Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet

Title: Great Stewardess Rebellion: How Women Launched a Workplace Revolution at 30,000 Feet
Author: Nell McShane Wulfhart
ISBN: 9780385546454
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: 2022
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Condition Note: Clean, unmarked copy with some edge wear. Good binding. Dust jacket included if issued with one. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.
History: 1691594
Section: History | Women
Publisher Description: The empowering true story of a group of spirited stewardesses who "stood up to huge corporations and won, creating momentous change for all working women." (Gloria Steinem, co-founder of Ms. magazine)

It was the Golden Age of Travel, and everyone wanted in. As flying boomed in the 1960s, women from across the United States applied for jobs as stewardesses. They were drawn to the promise of glamorous jet-setting, the chance to see the world, and an alternative to traditional occupations like homemaking, nursing, and teaching.

But as the number of "stews" grew, so did their suspicion that the job was not as picture-perfect as the ads would have them believe. "Sky girls" had to adhere to strict weight limits at all times; gain a few extra pounds and they'd be suspended from work. They couldn't marry or have children; their makeup, hair, and teeth had to be just so. Girdles were mandatory while stewardesses were on the clock. And, most important, stewardesses had to resign at 32.

Eventually the stewardesses began to push back and it's thanks to their trailblazing efforts in part that working women have gotten closer to workplace equality today. Nell McShane Wulfhart crafts a rousing narrative of female empowerment, the paradigm-shifting '60s and '70s, the labor movement, and the cadre of gutsy women who fought for their rights--and won.