If you want to see how far women have come in the last half-century, you need look no further than "Respect: A Musical Journey of Women." The lively revue chronicles the progress of women in popular songs from 1900 through 2000 and has been performed throughout the United States and on most continents since 1999.

"Up until the '70s, women were codependent, as evidenced in songs such as 'Someone to Watch Over Me' and 'I Will Follow Him,'" says Dorothy Marcic, who created -- and until a few years ago, performed in -- the chronological cascade of Top 40 songs.

Then with the women's movement came anger ("These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"), progressing to cynicism ("What's Love Got to Do With It") and arriving at strength ("I Will Survive").

"The road to independence is long, but we're moving in the right direction; equality of men and women is one of the principles taught by Baha'u'llah," says Ms. Marcic, who teaches at Vanderbilt University in Nashville and has been director of the school's graduate programs in human resource development.

Ms. Marcic says she got the idea for using popular songs to show how women have progressed after giving a presentation in 1999 at a Baha'i Social and Economic Development conference.

"At the time I was experimenting with music in my leadership programs, so I decided to throw in some songs," Ms. Marcic says, and that led to her writing the book Respect: Women and Popular Music. She then turned it into the musical revue "Respect" with the help of her daughters—Roxanne, Solange and Elizabeth Hai—who also assisted with research and "interpreting a rap song."

Ms. Marcic says she gets dozens of emails from people around the world saying how much they enjoyed the show, and "how healing it is."

"Respect" has been healing to others as well: In accordance with the Baha'i Faith belief that members should lead a life dedicated to the service of humanity, the revue spawned The Respect Project. The not-for-profit organization uses the arts and workshops to help women gain self-respect and make a difference in their community.

A percentage of proceeds from the revue's ticket sales and merchandises funds The Respect Project, which in turn supports a number of programs that benefit women and children.

"Even before I wrote the book and musical, my work has been about touching people's hearts and minds," Ms. Marcic says. "This experience has been fun and uplifting; it's in the spirit of Baha'i teachings and the positive spirit of the age we're living in."