Rights, Not Roses Unions and the Rise of Working-Class Feminism, 1945-80

"Deslippe has provided a cogent and rigorous case analysis that will serve as an important base for future work."--Nan Enstad, American Historical Review "Deslippe joins a growing number of scholars who are documenting the tortured path union women took in the years after World War II as support for protective labor legislation eroded and 'second-wave' feminism emerged. . . . Deslippe's detailed narrative makes balanced use of union records, government documents and oral histories, enabling the reader to understand women's ambivalence and hesitation, as well as their courage and strength, within the context of powerful economic and social forces. It is an admirable achievement."--Janet Irons, Labor History "While historians have paid a good deal of attention to the role of women in the labor movement during the twentieth century, they have neglected to see the central role that women unionists played in shaping postwar changes in policies concerning women. Deslippe's study, placing female unionists and their male allies at the center of those struggles, offers a welcome addition and corrective to the existing scholarship."--Thomas Winter, Journal of Illinois History "A thoughtful and balanced analysis of gender issues in industrial unions. . . . An excellent addition to labor and women's history collections."--Choice "Adds to the understanding of the complex path of gender politics and class over the past decades. . . . [A] thoughtful and thorough study."--Lynn Y. Weiner, The Annals of Iowa "Rights, Not Roses [not only] sheds new light on the role of working-class women in the feminist movement, it also provides a detailed and insightful analysis of the way in which feminism changed the industrial labor movement. . . . A particularly appealing feature of Deslippe's study is the way in which he connects post-war activism and consciousness with the preceding wartime period. . . . A carefully researched, finely argued and well written analysis."--Raelene Frances, Australasian Journal of American Studies "A complex story, but a necessary one. The biggest contribution this book makes to the literature is 'mainstreaming' the women's story with the stories of the men and the history of the unions themselves, and showing how the structure of a union can hinder or foster gender and other kinds of equality."--Tequila J. Brooks, Industrial Relations