Ehrenreich, Barbara

Barbara Ehrenreich is an American social critic and women's advocate. Since the late 1960s, Ehrenreich has authored over 20 social critiques addressing the effects of capitalism on American society, the status of women's health, American foreign policy, and the evolving concept of the American dream. In addition to her scholarship, Ehrenreich is active in local and national-level labor disputes.

Ehrenreich was born in Butte, Montana, in 1941 and raised in a blue-collar family. During her childhood, her father worked as a miner, but was later able to move his family up the economic ladder after attending the Butte School of Mines. After earning a doctorate in cell biology, Ehrenreich went to work for a small nonprofit organization in New York City that advocated better healthcare for ...