanding of where we need to go.
The book is divided into three parts: 1960, When Everything Changed, and Following Through. Ms. Collins does a wonderful job of interweaving the many social factors at play—the civil rights movement, the sexual revolution, key pieces of legislation, the legal battles that made the laws stick, and the gaps in equality that still exist. Each chapter is divided into brief sections headed by a quotation from a particular woman’s experience, which provides a rich context for the astounding social changes that were occurring. Sometimes, the quotations are from women who are widely recognized for their accomplishments—women who have shaped history. The book includes the stories of all the major players, including Margaret Sanger, Alice Paul, Ella Baker, Rosa Parks, Betty Friedan, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Gloria Steinem. In telling the story of Loretta Weeks, who spent years fighting workplace discrimination after civil rights legislation had been passed, Ms. Collins quotes Ms. Weeks as saying, “…I knew women worked and needed a place in the world.”
But this isn’t just the story of well-known women fighting public battles for equality. Just as often, Ms. Collins quotes women whose trials and accomplishments were behind the scenes, women whose lives were affected by social change but didn’t necessarily become a catalyst for it. This narrative technique allows the reader to place herself in history; oh, you think. Here is where my story would fit.
I found this book extremely enlightening, as I was born in 1971, smack in the middle of the movement. By the time I was old enough to understand a bit of the world, I took for granted freedoms that were mere fantasies in the two decades before my birth, including a college education, an ability to see myself as a career woman first and a mother second, and the luxury of choosing any career I set my sights on.
The struggles of my generation, and those who have come after me, are charted in the last part of the book: the difficulty of balancing work and childcare for mothers, the continued, and expanded, emphasis on beauty as a woman’s most important asset. After reading this book, I understand both the blessings and the difficulties of my own time in a new way. Ms. Collins describes the legislation that changed women’s lives as well as the legislation, such as the Child and Family Services Bill of 1975, that never went anywhere. In doing so, she fills in the blanks for those of us who are familiar with the broad strokes of women’s history but fuzzy on the details.
Because women’s history isn’t taught as—well, you know, history—most of the women who fought to change our lives aren’t household names. When Everything Changed, by chronicling these lives, begins to right that wrong. This book should be required reading in high school and college history courses—it is both accessible and straightforward, and provides a window into our own lives. This book, in short, is essential; by reading it, we gain a deeper understanding of where we have been, and a fuller understanding of where we need to go.
August 20, 2011
I like Gail Collins' columns so I picked this up, but did not expect to learn much that was new only because I've read a lot of post-WWII history and women's history. But I learned a lot! Collins weaves interviews she did with regular folks who lived through these times with reporting on the events of those years. I thought this approach gave the reader the best of both worlds--the broader picture, and the individual people moving through it. The sections on the 1960s and 70s were especially well done, I thought. I particularly liked her exploration of the civil rights movement as a precursor to the women's movement, as well as the roles of black women in it and the tensions that existed with black men and white women. I also loved reading about various legislative and court cases of the 70s, especially the bill that passed both houses of Congress in 1972 allowing for national, comprehensive early (pre-K) childcare for any parent who wanted it--!!!!! I had no idea that something like that had ever been considered! (It was vetoed by President Nixon.) The story of its creation and demise was fascinating. I thought the sections on the 1980s and 1990s were less cohesive, but thought this made sense in that the issues that came to the fore then (i.e. work-life balance and child care for parents working outside of the home) are still playing out. This is a very accessible account of recent history that I think one would enjoy with or without a working knowledge of the time period she is covering.
February 2, 2010
I've always thought of myself as "moderate" on most political issues, but recent conversations with co-workers have helped me realize my views fall squarely in the "liberal" category. So, when The New York Times gave a rave review to this book, I decided it was time to educate myself about some true liberals (or "libbers", as the case may be) and added it to my library hold list.
My first impression was the one I get from so many columnists-turned-book-writers: It reads like a huge collection of newspaper articles. You literally cannot go two pages without getting to a new sub-heading and matching anecdote. Initially this annoyed me, as I had been fantasizing about an in-depth education on the modern history of the women's movement. However, the style slowly won me over, especially as life went from the relative lull of the holiday season to full-time work/volunteering/etc. If you have 10 minutes to kill, this is a book you can pick up without worrying about having to abandon it mid-story.
Also, while this book does not have an academic level of depth by any means, it does provide a nice overview of key points in the women's movement, including Civil Rights, the formation of NOW, the fight for the ERA, and the mass entrance of women into higher education and the workplace throughout the 70s and 80s. Collins introduces you to hundreds of women--some famous, some not so--and recounts their personal stories in a way that helps make the human connection to major events that seem so much bigger than one person.
