Atomic parity violation: an overview

This paper gives an overview on parity violation. The authors clarify the meaning of synonym expressions such as mirror symmetry breaking, parity nonconservation and parity violation and present a short historical survey. The other sections present the possible manifestations of parity violation in atomic and molecular physics, the parity violation measurements in atomic radiative transitions, the results in cesium and their implications and finally a new generation of experiments in progress and plans for future projects. (A.L.B.)