A groundbreaking contribution to debates on women’s oppression and consciousness, and the connections between socialism and feminism, this foundational text shows how the roles women adopt within the capitalist economy have shaped ideas about family and sexuality. Examining feminist consciousness from various vantage points – social, sexual, cultural and economic – Sheila Rowbotham identifies the conditions under which it developed, and how the formation of a new “way of seeing” for women can lead to collective solidarity. “Rowbotham is one of Britain’s most important, if unshowy, feminist thinkers, and a key figure of the second wave.” —Melissa Benn, Guardian “Sheila’s early writing paved the way for feminist thought and scholarship in Britain.” —Lynne Segal