By the second half of the book, I was truly enjoying myself. I got especially interested when Collins hit the 1980s, as I was able to put the stories in the context of my own life. At one point, a 1980s executive jokes about how they wore "little bowties" to look as professional as men. I vividly remember the yellow paisley bowtie my HR executive mother wore to the office almost every day. At that point, I knew this book had struck a cord with me.
Ultimately, I appreciated this book for making me think. I've always held a small, secret bit of resentment toward my mother for what I felt was her choosing a career over me. Now, with the context this book provided, I can appreciate how tough that decision must have been for her, and how after being one of only 4 women in her MBA class, she must have felt that she HAD to prove women have a place in the business world. Now I am forced to reasess my own long-held plans of moving to part-time work whenever I have kids of my own. In trying to help my children, will I end up hurting my entire gender?
That's one of the many tough questions raised by this overall enjoyable book.
My first impression was the one I get from so many columnists-turned-book-writers: It reads like a huge collection of newspaper articles. You literally cannot go two pages without getting to a new sub-heading and matching anecdote. Initially this annoyed me, as I had been fantasizing about an in-depth education on the modern history of the women's movement. However, the style slowly won me over, especially as life went from the relative lull of the holiday season to full-time work/volunteering/etc. If you have 10 minutes to kill, this is a book you can pick up without worrying about having to abandon it mid-story.
Also, while this book does not have an academic level of depth by any means, it does provide a nice overview of key points in the women's movement, including Civil Rights, the formation of NOW, the fight for the ERA, and the mass entrance of women into higher education and the workplace throughout the 70s and 80s. Collins introduces you to hundreds of women--some famous, some not so--and recounts their personal stories in a way that helps make the human connection to major events that seem so much bigger than one person.
By the second half of the book, I was truly enjoying myself. I got especially interested when Collins hit the 1980s, as I was able to put the stories in the context of my own life. At one point, a 1980s executive jokes about how they wore "little bowties" to look as professional as men. I vividly remember the yellow paisley bowtie my HR executive mother wore to the office almost every day. At that point, I knew this book had struck a cord with me.
Ultimately, I appreciated this book for making me think. I've always held a small, secret bit of resentment toward my mother for what I felt was her choosing a career over me. Now, with the context this book provided, I can appreciate how tough that decision must have been for her, and how after being one of only 4 women in her MBA class, she must have felt that she HAD to prove women have a place in the business world. Now I am forced to reasess my own long-held plans of moving to part-time work whenever I have kids of my own. In trying to help my children, will I end up hurting my entire gender?
That's one of the many tough questions raised by this overall enjoyable book.
February 27, 2018
I was reading this book in October of 2016. I could only read about 10 pages at a time before I could feel my blood pressure going up, and the rage reaching a boiling point. And then the election happened. I was too lost in despair to continue the book, and I set it aside. Well, the despair is gone, but the rage is still here. I don't know if that will ever really leave. But I am ready to channel the anger.
This book has 3 parts. The first part describes the 1950's and early 1960's, and the status quo for women. The 2nd part is the largest part, and it describes the 1960's and 1970's, when everything changed for women. The final part describes the 1980's to 2009, when the book was published, and the struggles that face the generations that followed the women's movement. Collins uses a lot of interviews with women, famous and not, to catch the important moments and movements of the time. She does a pretty good job of balancing the different struggles for black and white women, and the tensions between black and white women during the civil rights movement. Stories are also included from Hispanic and Latina women, and some Native American women.
This book is uplifting, because a lot improved for women in a relatively short period of time. My Mom always gets amused at my righteous anger, and asks if I think that any progress is good. I do. I guess my frustration and anger comes from the fact that very little has changed since the 1980's and 1990's, and lately I feel like we're going backwards. Women are mostly still seen as being responsible for childcare and household chores. Pay equality is still a struggle. Many men still have issues with women in power, of which there are not enough. It's been 46 years since the ERA was passed by congress. I'm 36 and I doubt that it will ever be ratified in my lifetime. I just don't have faith in America anymore. I hope that changes. I hope that America proves me wrong. But I'm not holding my breath.
This book has 3 parts. The first part describes the 1950's and early 1960's, and the status quo for women. The 2nd part is the largest part, and it describes the 1960's and 1970's, when everything changed for women. The final part describes the 1980's to 2009, when the book was published, and the struggles that face the generations that followed the women's movement. Collins uses a lot of interviews with women, famous and not, to catch the important moments and movements of the time. She does a pretty good job of balancing the different struggles for black and white women, and the tensions between black and white women during the civil rights movement. Stories are also included from Hispanic and Latina women, and some Native American women.
