Introduction

Abstract

Written at a time when an emphasis on difference has largely eclipsed any shared feminist voice, this project began as a quest for shared views among disparate groups of women. It is a study about why some Western women choose to negotiate a path to empowerment within the limits of particular forms of revivalist Protestantism and Islam. It touches on many areas of women’s lives where there are indeed shared anxieties and concerns. These include finance, exploitation through the beauty myth, the avoidance of sexual objectification, marriage, mothering and family life, justice in the workplace and how to balance the difficult juxtaposition of work outside the home with concerns about child care. Although these issues manifest themselves differently for different women who are from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds, they remain matters of importance for many women. Despite earlier feminist struggles and the progress that has been made, these problem areas of women’s lives have never gone away nor found a final resolution.