Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It's Different Than You Think)
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- Create Date：2022-06-14 06:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Reshma Saujani
- ISBN：1982191570
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Summary
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
The founder of Girls Who Code and bestselling author of Brave， Not Perfect confronts the “big lie” of corporate feminism and presents a bold plan to address the burnout and inequity harming America’s working women today。
We told women that to break glass ceilings and succeed in their careers， all they needed to do is dream big， raise their hands， and lean in。 But data tells a different story。 Historic numbers of women left their jobs in 2021， resulting in their lowest workforce participation since 1988。 Women’s unemployment rose to nearly fifteen percent， and globally women lost over $800 billion in wages。 Fifty-one percent of women say that their mental health has declined， while anxiety and depression rates have skyrocketed。
In this urgent and rousing call to arms， Reshma Saujani dismantles the myth of “having it all” and lifts the burden we place on individual women to be primary caregivers， and to work around a system built for and by men。 The time has come， she argues， for innovative corporate leadership， government intervention， and sweeping culture shift; it’s time to Pay Up。
Through powerful data and personal narrative， Saujani shows that the cost of inaction—for families， for our nation’s economy， and for women themselves—is too great to ignore。 She lays out four key steps for creating lasting change: empower working women， educate corporate leaders， revise our narratives about what it means to be successful， and advocate for policy reform。
Both a direct call to action for business leaders and a pragmatic set of tools for women themselves， Pay Up offers a bold vision for change as America defines the future of work。
The founder of Girls Who Code and bestselling author of Brave， Not Perfect confronts the “big lie” of corporate feminism and presents a bold plan to address the burnout and inequity harming America’s working women today。
We told women that to break glass ceilings and succeed in their careers， all they needed to do is dream big， raise their hands， and lean in。 But data tells a different story。 Historic numbers of women left their jobs in 2021， resulting in their lowest workforce participation since 1988。 Women’s unemployment rose to nearly fifteen percent， and globally women lost over $800 billion in wages。 Fifty-one percent of women say that their mental health has declined， while anxiety and depression rates have skyrocketed。
In this urgent and rousing call to arms， Reshma Saujani dismantles the myth of “having it all” and lifts the burden we place on individual women to be primary caregivers， and to work around a system built for and by men。 The time has come， she argues， for innovative corporate leadership， government intervention， and sweeping culture shift; it’s time to Pay Up。
Through powerful data and personal narrative， Saujani shows that the cost of inaction—for families， for our nation’s economy， and for women themselves—is too great to ignore。 She lays out four key steps for creating lasting change: empower working women， educate corporate leaders， revise our narratives about what it means to be successful， and advocate for policy reform。
Both a direct call to action for business leaders and a pragmatic set of tools for women themselves， Pay Up offers a bold vision for change as America defines the future of work。
Reviews
Amanda McElrath
，
The thought of this book and well-researched facts were insightful。 While I don’t disagree that society in the US taking mothering for granted… this book has a political agenda woven throughout that I wasn’t anticipating and one I don’t agree with。 I wish the government callouts had been left out。 Instead of uniting mothers， it felt like one more divide against us。 Also， childless women are practically not even recognized in the book， which further divides us all。 I am a new mother but this “bet The thought of this book and well-researched facts were insightful。 While I don’t disagree that society in the US taking mothering for granted… this book has a political agenda woven throughout that I wasn’t anticipating and one I don’t agree with。 I wish the government callouts had been left out。 Instead of uniting mothers， it felt like one more divide against us。 Also， childless women are practically not even recognized in the book， which further divides us all。 I am a new mother but this “better than” culture of mothers really put me off before having a baby and was sad to see this culture perpetuated in the book。 。。。more
Mckenzie Redd
，
“This book is for the millions of working women who understand the outdated work system that exists is no longer sustainable。” It is for the women who leaned in and in many cases succeeded and came to the stark and realization that “having it all is a lieAnd it is for the younger generation who are looking at their future and wonder if they can reasonably hold onto their ambitions and their dreams of having a family。” This book was so impactful for me。 The book discusses important changes that n “This book is for the millions of working women who understand the outdated work system that exists is no longer sustainable。” It is for the women who leaned in and in many cases succeeded and came to the stark and realization that “having it all is a lieAnd it is for the younger generation who are looking at their future and wonder if they can reasonably hold onto their ambitions and their dreams of having a family。” This book was so impactful for me。 