This book is uplifting, because a lot improved for women in a relatively short period of time. My Mom always gets amused at my righteous anger, and asks if I think that any progress is good. I do. I guess my frustration and anger comes from the fact that very little has changed since the 1980's and 1990's, and lately I feel like we're going backwards. Women are mostly still seen as being responsible for childcare and household chores. Pay equality is still a struggle. Many men still have issues with women in power, of which there are not enough. It's been 46 years since the ERA was passed by congress. I'm 36 and I doubt that it will ever be ratified in my lifetime. I just don't have faith in America anymore. I hope that changes. I hope that America proves me wrong. But I'm not holding my breath.
August 9, 2015
I was going to give this book four stars instead of five because I thought the author was cherry-picking her examples, but the more I got into the book the more I saw that she was doing in-depth research and trying to remain objective, which is difficult to do with a subject like this. My wife and I both lived and worked through the time period covered in the book, and of course we each have our own take on what happened, but the book brought back many memories.
I read the book because I am currently collaborating with my wife on writing a book about her career, in which she went from being a school teacher to a vice president of Xerox, so the background provided by Gail Collins' book is very relevant.
It's a must-read for young women who take today's world for granted, because the women who paved the way for the current generation should be honored, and everybody should study history so as not to repeat its mistakes.
There is necessarily a lot of talk about politics in the book, but I thought the last story was particularly revealing. After women became a majority in the New Hampshire state senate and were all set to do great things, they found they were facing a $200 million budget gap. So apparently electing women to government office isn't an immediate cure for government overspending. In fact, many of the women quoted in the book wanted government to do more, not less, which would lead to a bigger welfare state on the road to socialism.
I'll end this review with three quotations about socialism:
From Margaret Thatcher (paraphrasing): "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
From Winston Churchill: "(Socialism's) inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
From my son, a successful financial advisor: "Under socialism I'd goof off."
I read the book because I am currently collaborating with my wife on writing a book about her career, in which she went from being a school teacher to a vice president of Xerox, so the background provided by Gail Collins' book is very relevant.
It's a must-read for young women who take today's world for granted, because the women who paved the way for the current generation should be honored, and everybody should study history so as not to repeat its mistakes.
There is necessarily a lot of talk about politics in the book, but I thought the last story was particularly revealing. After women became a majority in the New Hampshire state senate and were all set to do great things, they found they were facing a $200 million budget gap. So apparently electing women to government office isn't an immediate cure for government overspending. In fact, many of the women quoted in the book wanted government to do more, not less, which would lead to a bigger welfare state on the road to socialism.
I'll end this review with three quotations about socialism:
From Margaret Thatcher (paraphrasing): "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
From Winston Churchill: "(Socialism's) inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
From my son, a successful financial advisor: "Under socialism I'd goof off."
February 18, 2016
"When Everything Changed" is a history of American women from 1960 the present and everything that they had to go through in order to get where we are today. It was a time of rapid change. You had women entering the workforce in higher levels than ever before. Their roles and the way that they saw themselves, and the ways that they wanted others to see them were changing as well. When you look at history, there is so much change that occurred for women in the 1960s. The 1960s were really the beginning of the feminist movement as women were moving out of their traditional roles and into more different roles then they'd ever had before. The following decades meant even more changes for women. As a woman who lives today, I'm definitely appreciative of those who came before me and paved the way for me to do what I want to do.
This book gave me an even greater appreciation for those that came before me. Gail Collins has written a lot about women and women's issues so she is definitely well versed in the subject, which shines through in her narrative. She pulls together so many poignant points of view in this book. She covers not only who made changes but what kind of changes were occurring in areas such as fashion and the workforce. This was a great read that not only showed me how far we've come by and many ways how far we still have to go in order to make things the best that they can be for women. I suggest this book to anyone who is looking for an engaging account of the many great strides that so many women have made over the past five decades or so.
This book gave me an even greater appreciation for those that came before me. Gail Collins has written a lot about women and women's issues so she is definitely well versed in the subject, which shines through in her narrative. She pulls together so many poignant points of view in this book. She covers not only who made changes but what kind of changes were occurring in areas such as fashion and the workforce. This was a great read that not only showed me how far we've come by and many ways how far we still have to go in order to make things the best that they can be for women. I suggest this book to anyone who is looking for an engaging account of the many great strides that so many women have made over the past five decades or so.
October 13, 2014
It has taken me awhile to finish this book, but that was only because other reading had to come first. When I had time, I was immersed in the story that Collins tells in this book. I think Collins has done an excellent job of recording American women’s history. Since the period she covers (1960-2008) is the better part of my life, I had experienced much of what she records here. However, I had not looked back at women’s journey in any organized way.
