Barbara Ehrenreich

About Barbara Ehrenreich

Barbara Ehrenreich (born August 26, 1941, in Butte, Montana) is an American feminist, socialist and political activist. She is a widely read columnist and essayist, and the author of nearly 20 books.

Ehrenreich was born Barbara Alexander to Isabelle Oxley and Ben Alexander. Her father was a copper miner who went on to study at Carnegie Mellon University and who eventually became an executive at the Gillette Corporation. Ehrenreich studied physics at Reed College, graduating in 1963. Her senior thesis was entitled Electrochemical oscillations of the silicon anode. In 1968, she received a Ph.D in Cell biology from Rockefeller University.

Citing her interest in social change (), she opted for political activism instead of pursuing a scientific career. She met her first husband, John Ehrenreich, during an anti-war activism campaign in New York City.