Women are breaking through the so-called 'glass ceiling' in increasing numbers. In this book, forty such women, whose thinking has altered not only their own particular field but the very way we see the world, talk vividly about their ideas and lives, hopes and concerns for the future. Chosen from across the globe, in areas as diverse as computer science, physics, literature, philosophy, politics, law and anthropology, most are drawn from the small group who make up Britain's five per cent and America's sixteen per cent of female professors. Others have made an impact as intellectuals working largely outside the academy. Their achievements serve as an inspiration to women in all professions to make their mark in what is still a man's world. Based on profiles which first appeared in the Times Higher Education Supplement, the women interviewed include: Camille Paglia, Marina Warner, bell hooks, Anita Desai, Mary Warnock, Catharine MacKinnon, Mary Daly, Kay Davies, Jane Goodall, Julie Theriot, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Jacqueline Rose, Ann Oakley, Marilyn Strathern, Shirley Williams and many others.