I am grateful to Collins for all the work she put into compiling this history and I am even more grateful to all the women who contributed their stories to her work. Collins acknowledges that she could not include every woman that she interviewed – I hope that those interviews would be available to other scholars. I am sure they are fascinating.
I spent a lot of my reading time remembering the first time I heard about feminism, or the ERA, or Gloria and Phyllis or that women earned less money than men at the same job. The rest of the time I was learning background for women’s history that I did not know. Collins made connections for me that I did not make at the time for myself.
If you lived through the 1960’s through 1990’s, you will be glad for the reminder of how all our lives changed. If you weren’t born until the 1980’s, I encourage you to read this wonderful history. You will have a better understanding of how women (and men) have come a long way. No matter what your age, reading Collins’ book will help you understand how important feminism is to all Americans.
I am grateful to Collins for all the work she put into compiling this history and I am even more grateful to all the women who contributed their stories to her work. Collins acknowledges that she could not include every woman that she interviewed – I hope that those interviews would be available to other scholars. I am sure they are fascinating.
I spent a lot of my reading time remembering the first time I heard about feminism, or the ERA, or Gloria and Phyllis or that women earned less money than men at the same job. The rest of the time I was learning background for women’s history that I did not know. Collins made connections for me that I did not make at the time for myself.
If you lived through the 1960’s through 1990’s, you will be glad for the reminder of how all our lives changed. If you weren’t born until the 1980’s, I encourage you to read this wonderful history. You will have a better understanding of how women (and men) have come a long way. No matter what your age, reading Collins’ book will help you understand how important feminism is to all Americans.
November 17, 2015
I found this to be just a delight to read. All kinds of "I didn't know that!" and "Oooh, insightful!" and "[chuckle] Oh Gail, how droll!" moments. Lots I didn't know about famous women in a variety of fields, and great story after great story about non-famous women as well.
January 9, 2020
A good--maybe a bit too long--review of the feminist rev0lution. The book is told through quotes and headlines, but it really is amazing how long people have been complaining about how feminists ruined everything when there is still so far to go.
May 5, 2023
I started first grade in 1960. Even at that young age, I was told that when I grew up, I could only be a teacher, secretary, or a nurse, but most of all I should be a wife and mother. And then, quite suddenly about 10 years later, everything changed. While I wasn't part of the catalyst that made it happen, I was a thankful beneficiary.
This brilliant, highly readable, and entertaining book by Gail Collins, the first-ever female editor at The New York Times, traces the women's movement from 1960 to today in broad strokes and anecdotes. All the history and public drama are here, as well as dozens of poignant and powerful personal stories of everyday women who lived it. (And bonus! The epilogue at the end updates what happened to many of these women who are profiled in the book.)
Just to set the stage: It's 1960. The smart women who are graduating from the elite Barnard College in New York City, attend a pre-graduation party hosted by the college. At the party, the women who are engaged receive a corsage to wear. Those who are not engaged receive lemons to carry. About two-thirds of the graduating class receive corsages.
Even for those of us who lived through that time and remember things well, there is a lot of surprising information in this book—information that goes beyond the gender-based job ads that easily let employers discriminate or the fact that women were almost always paid significantly less than men who were doing the same work.
Among many other things, find out:
• The shocking laws that were on the books, including some that gave husbands control not only of wives' property, but also their earnings, as well as laws that prohibited women from serving on juries.
• How one senator's decision to play games with the 1964 Civil Rights Act had the unintended consequence of ending job discrimination for women.
• How the birth control pill was more influential in women going to medical school and law school than almost anything else.
• The dramatic effect the women's movement had on clothing. Just reading what women had to wear in the 1960s made me feel uncomfortable and itchy.
• The extraordinary impact of Title IV, especially allowing girls to play more sports in high school and college. Of everything in this book, this is the chapter I most recommend mothers have their daughters read—just so they can understand how much things have changed.
• The real reasons the Equal Rights Amendment failed, including the outsized role Phyllis Schlafly played.
• The horrifying impact on women who were involved in several headline-making sexual harassment cases in the 1990s, including Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas, the Navy's Tailhook scandal, and the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair.
• What happened when women were deployed for the first time in combat in the first Gulf War in 1991.
• How dating has changed, especially the "hook-up" culture that has exploded in popularity.
• The different standards for college admissions for men and women and the disturbing reason why.
Cultural and societal changes tend to happen slowly. The women's movement happened fast. Very, very fast. In a matter of just 10 to 15 years, little first grade girls who thought they could only be certain things when they grew up had everything opened to them if they worked hard and had the courage to try—just like men.
This brilliant, highly readable, and entertaining book by Gail Collins, the first-ever female editor at The New York Times, traces the women's movement from 1960 to today in broad strokes and anecdotes. All the history and public drama are here, as well as dozens of poignant and powerful personal stories of everyday women who lived it. (And bonus! The epilogue at the end updates what happened to many of these women who are profiled in the book.)
