Chakrabati is a respected writer and social commentator so this book is predictable for presenting clear arguments promoting the urgent need to accelerate the establishment of equality between the sexes. From the vastly lesser chances offered in education to the constraints of opportunity that result from stifled opportunities and unequal pay in the workplace, it is clear there is still much to be done. We are "human beings" first and only when this simple fact is genuinely recognised and universally accepted shall we correct the wrongs that have been done to women over the centuries. A recommended read for men!

I was sent a copy of Of Women: In the 21st Century by Shami Chakrabarti to read and review by NetGalley.
I have always admired and respected Shami Chakrabarti and enjoyed watching her debating on programmes such as Question Time. I personally believe that she is someone who should be listened to as she speaks wisely and knowledgably about all things human, political and of course human rights.
I had not actually read any of her writings and was a little worried that Of Women might be a little dry and hard to digest because of the subject matter. How wrong could I be! I was interested, shocked, appalled and heartened by turn. Even the statistics did not leave me cold!
This is a well-researched and very readable book highlighting the many aspects of life concerning women across the world. I cannot believe that in the twenty first century that many of the archaic attitudes and customs inflicted on women of all nations and walks of life are still so prevalent. Shami not only highlights the need for feminism within our own knowledge of the term – e.g. with equality and equal pay, but within the realms of basic human rights.
While the main focus of the book is of women, as of the title, I challenge anyone of any gender to read it and not be appalled by the state of the world we live in and want to change things for the better. Good work Shami!

Shami Chakrabarti is passionate, and indeed angry, about the need for gender equality in her book Of Women: in the 21 Century. She examines the effects of gender injustice on a wide variety of issues in many parts of the world. In parts it reads like a dry academic textbook, packed full of statistics and wide ranging examples of gender injustice on a global scale. It becomes more personal however, when she writes about her own experiences her family and her background.

She covers a broad overview of many issues, rather than an in depth study, including violence against women, abortion, sanitary products, childcare and sex education and topics such as faith, the concept of home and displaced persons, health, wealth, education, representation, opportunity and insecurity in the 21st century. There are so many issues for just one book of just 229 pages and it is depressing reading for the most part, even though she suggests a number of initiatives to improve matters.

However, she remains optimistic, concluding that she believes that ‘far greater equality for women and men is realistically within our reach and well worth the stretch.’ I don’t think it is that easy and will need more than a ‘stretch’.

There is an extensive list (for each chapter heading) of ‘Further Reading and Viewing’ at the end of the book, but I think it would also be helpful to have an index to the wide ranging issues covered in this book.

Shami Chakrabarti is a former director of Liberty (2003-16), is Labour’s Shadow Attorney General, a member of the House of Lords, and the author of On Liberty, a book about human rights violations published in 2014.

My thanks to the publishers for a review copy via NetGalley.

I absolute loved this book, it has a bit of and angry voice but it’s absolutely necessary given the facts and numbers given. Don’t know if I’m the printed version will include phone numbers or help type web sites, but I think would be a great addition for those who are struggling or those who would like to help other ladies.
Thank you berg ally for letting me review this book.

When I saw that this book had just been published by Shami Chakrabarti, I wanted to make sure that I had a copy to improve my understanding of what is a challenging but extremely important subject in today's world. As a man, it was not an issue that had previously attracted as much of my attention as maybe it should and I wanted to do something about that situation. Shami Chakrabati is someone who had already gained my respect through her public presence and having finished the book, I feel that she has provided me with greater detailed insight and on a global scale.
What particularly impressed me is the breadth of her knowledge and the accompanying statistics that she used to support her case. My biggest concern with this book is the style that she has adopted to present the vast wealth of information on such important issues across the globe. At times the flood of information and statistics was overwhelming and this should have been taken into account when considering the potential readership.
But that should not detract from the fact that this book is an up to date statement on the position and challenges of women in the 21st century. It is presented in a balanced and informative way and is certainly a "must read" book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't the book for me, and unfortunately I only read 25% of the book.

It was incredibly well researched, Shami pulled together great point from all over the globe and covered all different types of people. And of course it has a great message.

However, it read like more of an academic paper than a book for general consumption. There was also times where we seemed jump around between topics.

While, in general, this is a fairly basic introduction to feminist thought, the conclusion is a particularly powerful manifesto for a 21st century feminism.

Thought provoking, Shami Chakrabarti's treatise "On Women" explores the inequalities present across the globe today. I found myself agreeing with most of the points she makes, however by her own admission, only the privileged, educated women on the planet will get the chance to read and consider the issues as Chakrabarti writes them. One would hope that she as a politician will be able to push this message out across multiple media as it's a subject important for all.

To read this book is like re-reading de Beauvoir's classic The Second Sex and what's depressing is that however much has changed about our world (the internet, Twitter, Trump), many of the basic inequalities are still in place. Chakrabarti, however, is more upbeat than I am in this impassioned polemic - sadly, though, I suspect she's speaking to the converted. It's difficult to imagine a misogynist, self-proclaimed or not, picking up this book; just as it's difficult to imagine the passively political or even the vaguely-interested deciding that this might be worth a read. Which is a shame since one of the things that Chakrabarti brings to the table is a clarity of expression, an accessibility in her arguments, and a good number of facts, statistics and numbers to give substance to her discussions.

For all that, there's nothing new here, however much I enjoyed her analysis of Trump's behaviour with female politicians, for example, or her assessments of the (mis)representations of women in media and culture. I like, too, that Chakrabarti tackles head on debates about feminism and trans/cis communities, and doesn't ever overlook the way in which feminism has a wide remit of generalised equalities that encompass masculinity, race, class, wellness, education and economic status.

The writing is both impassioned and also personal (I loved the moments where we hear about Chakrabarti's own family, upbringing and experiences) but, of course, if it were easy to legislate, demonstrate or otherwise radically overturn global misogyny and gender inequality, we'd have made more process than we have. Like initiatives, though, like Everyday Sexism, it's this kind of drip-feeding of information, protest and informed discussion that we have to rely on. I hope this is a book which becomes widely read, debated, openly discussed and which readers pass on to their families, loved ones, friends, acquaintances and, especially, to the younger generations growing into an inherited unfair world.