The book discusses important changes that need to be done in order to support working women in our goal for equality。 It isn’t enough to demand more seats at the boardroom， or fight for more representation if our working structure is not designed to support women once they have kids。 The pandemic was an excellent example， in 2019， women held more payroll jobs than men for the first time in a decade。 “It had been the most empowered and educated generation in the history of the world” yet following the pandemic， all those gains were crushed with the the great resignation of millions of women disproportionate to men。 This book opened my eyes to changes we need on an individual level in our families and also on a broader change- with support for working mothers， and ideas for greater support for stay at home moms who make incredible sacrifices as well。 As the book mentioned- we need to find a strategy to end women being forced to choose between populating the world and earning an income。 。。。more
J。J。
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Some ideas from the book: Working women need to be able to care for themselves and their families without feeling guilty。 Encourage employees to take sick and vacation leave。 Set the example。 Change the stigma of working moms are less and unreliable。 Encourage paternity leave。 Moms， leave perfectionism behind。 Stop hiding being a mom， parent loudly。 It takes bravery but it’s a skill that can be cultivated。 Prioritize workplace mental health。 Acknowledge signs of burnout by encouraging leave when Some ideas from the book: Working women need to be able to care for themselves and their families without feeling guilty。 Encourage employees to take sick and vacation leave。 Set the example。 Change the stigma of working moms are less and unreliable。 Encourage paternity leave。 Moms， leave perfectionism behind。 Stop hiding being a mom， parent loudly。 It takes bravery but it’s a skill that can be cultivated。 Prioritize workplace mental health。 Acknowledge signs of burnout by encouraging leave when cynicism and decreased productivity happen。 Value your people。 Lots of good info， lots of futuristic ideas。 Mostly it’s just about valuing the invisible work moms do outside of the job。 And how employees need to respect boundaries and moms need to speak up。 。。。more
Kiona Meade
，
I think it’s probably a great book for women with children and a bit underwhelming if you don’t have kids。 Still， making progress for women with children may make it easier for all of us。
Jackie Goebel
，
This is definitely a book more about mothers in the workplace than women in the workplace。 Regardless it has some great ideas， though honestly many feel unreachable。 I’ve read a lot of articles on the various topics the author discusses so nothing was really new to me; it seemed this book was more just an expansion of a prior article she had written so that’s why I give it 3 stars。 I do appreciate the author’s admissions that earlier in her career that she perpetuated the myth （admittedly throug This is definitely a book more about mothers in the workplace than women in the workplace。 Regardless it has some great ideas， though honestly many feel unreachable。 I’ve read a lot of articles on the various topics the author discusses so nothing was really new to me; it seemed this book was more just an expansion of a prior article she had written so that’s why I give it 3 stars。 I do appreciate the author’s admissions that earlier in her career that she perpetuated the myth （admittedly through sincerely held beliefs at the time） about women needing to “lean in” more in the workplace and admits now that that won’t really solve anything for women。 。。。more
Laura Maher
，
Saujani infantilizes her readers by regurgitating a high-school summary of the feminist movements。 If you know nothing about the basic history of feminism， this might be a good read for you， but overall it is too surface-level， repetitive， and simply a regurgitation of old ideas。 This discourse has been repeated over and over on every media outlet and social media platform for the past three years。 While I agree with its points， I was hoping for some fresh interpretation。 Her arguments are almos Saujani infantilizes her readers by regurgitating a high-school summary of the feminist movements。 If you know nothing about the basic history of feminism， this might be a good read for you， but overall it is too surface-level， repetitive， and simply a regurgitation of old ideas。 This discourse has been repeated over and over on every media outlet and social media platform for the past three years。 While I agree with its points， I was hoping for some fresh interpretation。 Her arguments are almost too childish and entirely neglect childless women， women who take care of elderly parents， and women of color who were not fortunate enough to penetrate the largely white upper middle-class by giving TED talks。 （Saujani uses at least one third of this novel repeating her various achievements and speeches。）She cites Betty Friedan， who likened the everyday life of rich white upper-middle class housewives to the oppression of black Americans in The Feminine Mystique， as “groundbreaking。” I appreciate her effort and certainly agree with the overall idea， but this book could’ve been summed up in a short New York Times article。I’m tired of these oversimplified self-help and ‘social commentary’ books dominating the bookstores。 More often than not it seems these kinds of books appeal to their readers as if they were 15 years of age and have never read a single page of research or history in their lives。 I really would like to see more controversial and in-depth takes hitting the market。 It seems these authors simply compile ideas and statistics that have already been posted on sites like The Atlantic and Twitter by intelligent users into a book that will make them a nice commission。 。。。more