Just to set the stage: It's 1960. The smart women who are graduating from the elite Barnard College in New York City, attend a pre-graduation party hosted by the college. At the party, the women who are engaged receive a corsage to wear. Those who are not engaged receive lemons to carry. About two-thirds of the graduating class receive corsages.
Even for those of us who lived through that time and remember things well, there is a lot of surprising information in this book—information that goes beyond the gender-based job ads that easily let employers discriminate or the fact that women were almost always paid significantly less than men who were doing the same work.
Among many other things, find out:
• The shocking laws that were on the books, including some that gave husbands control not only of wives' property, but also their earnings, as well as laws that prohibited women from serving on juries.
• How one senator's decision to play games with the 1964 Civil Rights Act had the unintended consequence of ending job discrimination for women.
• How the birth control pill was more influential in women going to medical school and law school than almost anything else.
• The dramatic effect the women's movement had on clothing. Just reading what women had to wear in the 1960s made me feel uncomfortable and itchy.
• The extraordinary impact of Title IV, especially allowing girls to play more sports in high school and college. Of everything in this book, this is the chapter I most recommend mothers have their daughters read—just so they can understand how much things have changed.
• The real reasons the Equal Rights Amendment failed, including the outsized role Phyllis Schlafly played.
• The horrifying impact on women who were involved in several headline-making sexual harassment cases in the 1990s, including Anita Hill vs. Clarence Thomas, the Navy's Tailhook scandal, and the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair.
• What happened when women were deployed for the first time in combat in the first Gulf War in 1991.
• How dating has changed, especially the "hook-up" culture that has exploded in popularity.
• The different standards for college admissions for men and women and the disturbing reason why.
Cultural and societal changes tend to happen slowly. The women's movement happened fast. Very, very fast. In a matter of just 10 to 15 years, little first grade girls who thought they could only be certain things when they grew up had everything opened to them if they worked hard and had the courage to try—just like men.
September 8, 2012
This is a personable, insightful look at "the women's movement". Really she covers more than from 1960, in order to compare the later half of the century to the times before it. Collins does a nice job of putting efforts for gender equality into historical context; in particular, I enjoyed her writing on how it interacted with the civil rights movement. While not perfectly universal in her approach, Collins also does a decent job of bringing in the experience of not only middle- or upper-class East Coast women, but women of different classes, education levels, and from other parts of the country. It was also interesting to hear how women who started working in women's issues in the 50s and 60s see the fruits of their labors fifty years later. A reasonably fair assessment of successes and failures in the women's movement and also a decent look at the diversity of the women's movement itself are provided, along with the long-term effects on politics and pop culture. There's also some fascinating court cases - I'm kind of a judicial branch geek. A very approachable and valuable look at women's history in America for the last 60 years.
June 13, 2016
I like this book because it covers the time period of my working career and talks about many of the issues of the "women's movement" that affected me. Women were discriminated against in a multitude of areas, one of them being the workplace. Younger women should read this book for an understanding of changing relationships between the sexes (and to give proper thanks to those who paved the way for them and made it easier for them to rise in the business world as well as government). Gail Collins has done extensive research and interviewed hundreds of women, and she has pretty much gotten it right. Of course, there were variations in how women were treated in business, depending on where one lived and who one worked for. Some companies were more forward-thinking than others, including Xerox where I spent most of my career. I also credit this book for giving me insight and background material that helped me write my memoirs ("Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling, Traveling the World, and Other Adventures").
March 19, 2015
I consider myself a pretty voracious reader, and I've read a lot of great books -- fiction and nonfiction -- over the years. But, it is rare that I read a book that is so life-changing...I'm looking at the world differently after this read, and am encouraging everyone I know to read it. A quoted review inside calls "When Everything Changed" "compulsively readable" -- and it is. I was shocked to find myself unable to put this book down, dying to know "what happened next" even as I got into the decades I've lived through. I understand the generations of women before me even better now and I appreciate all the more what the women before me have fought for. What a dazzling, informative, empowering and, at times, heartbreaking read. Women, we have come a long way but have so much more to go.
February 29, 2024
Everyone should absolutely read this book, but only with 7-10 business days to be furious afterwards
November 29, 2009
While it's not as punchy as her newspaper columns, Gail Collins's book When Everything Changed is a fantastically lively and readable account of the women's movement from the 1960's to today. The success of the movement makes it possible for people my age to take its achievements literally for granted; reading this history not only makes you appreciate the conviction and initiative of these women, but makes it seem possible to do much more.
