Women Money Power
The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
In Women Money Power, financial journalist Josie Cox tells the compelling story of women’s fight for financial freedom, the social and political hurdles that have kept them from equality―and the work that remains to be done.
“A bold, fascinating, and hugely important book. Unforgettable.”―Jonathan Eig, author of King: A Life and The Birth of the Pill
“A necessary and riveting read.”―Francesca Donner, former gender director at the New York Times
For centuries, women were denied equal access to money and the freedom and power that came with it. They were restricted from owning property or transacting in real estate. Even well into the 20th century, women could not take out their own loans or own bank accounts without their husband’s permission.
They could be fired for getting married or pregnant, and if they still had a job, they could be kept from certain roles, restricted from working longer hours, and paid less than men for equal work. It was a raw deal, and women weren’t happy with it. So they pushed back.
Women, Money, Power is an inspirational account of brave pioneers who took on social mores and the law, including the “Rosies” who filled industrial jobs vacated by men and helped win WWII, the heiress whose fortune helped create the birth control pill, the brassy investor who broke into the boys’ club of the New York Stock Exchange, and the namesake of landmark equal pay legislation who refused to accept discrimination.
But as any woman can tell you, the battle for equality—for money and power—is far from over. Cox delves deep into the challenges women face today and the culture and systems that hold them back. This is a fascinating narrative account of progress, women’s lives, and the work still to be done.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Money and, by extension, power remain stubbornly gendered," according to this incisive debut history. Journalist Cox investigates American women's economic status from WWII through the present by telling stories of women "who dedicated their lives to female economic empowerment." The subjects include Anna Mae Krier, who assembled bomber planes during WWII and later successfully petitioned Congress for recognition of women's contributions to Allied victory; Margaret Sanger, whose fruitful efforts to create a birth control pill meant fewer women had to drop out of the workforce because of unplanned pregnancies; and U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm, whose impassioned advocacy on behalf of the Equal Rights Amendment still couldn't secure its passage. There's some jaw-dropping trivia ("It wasn't until 1988, and the Women's Business Ownership Act... that all women were able to get a business loan without a male cosigner"), and Cox makes depressingly clear how some ostensibly successful gender equality campaigns have actually been pyrrhic victories. For instance, she notes that the lawyer who represented Goodyear supervisor Lilly Ledbetter in an equal pay case against her employer (the Supreme Court ruled against her in 2007, but Congress named its 2009 Fair Pay Act after her) reports that businesses still routinely flout the law. It's a rousing testament to the achievements of women activists, and a damning indictment of how America has failed to protect their gains. Photos.
