Magnificent Women and their Revolutionary Machines

'Womenhave won their political independence. Now is the time for them to achievetheir economic freedom too.'

This was the great rallying cry of thepioneers who, in 1919, created the Women's Engineering Society. Spearheaded byKatharine and Rachel Parsons, a powerful mother and daughter duo, and CarolineHaslett, whose mission was to liberate women from domestic drudgery, it was theworld's first professional organisation dedicated to the campaign for women's rights.

MagnificentWomen and Their Revolutionary Machines tells thestories of the women at the heart of this group – from their success in fanningthe flames of a social revolution to their significant achievements inengineering and technology. It centres on the parallel but contrasting lives ofthe two main protagonists, Rachel Parsons and Caroline Haslett – one born toprivilege and riches whose life ended in dramatic tragedy; the other who rosefrom humble roots to become the leading professional woman of her age andmistress of the thrilling new power of the twentieth century: electricity.

In this fascinating book, acclaimedbiographer Henrietta Heald also illuminates the era in which the society wasfounded. From the moment when women in Britain were allowed to vote for thefirst time, and to stand for Parliament, she charts the changing attitudes towomen's rights both in society and in the workplace.