The Bellwomen: The Story of the Landmark AT&T Sex Discrimination Case

by Marjorie A. Stockford

In the early 1970s, David Copus, a young, long-haired lawyer, teamed up with his government colleagues to confront the mature and staid executives of AT&T over the company's treatment of its female and minority employees. Their disagreement resulted in a $38 million settlement that benefited 15,000 employees, more than 13,000 of them women, and changed our perceptions of women's and men's roles in the workplace forever. Copus, who worked for the Equal...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813534283
• ISBN13: 9780813534282
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 247 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Exciting drama about fight for equality in Corporate America

The Bellwomen is a must read for anyone interested in understanding what it was like to be a working woman in the early 1970's. Not a dry history. Ms. Stockford is very skilled in telling this as a compelling, suspenseful story. This book is a fascinating but little known chronicle of the EEOC's suit against AT & T, and Ms. Stockford's comprehensive research is skillfully used to create an exciting drama. She brings to life the characters involved in the legal process. She intersperses sketches of three women who worked for AT & T which only add to this movie-like tale. You won't be able to put this book down.

surprisingly good read

This isn't the kind of book I'd normally pick up, but once I started reading I was completely absorbed. The writing is clear and compelling; the characters engaging; and the potentially dry material is presented in a way that makes it fresh and relevant. Ms. Stockford has managed to wrap a complex event into a suspenseful work of non-fiction--quite an accomplishment. Highly recommended.

Fine writing

Bellwomen presents readers with an evenhanded account of the complex legal battle leading up to the landmark AT & T settlement of 1973. Stockford's extraordinary research combines with details she discerns from countless interviews to offer a gripping presentation of the facts in a text reminiscent of A Civil Action. The lucid voice in the writing proves especially effective as the author weaves descriptions of the participants' personalities and private lives between scenes of courtroom contests. The reader comes to appreciate the humanity of the subjects as they reflect on both the mistakes and accomplishments which ultimately leads AT & T and numerous other corporations to recruit and hire women and minorities.

A Superb Historical Footprint

Ms. Stockford's book is a compelling read for anyone with an interest in either the landmark AT & T settlement, or the remarkable transformation of women's roles in the workplace over the last few decades. It's well-organized, thoroughly researched, brimming with details, and yet very user-friendly. Refreshingly impartial, it includes something for everyone: personal stories, legal niceties, corporate awakenings, feminist voices from the early days of the women's movement, and even courtroom drama. I'm looking forward to her next book!