Anna Garlin Spencer

Anna Garlin Spencer (April 17, 1851 – 12 February 1931[2]) was an American educator, feminist, and Unitarian minister.

[4] Over a long period she was a popular lecturer and wrote on social problems, especially concerning women and family relations.

She still remained active in a number of organizations that included many interests, such as women's rights, social work, and religious education.

Spencer died of heart failure on 12 February 1931 in New York City, at a dinner for the League of Nations, which she had worked for many years to help establish.

She pressed the need for gender equality, especially as women were no longer shut up at home but were starting to become a part of the public society that once belonged exclusively to men.

Democracy once relied heavily on the strong educational upbringing of children (once the women's role).

Spencer hopes that society will move towards gender equality and decrease its influence over the family structure.

Throughout this book, Spencer suggests ways the family can be more democratic and be strengthened by this new role for women.

Because women know they are only going to spend a brief period in the workforce, they settle for low-paying jobs and poor working conditions.