Examines the advances that have been made towards ensuring the rights of women. It looks below the surface to find out what the reality is for women all around the world and shows how, in this post-feminist' age, women's rights are still very much an issue. Contains a brief history of women's rights, from 900BC to the present day and numerous text boxes with case studies, charts and graphs to illustrate points clearly. Nikki van der Gaag is the former editorial director and co-editor of New Internationalist magazine.'

Has the battle for women's rights been won? As Niki van der Gaag points out, it is easy to forget just how recently so many women's rights have been won; and how many women still face violations of their rights on a daily basis. In this No-Nonsense Guide, van der Gaag offers a status report on the women of the world by examining issues like health, poverty, politics, law, education, the environment, violence, and sexuality. And although we are not yet living in a post-feminist world and change is slow in coming, it is coming.

How much has life really changed for women during the last decade? Has the womens movement affected women all over the world? Has it changed womens relationships with men? Nikki van der Gaag answers these questions with hard, sometimes disturbing, evidence. Many women have made huge leaps forwardin legal rights, political representation, employment, education, healthbut beneath the surface the statistics are shocking. Vivid testimonies from women and men around the world explain why, especially in this post-feminist age, womens rights are still very much an issue for men and women alike. "She has made a special effort to correct many of the misconceptions and biases related to the feminist movement, to link the liberation of women who constitute half of society to the liberation of men and to the dispossessed majority living on earth." from the introduction by Nawal El Saadawi

Rights are universal - that's the theory. How can this be transformed into reality for all?

Most people's knowledge of world history is hazy and incomplete at best. This updated No-Nonsense Guide gives a full picture, revealing the hidden histories and communities left out of conventional history books—from the civilizations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America to the history of women. The new final chapter includes material on the financial crisis and the world response to climate change. Chris Brazier is co-editor at New Internationalist. His previous books include Vietnam: The Price of Peace. He is principal writer for UNICEF's The State of the World's Children report.

Ball and Gready review the development of today's assumptions about human rights and introduce readers to alternative models from history and from today's human rights debate. From the material rights of citizenship to the more abstract rights of the imagination, the authors present a clear overview of today's human rights debate and prompt discussion about alternative models for the future. Splendid series of pocketable guides to issue politics...rigorously clear.' - The Guardian'