Women Out of Bounds:
The Secret History of Enterprising Women

With occasional exceptions women, as a group, have been relegated to the background of human existence in Western society: they are the weaker sex, the quite ones, the caregivers and nurturers, the homebodies who keep the home fires burning. Working outside the confines of home and family was unthinkable. Those who dared to do so, or were forced by circumstances to do so, were looked down upon, at the very least, and often suffered worse at the hands of male employers. Disparaging stereotypes were created and women who broke the mold were perceived as sexless, loose, strident, heartless, destroyers of family morals…the list could go on.

But, out of this mass, many individuals can be found who refused to be locked into the conventional notions of their day. This book looks at entrepreneurial women. Not only did these women work, they worked for themselves. The focus is on British and North American women but women from Asia, South American, South Africa, the Middle East, and Europe also appear. Ending in the 1910s, the book looks back over twenty-five centuries of history's eccentric and colorful female characters. (Women in traditional female occupations are not covered.) A lively, well-written piece, it is a quick and informative read that will open your eyes to the myriad things women have done in the past.