The story is told through anecdotes from women of different ages, backgrounds, and opinions. Many are not famous; some were plaintiffs in famous court cases; others are familiar names like Gloria Steinem. Collins also draws on portrayals of women in popular culture. The book is organized in short, thematic sections that make it easy to read on the train, but they don't come off as inconsequential. Instead, each crystallizes the essential things to understand about an event or attitude. I especially liked the way the book pulled together events that seem historical to me--like the tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Rigg--and those that I remember personally--like the hoopla over the NYT story on Ivy League women dropping out of the workforce to be stay-at-home moms.
Most of all, this book celebrates the achievements of women while acknowledging that we're not all going to agree. Its response to the issue of young women not wanting to call themselves feminists is to make almost no demands of ideological purity on the reader. Collins shows that feminism is for everyone by showing how everyone benefited from feminism.
The story is told through anecdotes from women of different ages, backgrounds, and opinions. Many are not famous; some were plaintiffs in famous court cases; others are familiar names like Gloria Steinem. Collins also draws on portrayals of women in popular culture. The book is organized in short, thematic sections that make it easy to read on the train, but they don't come off as inconsequential. Instead, each crystallizes the essential things to understand about an event or attitude. I especially liked the way the book pulled together events that seem historical to me--like the tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Rigg--and those that I remember personally--like the hoopla over the NYT story on Ivy League women dropping out of the workforce to be stay-at-home moms.
Most of all, this book celebrates the achievements of women while acknowledging that we're not all going to agree. Its response to the issue of young women not wanting to call themselves feminists is to make almost no demands of ideological purity on the reader. Collins shows that feminism is for everyone by showing how everyone benefited from feminism.
February 3, 2020
Born in 1969, I found this history of women in American society, from 1960 to the present, especially illuminating for the years before 1990. It's certainly not academic. Gail Collins' writing is lively but in this book, in contrast to her newspaper columns, only rarely facetious. Using anecdotes more than statistics, Collins paints a compelling picture of the conventions and social expectations that shaped women's lives before and during the 1960s and 1970s, and of the struggles for women's rights. When the book reached periods I know from experience, it seemed more superficial and less emotionally powerful. I can't tell whether the book itself changed, or simply seemed thinner against the more detailed memories I have of public policy debates (and passing news stories) of the last two decades. At any rate, this book has helped fill in my understanding of liberated boomer colleagues - no surprises, really, but I kept reading passages and thinking, well of course, no wonder my friend X reacted in the way she did in a recent conversation; if I had grown up with experiences at all like those described here, I think I'd feel the same way. I'm not sure of Collins' purpose in writing the book, but broadening a reader's empathy and understanding of other peoples' life experiences is no small achievement.
December 8, 2010
I thought this was a pretty balanced portrayal of the journey of the women's movement and what became of it. I was very hopeful when I started the book that it would not be an "Amazing Journey of [white, middle-class, college- educated feminine mystique] American Women, and I was not disappointed. Collins wove together the expreiences of women from all social classes, racial backgrounds, levels of education, wealth, etc.
I was most excited to read the section about my generation of women, but that was the only part that disappointed me. I understand that we are not a 'movement' like in the 60s, but I still think that much more could be said about the subtle every day fights we have, the real work we do in the field (because we have that opportunity), and how our portrayal in the media has changed for better or worse. The commentary about Hilary Clinton's campaign and about the mere existence of a Sarah Palin figure was very interesting, though.
Over all, I love Collins' writing and I think her research and presentation are very solid. This was a fantastic, maddening, fascinating, and inspiring book which I would recommend to everyone, male and female, of course.
I was most excited to read the section about my generation of women, but that was the only part that disappointed me. I understand that we are not a 'movement' like in the 60s, but I still think that much more could be said about the subtle every day fights we have, the real work we do in the field (because we have that opportunity), and how our portrayal in the media has changed for better or worse. The commentary about Hilary Clinton's campaign and about the mere existence of a Sarah Palin figure was very interesting, though.
Over all, I love Collins' writing and I think her research and presentation are very solid. This was a fantastic, maddening, fascinating, and inspiring book which I would recommend to everyone, male and female, of course.
June 29, 2018
This was a book group choice. I wanted to read it as I have liked Gail Collins' opinion pieces in the past. The book claims to cover American women's history from 1960 to the present. I was a little daunted by the 400 page length but found that the pages turned quickly. The writing is somewhat anecdotal, and not dense. I sometimes wished she had given dates or years to some of the events she is writing about. I lived through that time as an almost adult and then an adult and was aware of what was going on. Things were happening with women's awareness before she cites them. This would make a good text for a women's studies class.
She does include black women in the book, but I felt that she could have said more about the struggles of black families after WWII.
My only thought after I finished was that she must have regretted not being able to include the #MeToo movement, which came after the book was published. Perhaps there will be a sequel.
