Barbara
Ehrenreich received a Ph.D in cellular immunology, but decided
to pursue a career as a freelance writer and social activist instead
of going into science. Several things made her rethink the direction
of her life, including her concern about the ongoing Vietnam War.
The degrading experience she had when giving birth to her baby
in a public clinic in New York City in 1970, left Barbara Ehrenreich
angry at the way she was treated and helped inspire a passion
to start writing about feminist and women's health issues. She
co-authored several books and began speaking on these issues at
many conferences and other forums. Since then, Barbara Ehrenreich
has been an award-winning columnist and essayist and has written
over 20 books about social issues, including living in poverty,
unemployment, women and children in the sex trade, and corporate
greed. She is best known for her 2001 book, Nickel and Dimed:
On (Not) Getting By in America, detailing a three-month experiment
trying to survive on minimum-wage jobs. She has founded and worked
with many social change organizations, including the National
Women's Health Network, the anti-poverty group Women's Committee
of 100 and the Campaign for America's Future.
