Corinne Low, an economist at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, experienced significant challenges after the birth of her son in 2017. While she was fulfilling her career ambitions, an increase in her commute time due to track repairs made balancing work and family responsibilities increasingly difficult. This led her to conceptualize “the squeeze,” a term that reflects the pressures many working mothers face as they try to manage competing demands at home and work.
In her new book, Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and How to Get the Most Out of Yours, Low examines how societal structures often inadequately support women’s work and home lives. She argues that women are economic agents making rational decisions, yet their contributions are frequently undervalued, particularly in relation to domestic labor.
Historically, women’s unpaid work at home has been undervalued compared to their spouses’ earnings, leading to a scenario where a woman focusing on home production allowed her partner to pursue a career. However, this arrangement has significant vulnerabilities, particularly as divorce laws became more permissive in the 1970s. Low emphasizes that many women, particularly poorer women and women of color, have always been part of the workforce due to economic necessity.
Low notes changing expectations around parenting and the ongoing gender divide, particularly in household labor, which has not shifted commensurately with women’s increasing participation in the workforce. She critiques the narratives around women’s empowerment, like those promoted by Sheryl Sandberg in Lean In, for failing to address structural barriers that continue to place expectations primarily on women.
The current socio-economic climate presents disparities where, despite women earning similar or higher incomes than their partners, time spent by men on domestic tasks has not increased. Low suggests that societal changes are necessary, particularly regarding paid maternity leave, to support women’s roles.
In her personal journey, which included divorce and relocating to Philadelphia, Low achieved tenure and a better work-life balance. She advocates for individualized definitions of fulfillment for women and emphasizes that it is essential to equip women with data and information to make informed choices about their lives.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/oct/26/having-it-all-book-women-workforce