From her personal diary as an eleven-year-old in a Catholic girl's school, in which she chastises herself for the sin of wearing a bathing suit, through erudite analysis of the patriarchal structures on which most world communities stand, Elena Garcés examines culture, history, economics, law, and religion as they apply to her native Colombia. In so doing, she promotes ideas which demolish the "forced enclosure" of women in that society. Eighteen Colombian women, selected at random from many regions and ethnicities, and from up and down the socioeconomic ladder, tell life stories almost universally tragic, regardless of the wealth, education, age, or status derived from positions held by their husbands. Their experiences, in particular the ways in which family and institutions are used against them, illustrate the feminist theories around which Garcés shapes her arguments. This book will be ideal for undergraduate students of Women's Studies, Latin American Studies, Religion, and Sociology. It will also appeal to scholars interested in the welfare and development of women.