Accidental Feminists

How one generation became feminists-by accident

Western women over fifty are a revolutionary generation. They are the first in history to have been in paid work for most of their lives. The power and freedom of this financial independence is unprecedented. But this financial transformation is not equally enjoyed. Jane Caro investigates what predisposes some women to succeed and others to fall.Women over fifty-five are of the generation that changed everything. We didn't expect to. Or intend to. We weren't brought up much differently from the women who came before us, and we rarely identified as feminists, although almost all of us do now.

Accidental Feminists is our story. It explores how the world we lived in — with the pill and a regular pay cheque — transformed us and how, almost in spite of ourselves, we revolutionised the world. It is a celebration of grit, adaptability, energy and persistence. It is also a plea for future generations to keep agitating for a better, fairer world.