Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers' Rights At Wal-Mart

"Selling Women Short" by Liza Featherstone is an engaging book about the historic 'Betty Dukes vs Wal-Mart Stores Inc' class action lawsuit that alleges Wal-Mart's institutionalized discrimination of its female employees. Skillfully weaving anecdotes and profiles of key plaintiffs and their claims of sexism with research about Wal-Mart and its Orwellian corporate culture, the book provides an excellent critique of the company's numerous illegal behaviors and a humane narrative of its female employees' struggle for justice.Interestingly, Ms. Featherstone's analysis suggests that the company's paradigmatic success is attributable to its parasitical relationship with the declining fortunes of the working class. Wal-Mart cynically promotes itself as a pro-family, pro-American company even as it offers poverty-level wages and imports most of its wares from foreign, low-wage countries. In this manner, Ms. Featherstone explains that Wal-Mart both contributes to and profits from the exploitation of marginalized female laborers.Ms. Featherstone is careful to discuss the limitations of the lawsuit as a tool to effect systemic change at Wal-Mart. She contends that it is probably equally important for the public to become educated about the inequities at Wal-Mart in order to create a media firestorm that might pressure the company to change its ways. However, Ms. Featherstone describes the difficulties that unions and interest groups have had trying to organize labor and shoppers in the struggle with Wal-Mart, contending that our consumer culture tends to set aside worker's rights issues in favor of shopping expediency. Nevertheless, as the lawsuit moves forward the author is hopeful that Wal-Mart may soon feel the need to make significant changes in order to avert a court-imposed solution and/or a public relations catastrophe.I highly recommend this outstanding book to everyone.

I urge anyone who supports Hillary Clinton to read this book. Hillary was the first woman to serve on Walmart's board of directors and she never tried to help to help women achieve pay equity. Walmart's rampant sexism is documented very clearly in this book.

The author shows a total lack of understanding of human relationships. She's too busy making her moralistic high-horse case and judging to having anything but a simplistic, childish, disconnected view of the world. Reality is far off in the distance.

It matters not whether you are a liberal like author Liza Featherstone or a dyed in the wool conservative concerned with holding down government spending. "Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker's Rights at Wal-Mart" presents an abundance of evidence that should persuade an awful lot of Americans to spend their hard earned dollars anywhere but at Wal-Mart. Citing testimony from dozens of present and former Wal-mart employees, Featherstone describes how the company has systematically underpaid its female employees while at the same time denying promotions to many qualified women who wish to advance in the company. And to be sure these practices have dire consequences for many women trying to eke out a living on the meager wages Wal-Mart pays them. And as I indicated, conservatives will not be too happy either when they learn that Wal-Mart routinely encourages its underpaid employees to take advantage of government programs! Featherstone cites Wal-mart documents that actually instruct employees on how to apply for Food Stamps, state health insurance for the poor and other welfare programs. How do you like that Mr.& Mrs. Taxpayer? You are being forced to subsidize the worlds largest retailer. Add to that the huge tax breaks many towns and municipalities give to Wal-Mart and the true story of how this hideous company does business begins to emerge."Selling Women Short" only reinforces what I have long believed about Wal-Mart. It would be a cold day in hell before I would ever shop at one of their stores. But I am lucky because I can afford to make that choice. Many individuals struggling just to get by don't have that luxury and that is the crux of the problem. When Wal-Mart comes to town it forces a great many smaller businesses to close leaving Wal-Mart practically the only game in town. And those businesses that do remain often cut wages and benefits for their employees just to compete with Wal-Mart. It is a lose-lose situation for just about everyone but Wal-Mart. Throughout her book, Liza Featherstone references the landmark class action suit Dukes vs. Wal-Mart. It is a fascinating case and there is an awful lot at stake. Reading "Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker's Rights at Wal-Mart" is a great way to get up to speed on this extremely important issue. Highly recommended.