She does include black women in the book, but I felt that she could have said more about the struggles of black families after WWII.
My only thought after I finished was that she must have regretted not being able to include the #MeToo movement, which came after the book was published. Perhaps there will be a sequel.
January 21, 2015
This book was an engaging study of the changes brough on by the 1960s by American women. I read it all in just over a day unable to resist the combination of women's personal stories and historical background. That being said, the book does have its flaws. I couldn't help but feel that the book would have been stronger with some more attention given to the gay rights movement of the time and how that impacted second-wave feminism. It also seemed like Collins didn't consider the polarization of political parties, especially the Republican party, into consideration and how that has impacted the view towards issues such as reproductive rights. To be fair, this may just be the kind of thing obvious in hindsight. If I could I'd rate the book closer to a 3.5.
All things considered it is still useful as a source for the story of American women in the past 50-60 years.
All things considered it is still useful as a source for the story of American women in the past 50-60 years.
November 5, 2013
I read this book as part of a 20th Century American history course. Our professor loves to stir up debate and this was certainly a well-chosen book to do so. The stories in the book were interesting and held my attention. As someone studying history and trying to grow into a historian, this book certainly tried my patience at times. Collins focused on the very controversial issues of the women's movement. She studied the radical women, placed them on a pedestal, briefly acknowledged African American women, and pushed her ideas on the reader rather than simply just telling the story. This book is marketed as a history book but should be categorized as a memoir.
December 5, 2014
I was a little guarded as I started this book because my life choices and politics might seen to go against the aims of feminism and it's not fun to feel defensive for 400 pages. But I love the history of women's rights and agree with and am grateful for the movement. It was anecdotally written almost and was so readable and interesting. Recommended.
March 24, 2015
It took me a long time to pick this up to read--it was a gift. So glad I did. The style of quoting people without delving too much into their stories bothered me (Barbara Winslow--guess I'll have to look up your research!) but the whole era (ERA) in context is extremely well done. I highly recommend it.
March 7, 2016
I thought this book would start with the advent of The Pill, but it didn't, which surprised and pleased me. Highly informative read about the women in this country who fought battles large and small for women's rights. Take away piece of trivia: I had no idea Gloria Steinem got married in Wilma Mankiller's home.
January 9, 2010
This is the book that I helped research in 2005/2006, and interviewed a whole bunch of women for. It comes out this October - I can't wait to read it!
February 15, 2015
I was amazed to realize I lived through the beginning and didn't even realize it.
January 15, 2019
Truly a must read if you're interested in how we got to now in women's history.
April 24, 2021
Solid book on women's history that I stopped reading after turning in my APUSH project and didn't finish 'til now.
Some notable quotes:
“The reformers [of the women’s liberation movement] did not want to overthrow the existing system—they wanted to open the gates so that women could become part of it.” (181)
“The idea that women were the weaker sex, meant to stay at home and tend to the children while the men took care of the outside world, was as old as Western civilization. The colonists who came over on the Mayflower believed that women were morally as well as intellectually and physically inferior and that they should be married off as early as possible so their husbands could keep them on the straight and narrow.” (4)
“In 1960… although computers were still pretty much the stuff of science fiction, almost all the other things that make modern life feel modern — jet travel, television, nuclear terror — had arrived. But when it came to women, the age-old convictions were still intact” (6-7)
“Since it was perfectly legal to discriminate on the basis of sex, there was no real comeback when employers simply said that no women need apply… The belief that marriage meant an end to women’s work-life provided an all-purpose justification for giving the good opportunities to young men.” (21)
“Harper’s claimed, ‘A girl who gets as far as her junior year in college without having acquired a man is thought to be in grave danger of becoming an old maid.’ That wasn’t much of an exaggeration… Professors watched in frustration as their prize pupils raced from final exams to wedding showers.” (38)
“Housewives who felt trapped were not a new phenomenon, even if nobody had done a poll or requested reader responses on the topic in earlier eras. But personal happiness had not been regarded as an entitlement then. And it surprised the nation—or at least the media—that the women who had acquired better homes and more conveniences than any previous generation should seem to be particularly miserable” (56)
“For most, it was a given that they would marry in their early 20s, start families almost immediately, and dedicate their lives to homemaking. Yet as students, they had taken the same courses the career-bound men had, passed the same tests, and researched the same papers to prepare for a future they never actually intended to have.” (57)
“The greatest irony of the celebration of forty years of suffrage was that it seemed that once women had gotten the right to vote, they never got anything else. There was an endless list of ways they were discriminated against or treated unfairly, from lower salaries to inferior facilities for girls’ sports in public schools to the different—and less generous— way that Social Security benefits were computed on women’s wages. Few people seemed to think all this posed much of a problem. Many of the women who had experienced the most discrimination took it for granted; those who didn’t saw little possibility for major change.” (66)
