Women’s Voices in Ireland: Women’s Magazines in the 1950s and 60s

Review “Caitriona Clear provides an interesting and interdisciplinary perspective on select women’s magazines at a pivotal time in the country’s history … The volume provides some new insights, linking the readers’ letters, problems pages, and “agony aunts” to a broader women’s history context that complements existing scholarship of Irish press history." - The Journal of Magazine Media Product Description Women's Voices in Ireland examines the letters and problems sent in by women to two Irish women's magazines in the 1950s and 60s, discussing them within their wider social and historical context. In doing so, it provides a unique insight into one of the few forums for female expression in Ireland during this period.Although in these decades more Irish women than ever before participated in paid work, trade unions and voluntary organizations, their representation in politics and public and their workforce participation remained low. Meanwhile, women who came of age from the late 1950s experienced a freedom which their mothers and aunts - married or single, in the workplace or the home - had never known. Diary and letters pages and problem pages in Irish-produced magazines in the 1950s and 60s enabled women from all walks of life to express their opinions and to seek guidance on the social changes they saw happening around them. This book, by examining these communications, gives a new insight into the history of Irish women, and also contributes to the ongoing debate about what women's magazines mean for women's history. Book Description An exploration of letters, problems, and news items sent in to two Irish-produced women's magazines in the 1950s and 60s and how these reflect the place of women in society during the period. About the Author Caitriona Clear lectures on European and Irish women's history, the history of poverty and institutions, general political history, and oral history at the National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. Her most recent book is Social Change and Everyday Life in Ireland 1850-1922 (2007).