Brenna Radtke
，
Eh。 I was overly excited to dive into this book after reading the intro on Google。 As a women in tech， the intro of this book highlights what I see everyday in industry - a lack of women。 More specifically， a lack of working mothers。The author is rambly and makes the same points over and over， stressing that women are filled with rage。 This would probably be a moving speech but fell flat as a book。
Andie
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Disappointing。 If you are not a mom or your kids are grown up， don’t bother looking for insights here。 Having children is not the only way to be stressed and oppressed in the workplace。
Amy Field
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As a working parent， it is easy to agree with everything said by Saujani， but we have such a long way to go to make the “second shift” not only visible to all， but something that actually has social change happen to it。 I worry the people in charge are not reading this book， though I give it sincere credit for being short， to the point， and full of actual proposals for change。 4。5/5
Carrie
，
I feel quite seen， but also that this is just the tip of the iceberg。 The narrative is changing from "you can do it all" to "systemic sexism is hard to beat， here's some ideas to move us in the right direction。"It should really say something in the title about moms， because this book is mostly about the motherhood penalty。 I feel quite seen， but also that this is just the tip of the iceberg。 The narrative is changing from "you can do it all" to "systemic sexism is hard to beat， here's some ideas to move us in the right direction。"It should really say something in the title about moms， because this book is mostly about the motherhood penalty。 。。。more
Mariannne
，
Essai assez intéressant mais très USA centré
Rebecca Durrant
，
3。5/ 4？ I appreciated Saujani’s messages， and the following really resonated:-Employers， government， and society as a whole undervalues and fails mothers- Women often feel pressure to hide their motherhood at work to be taken seriously-Unequal division of childcare/ household labor that often exists between heterosexual partners holds women back， and leads to burnout and resentment-The outdated expectation for mothers to be fully sacrificing martyrs is still prevalent and as harmful as ever-The 3。5/ 4？ I appreciated Saujani’s messages， and the following really resonated:-Employers， government， and society as a whole undervalues and fails mothers- Women often feel pressure to hide their motherhood at work to be taken seriously-Unequal division of childcare/ household labor that often exists between heterosexual partners holds women back， and leads to burnout and resentment-The outdated expectation for mothers to be fully sacrificing martyrs is still prevalent and as harmful as ever-The vast importance of paid maternity AND paternity leave， and affordable childcareThis book is obviously aimed toward mothers， and I can understand how it may make childless women feel like a footnote， and how （acknowledged and unacknowledged） privilege shows up throughout。Depressing current realities-Since this was published， not only has the proposed American Families Plan for paid parental leave and more affordable childcare been squashed， but now a potential overthrow of Roe vs。 Wade is being threatened。 What will it take for women and mothers to be heard and valued？ 。。。more
Kelsey Riddle
，
You need to read this book。 I had so much to learn & this is chalk full of history & statistics。 If you want to know how women can succeed both at home and in the workplace， Reshma has thoughtfully put together the plan。
Colleen
，
This one didn't sit right with me。 Maybe it's just my mood， or my lack of hope in other people to do their part to make life better for working moms， which was the main emphasis。 It's a great idea though。 This one didn't sit right with me。 Maybe it's just my mood， or my lack of hope in other people to do their part to make life better for working moms， which was the main emphasis。 It's a great idea though。 。。。more
Megan
，
This book hits the nail on the head。 It’s refreshing to see how the pandemic can propel all of us to look at ways we can reshape moving forward。 Yes， there does need to be a shifting of policy in the United States。 I do like the idea of one or more parents being home when the kid is home。 To do that， we have to fundamentally shift the structure of the workplace hours for both men and women。 Here’s my opinion:1。 Shorter work hour option for all without backlash or penalty。2。 Universal health care This book hits the nail on the head。 It’s refreshing to see how the pandemic can propel all of us to look at ways we can reshape moving forward。 Yes， there does need to be a shifting of policy in the United States。 I do like the idea of one or more parents being home when the kid is home。 To do that， we have to fundamentally shift the structure of the workplace hours for both men and women。 Here’s my opinion:1。 Shorter work hour option for all without backlash or penalty。2。 Universal health care /universal rules on what constitutes full time。 If companies had to pay people overtime to work over 30 hours a week- and cap per job at 40。 Yes， we would all make less money but isn’t it worth trying to see how much more connected we would become with each other？3。 Have some kind of training for both parents before they have children showing them all the duties of parenthood and asking them which of the duties they would take on？ Someone other than the partner needs to guide males who haven’t yet thought about all the extra burdens placed on the woman who chooses to both work and raise kids。 Maybe it can be offered from the hospital after your first check up？ 4。 How are self employed entrepreneurs going to benefit from these new rules？ If a woman sells products from a pyramid scheme thing， does she get to have leave？ Can we roll this into our taxes or does it have to be on the employers dime？ I wish I understood this more。 。。。more
