This new edition of an established text brings the history of the women's movement in Britain right up to the present day. Updated and expanded, the third edition features a new final chapter focusing on the parliamentary breakthrough of 1997 and the likely impact of women in the upcoming general election. Another major addition is the study of the effects of the Thatcher era on a generation of women, from a greater distance. The book has been thoroughly revised throughout to analyse the themes and developments of the new millennium, including women's employment, women and liberal society, and women in public life.