Mothers, wives and changing lives.

Women have made a major contribution to Wales as it is today, but so far there have been few authors who have brought the story of their struggle to light. This book fills that gap in our knowledge. With historical examples and richly-detailed accounts from people reminiscing about their own and their families’ histories, this volume brings the hidden history of women in Wales to light. Wales has often been thought of as a traditional place where gender was concerned, yet we describe here how women took leading roles in a number of important events such as religious revivals. In their tens of thousands women promoted education, a love of learning and culture and a sense of ambition which has taken the current generation of Welsh men and women into the sciences the arts and into public life. This desire for knowledge and aspiration towards ‘better things’ has characterised community life in homes, schools, chapels and Eistedfoddau and in the last century women have played a vital yet under-appreciated role in fostering it. This book unearths the hidden debt owed to Welsh women in laying the foundation for feminist advances and present day cultural, professional and political achievement in Wales.