Christine
，
The newest book by the author of Brave， Not Perfect about （mostly） parental leave to achieve gender equality in the workplace。 There was nothing new here and really discusses moms （v women） and work。
Erica
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Like many other reviewers， I felt misled by the title。 I pre-ordered this， so there wasn't a lot of info or reviews out about it yet and the blurb mentions absolutely nothing about moms。 So in that respect， this is not the book I thought I was going to or even wanted to read。 Because of that I feel the unpaid work of childless women is devalued。 An unintended consequence， I'm sure， that could be remedied by setting readers' expectations with a more accurate title and summary of the book。That bei Like many other reviewers， I felt misled by the title。 I pre-ordered this， so there wasn't a lot of info or reviews out about it yet and the blurb mentions absolutely nothing about moms。 So in that respect， this is not the book I thought I was going to or even wanted to read。 Because of that I feel the unpaid work of childless women is devalued。 An unintended consequence， I'm sure， that could be remedied by setting readers' expectations with a more accurate title and summary of the book。That being said， I do think this is an important topic to talk about as America treats moms horribly。 So in terms of raising awareness and trying to get the conversation more traction， great。 It did come from a very privileged perspective， but we write our experiences and what we know。 。。。more
Kristiana
，
I read this after it was referenced in The Pain Gap。 It’s a great nonfiction book about women’s labor， in and out of the home， the issues the pandemic brought to light for working and full time moms。 Focusing on America and the lack of support the government gives to families。 Saujani outlines the problem， solutions， and action items for readers。 She goes into the history of feminism and how many movements have left working class women of color behind。
Inês Garrido
，
This book is inspiring。 Not because the message is new， but rather because it is rational， actionable and， above all， relentless。 As a mom of 2 toddlers， I can see myself in a lot of the situations and arguments discussed in this book。 And even though it is a bit too focused on US reality it does cover universal issues that all mothers face all around the world。 It is an interesting reading - and time well spent。
Sam S
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The title is slightly misleading。 This book has a MAJOR focus on mothers and mothers in feminism。While some points made were insightful and helpful， sand I appreciate the author being honest about their change in perspective， I'm not convinced this was an entirely effective book。 The title is slightly misleading。 This book has a MAJOR focus on mothers and mothers in feminism。While some points made were insightful and helpful， sand I appreciate the author being honest about their change in perspective， I'm not convinced this was an entirely effective book。 。。。more
catsonthebeach
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Very idealistic， but repetitive and a lot more depressing than inspiring。 Also， this might be a personal dislike， but a lot of the book hinged on the author's "Marshall Plan for Moms" which is a TERRIBLE historical metaphor， and that grated me every time I read it。 The Marshall plan was far from altruistic on the part of the US。 The money going to European countries was intended to develop their economies after the war so a。 they wouldn't turn to communism and b。 they would be able to actively p Very idealistic， but repetitive and a lot more depressing than inspiring。 Also， this might be a personal dislike， but a lot of the book hinged on the author's "Marshall Plan for Moms" which is a TERRIBLE historical metaphor， and that grated me every time I read it。 The Marshall plan was far from altruistic on the part of the US。 The money going to European countries was intended to develop their economies after the war so a。 they wouldn't turn to communism and b。 they would be able to actively purchase US goods and participate in the global economy that allowed for the US's postwar economic boom。 The Marshall plan is considered by some historians to be the first action taken in the cold war。 None of this has any relevance to the author's goals。 Obviously， the new deal metaphor is already used with the green new deal， but comparing her plan to Truman's Fair Deal or Johnson's Great Society would have made more sense， and would have made her goals more understandable。Also， as has been mentioned by most commenters， this book only focuses on what the American workforce needs to look like for mothers。 This isn't a bad thing， the specificity of the subject matter allowed for more detailed analysis。 But it's something to consider before deciding to read it。 It isn't about women in the workforce， it's about （mostly white-collar tbh） working mothers。But the author did cite all her data to back up her plan， of which there was a lot。 So because of that， the book's goals did seem achievable。 。。。more
Emily
，
