Artist's book / compendium of statistics about contemporary women's conditions produced by Women's Action Coalition and edited by Andrea Blum, Julie Harrison, Barbara Ess, and Gail Vachon. Includes a note from the editors and an index. Designed by Bethany Johns Design with cover photos by Terry Slatkin and Lisa Kahane.
Women thought it was over in 1920, when they attained the right to vote. They thought it was over by 1980, when they re-entered the workforce en masse for the first time since World War II. But now it's the 1990s, and women are experiencing a "backlash": they are the targets of an increasingly violent anti-choice movement, institutionalized sexual harassment in the workplace, and rising incidence of rape on the street, in our homes, and on our college campuses. Groups like the Women's Action Coalition have become the mouthpieces for women who believe that these assaults are a clear sign that the struggle for equality is far from being over. A "Third Wave" of feminism is washing over the country, and indeed the world, and groups like WAC (not to be confused with the Women's Army Corp) are in the forefront.
Originally published by WAC itself, "WAC STATS: The Facts About Women" is a slim volume of deadly facts and a comprehensive look at the problems facing women today: *The average salary of a black female college graduate in a full-time position is less than that of a white male high school dropout *The amount of money spent on cosmetics every year could buy three times the amount of daycare offered by the United States government *A study of a women's prison found 40% of inmates incarcerated for murder or manslaughter had killed partners who repeatedly assaulted them. These women had sought police protection at least 5 times before. Facts, such as these, are the firepower of this new feminism, and WAC STATS addresses topics that affect women of every race, class, and sexuality.
WAC was founded in New York City in January 1992 by a group of women in the wake of the Anita Hill/Clarence Thomas debacle. Less than two years later they have 2,000 members in New York and more than twenty chapters worldwide, with affiliates in Paris, London, Toronto, and Budapest.
From Abortion, AIDS and art, to the Sex Industry, Violence, and Work, WAC STATS looks at the facts, and helps us to draw a realistic picture of women's lives in the 1990s. Conscientiously documented and painstakingly researched, WAC STATS is an invaluable resource for any classroom, research paper, or individual who just wants to have the facts at her fingertips.
The Women's Action Coalition (WAC) is an open alliance of women committed to DIRECT ACTION on issues affecting the rights of all women. We are witnesses to the current economic, cultural, and political pressures that limit women's lives and to the horrifying effect of these limitations. As current legislation fails to reflect the experience of women, we support the immediate enactment of an ERA initiative. WAC insists on an end to violence against women. We insist on every woman's right to quality health care, child care and reproductive freedom. We will exercise our full and creative power to alaunch a visible and remarkable resistance.
WAC IS WATCHING—WE WILL TAKE ACTION
--from press release for this edition of the publication
