The author examines theorists from Aristotle to Hayek, and charts women's social and legal history from the industrial revolution to the present. A study of the hidden remises which act as a continuing break on women's progress, including liberal ideas such as equality and autonomy, and the women's role in the family. In applying this critique to current law, the book casts light on some of today's social issues - equal pay, affirmative action, and the interaction between work in the family and work in the market-place.