The content and concept is true， but she elides over or flat out refuses to fully call out the role that individual men have in this issue。 The #1 reason partnered working moms face all the issues outlined in this book is because they’re partnered to men who refuse to pull their weight at home。 Saujani’s attitude seems like “well we know men are useless at home and that’s never going to change， so let’s take on the government and employment ecosystem at large instead。” It made the whole ethos of The content and concept is true， but she elides over or flat out refuses to fully call out the role that individual men have in this issue。 The #1 reason partnered working moms face all the issues outlined in this book is because they’re partnered to men who refuse to pull their weight at home。 Saujani’s attitude seems like “well we know men are useless at home and that’s never going to change， so let’s take on the government and employment ecosystem at large instead。” It made the whole ethos of the book fall extremely flat to me。 Very disappointing read 。。。more
Ali
，
Was an interesting read and definitely speaks to how society views women and their roles in our society。 I believe that anyone can benefit from hearing this story and seeing how we can change these standards。
Katerina
，
I don’t know why this book was written。 There’s nothing new in what it says or how it says it。
Kimberly
，
Great topic but American information focused。
Sarah Batchelder
，
Excellent writing and summary about the extreme difficultness of motherhood in the USA。
Amber
，
3。5 stars。 A slim book and quick read， building an argument for why women in the United States need a better social safety net， from paid parental leave to childcare subsidies， and universal pre-K。 There were no shockingly new ideas presented here。 Honestly， it’s hard to see how paid parental leave can be thought of as radical， when every other country in the world has it。 I wish I had the author’s optimism about positive change coming out of the COVID crisis， where the US is concerned， but perh 3。5 stars。 A slim book and quick read， building an argument for why women in the United States need a better social safety net， from paid parental leave to childcare subsidies， and universal pre-K。 There were no shockingly new ideas presented here。 Honestly， it’s hard to see how paid parental leave can be thought of as radical， when every other country in the world has it。 I wish I had the author’s optimism about positive change coming out of the COVID crisis， where the US is concerned， but perhaps I’ll be surprised。 。。。more
Lee Ann
，
The title is misleading。 I was hoping to read about the future of all women and the issues faced in the past and present that can be overcome。 Instead the book focuses mainly on working mothers of which I am not by choice。 I don’t disagree with the author about the plight of working mothers; particularly after Covid。 The choices and issues working mothers face are difficult， discriminatory， and unequal compared to women who do not have childcare issues and many men。 Until men share equally the r The title is misleading。 I was hoping to read about the future of all women and the issues faced in the past and present that can be overcome。 Instead the book focuses mainly on working mothers of which I am not by choice。 I don’t disagree with the author about the plight of working mothers; particularly after Covid。 The choices and issues working mothers face are difficult， discriminatory， and unequal compared to women who do not have childcare issues and many men。 Until men share equally the responsibilities of household and family along with a holding down a job， women will always have more on their plate to handle。 Women who do not face childcare issues usually face other obstacles affecting their jobs such as eldercare or issues with relatives that require similar work benefits the author is suggesting for working men and women。 Then there are the women who choose to stay out of the workforce to manage the home and raise children。 Their contribution to society is often overlooked and under appreciated。 Mothers and Fathers raising sons need to set an example not of the hard work required to keep a household going， raising children， and holding a job but of HOW to equitably share the workload of a household and child rearing without the bias of gender roles by assigning chores when age appropriate and earning an allowance。 The changes to the workforce suggested by the author would apply to all employees regardless of gender and family status and those are HR issues set by a company。 The mindset changes to make those changes in HR have to start with how children are raised so that men do not continue to bring the current biases about the role of women in society to the workforce。 I was disappointed that this book did not dive deeper into the gender bias， pay inequities， and biases for women in varying workplace settings。 I was also disappointed that the author didn’t address who becomes responsible for the work not being done by the individual taking significant time off from work for family issues。 My experience has been that the work doesn’t sit and wait for the individual to return。 The work is reassigned to someone else who has too many assignments already。 I was also trying to figure out how the author thought assignments requiring a team effort would be done on schedule if some members are working different shifts than others with little face to face communication in one room。 Finally the book does not address solutions for the working mothers in service industry jobs like waitressing， caregiver， retail， maid， nanny， teacher， police， firefighter， etc。 Lots of “pie in the sky” worthy ideas without many well thought out solutions with an implementation plan。 Was happy to hear the author became enlighten because of her experience during Covid。 Don’t understand how she wore blinders and thought she could “have it all” when those of us who fought for equal rights and pay in the 70’s learned that lesson by the 80’s which is why we began pushing for family benefits in the 90’s。 。。。more
Jacy
，
3。4An interesting perspective at an opportune time。
Kristen
，