by Corinne Low PhD

You’re not imagining it: Women aren’t getting a good deal at home or at work. There is evidence to prove it. This book gives you the power to change it.

For women, the promise of “having it all” is an ever-elusive carrot. Faced with unsustainable demands in every sphere, doing it all―but at a steep cost. Research shows that biologically, culturally, and economically, women are on uneven playing ground, and one that drains them of their happiness. But that same data can empower women to make choices that will reclaim their time, energy―and even joy.

In Having It All, Wharton professor and economist Dr. Corinne Low unpacks the hidden factors that influence women’s decision-making, and how the unintended consequences of these choices alter the course of their lives. From when and whether to get married and (or) have children to what type of career to pursue, whether to obtain an advanced degree to where to live―Dr. Low explores questions such as:

• What if there is no optimal time to “have a family” but rather a slew of different considerations at different life stages?
• What if women approached decisions around marriage and partnership as rigorously as they would an employment opportunity?
• What if women valued their time in dollars and cents, and structured theirlives around choices that givs them the greatest return on their investments?

For too long, women have been expected to accept labor-intensive solutions to systemic problems―optimise, lean in, work harder. But Dr. Low isn’t suggesting women need to do more. In the tradition of bestselling books like Eve Rodsky’s Fair Play and Emily Oster’s Cribsheet, Having It All blends personal experience, research, and analysis to illuminate the complex decisions women face, and offers an evidence-based framework for creating a better, happier life.

Consider it the essential economics textbook for life as a woman―but hopefully, a little more fun.