4TRODUCTION<br >Survey after survey has reported that women are happier with their lives today than at<br >W time in recent memory. Largely responsible for women s high spirits is the falling of<br >~rriers -- many of them ages old -- that kept our sex in a tightly circumscribed place.<br >In all the consciousness raising about women s past misfortunes， we have sometimes<br >，st sight of the truly remarkable achievements of women throughout history. That s<br >hy one of this book s purposes is to spotlight successful women of today and yester-<br >ty: mothers and mathematicians， poets and politicians， actresses and athletes.<br >We re not making light of the obstacles every successful woman has encountered<br >ffore reaching the top. Entertainer Dinah Shore， runner Wilma Rudolph， and author-<br >former Helen Keller all triumphed over crippling childhood illnesses. Many grew up in<br >~verty， among them singer Loretta Lynn， Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm， and<br >minist Gloria Steinem. Most encountered some form of sex discrimination; first lady<br >leanor Roosevelt， artist Mary Cassatt， and choreographer Agnes De Mille， among<br >hers， even fought opposition within their own families. We ll let you in on some of<br >eir secrets of success.<br >But our book is not just about women who have already made names for themselves.<br >Eost of all， we re interested in the woman still on her way to the top: You!<br >What constitutes success for the modem woman? For most of us， the formula for<br >;rsonal fulfillment contains elements both old and new. We are excited -- and occa-<br >anally a bit frightened -- about the array of new opportunities opening up for our sex.<br >t the same time， we welcome our traditional responsibilities to family and community.<br >aat s why we tell you about both finding a job and finding a pediatrician， buying<br >，smetics and buying stocks and bonds.<br >We hope these suggestions and the examples set by celebrated women will help make<br >mr future even brighter. As daring aviator Amelia Earhart insisted， "Women must try<br >do things as men have tried. When they fail， their failure must be but a challenge to<br >hers."<br >At the outset of this project， filling 576 pages with information about women seemed a<br >ft icult task. Time has taught us just how little can fit into a book this size. If we were<br >LaNe to include one of your favorite women， let us know. We ll try our best to fit her<br >:o a subsequent edition.<br > Barbara McDowell<br > and Hana Umlauf，<br > editors<br >