“The fact that the percentage of married women in the workforce kept quietly going up was really the key to women’s liberation. The nation had to accept the idea that most women would work through their adult lives… But as a sex, they were not going to have standing in the public world unless men saw them as having an important economic role.” (99)
“Black critics said the women’s movement was too focused on the problems of suburbs and college campuses rather than on the issues of poverty and exclusion. ‘Blacks are oppressed… white women are suppressed… and there is a difference,’ said Linda La Rue, a black commentator. And the traditional black press stressed that the important thing was for women to shore up the men, not to compete against them.” (204)
Some notable quotes:
“The reformers [of the women’s liberation movement] did not want to overthrow the existing system—they wanted to open the gates so that women could become part of it.” (181)
“The idea that women were the weaker sex, meant to stay at home and tend to the children while the men took care of the outside world, was as old as Western civilization. The colonists who came over on the Mayflower believed that women were morally as well as intellectually and physically inferior and that they should be married off as early as possible so their husbands could keep them on the straight and narrow.” (4)
“In 1960… although computers were still pretty much the stuff of science fiction, almost all the other things that make modern life feel modern — jet travel, television, nuclear terror — had arrived. But when it came to women, the age-old convictions were still intact” (6-7)
“Since it was perfectly legal to discriminate on the basis of sex, there was no real comeback when employers simply said that no women need apply… The belief that marriage meant an end to women’s work-life provided an all-purpose justification for giving the good opportunities to young men.” (21)
“Harper’s claimed, ‘A girl who gets as far as her junior year in college without having acquired a man is thought to be in grave danger of becoming an old maid.’ That wasn’t much of an exaggeration… Professors watched in frustration as their prize pupils raced from final exams to wedding showers.” (38)
“Housewives who felt trapped were not a new phenomenon, even if nobody had done a poll or requested reader responses on the topic in earlier eras. But personal happiness had not been regarded as an entitlement then. And it surprised the nation—or at least the media—that the women who had acquired better homes and more conveniences than any previous generation should seem to be particularly miserable” (56)
“For most, it was a given that they would marry in their early 20s, start families almost immediately, and dedicate their lives to homemaking. Yet as students, they had taken the same courses the career-bound men had, passed the same tests, and researched the same papers to prepare for a future they never actually intended to have.” (57)
“The greatest irony of the celebration of forty years of suffrage was that it seemed that once women had gotten the right to vote, they never got anything else. There was an endless list of ways they were discriminated against or treated unfairly, from lower salaries to inferior facilities for girls’ sports in public schools to the different—and less generous— way that Social Security benefits were computed on women’s wages. Few people seemed to think all this posed much of a problem. Many of the women who had experienced the most discrimination took it for granted; those who didn’t saw little possibility for major change.” (66)
“The fact that the percentage of married women in the workforce kept quietly going up was really the key to women’s liberation. The nation had to accept the idea that most women would work through their adult lives… But as a sex, they were not going to have standing in the public world unless men saw them as having an important economic role.” (99)
“Black critics said the women’s movement was too focused on the problems of suburbs and college campuses rather than on the issues of poverty and exclusion. ‘Blacks are oppressed… white women are suppressed… and there is a difference,’ said Linda La Rue, a black commentator. And the traditional black press stressed that the important thing was for women to shore up the men, not to compete against them.” (204)
October 11, 2017
This book is easy to read and filled with anecdotes that show how far women have come, persevered and most importantly how strong this gender is. Two that come to mind are Lorena Weeks refusing to lift her typewriter which was over 30 pounds making it fall under the law restricting how heavy objects can be that women can lift which prevented her getting a promotion. The other being Rose Ann Vuich ringing a bell in the Senate every time a speaker addressed his colleagues as "gentlemen". This book will inspire you to stand up straight and speak your truth to the world and fight injustice because there is still so much more I fight for.
March 28, 2018
I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about women's history that I didn't know. The author put tons of research into this and it shows. However, I wish she had included more about queer women and trans women, because they were part of this amazing journey, too. The chapter on the civil rights movement was more than I was expecting, so I don't see why there couldn't have been a chapter on LGBT+ movement.
November 23, 2019
I am intensely grateful for my life today and the rights I have grown up with as normal: I can open a bank account, buy a house, hold a credit card, work a job, expect physical and sexual safety at work, home, and on the streets. I can get birth control or a divorce if I need to. I can speak up about abuse or harassment. I can vote and hold political office. I always knew that society and culture barred women from these things, but I had no idea that there were laws in place that restricted women in such a huge way.
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