Corinne Low, an economist and longtime advocate for women in the workforce, has proposed a daring two-prong solution. This combined approach addresses the myriad of issues that women are grappling with right now. She points to the importance of visionary planning. Having these difficult discussions with employers and sometimes your spouse can lead to more equitable work-life balance. Low shares her special perspective, inspired by and reflective of her own lived experience. She exposes the root causes that serve to disenfranchise women broadly from powerful roles in society.
Low’s insights arrive at a moment when the conversation about workplace policies is more urgent than ever. The United States is the only developed country in the world that lacks a federal maternity paid leave mandate. This shortcoming places undue burdens on the working mothers. Low’s own experience of pregnancy and motherhood brings these challenges to life. While pregnant, she was frequently drained and suffering from debilitating morning sickness, all while managing a high-pressure job.
In 2017, Low decided to bring her son into the world and thereby defy the odds. She balanced excellently the burdens of long-distance commuting and the pressures of a two-career marriage. By that point, she was sharing an apartment in New York City with her husband and stepdaughter. Every day she endured a four-hour round-trip commute to Philadelphia where she worked. She was coping with this lifestyle until it became increasingly difficult as her male colleagues’ wives started getting pregnant too. Together, they battled the heavy but common burdens of motherhood.
“I do have a career, but I like spending time with my kids,” said Low, reflecting on her struggle to balance professional aspirations with family responsibilities. “I want to be all,” McCullough shared, illustrating her dedication to both her nascent career in public service and parenting.
Poorest women and women of color have historically been the bedrock of our labor force. They were usually conscripted, forced to sign up through necessity more than by option. In her situation, her family could not sustain for just one adult to maintain employment. This economic reality is a big part of what’s behind the burden so many women are experiencing and struggling with today.
Few lawmakers have personally experienced the struggles of balancing work and family like Low. She divorced her husband, with the help of friends and colleagues, and moved to Philadelphia. Her new, lower cost of living allowed her to afford an au pair. This choice removed some of the stressors she experienced as a single mother raising her son. This decision is a shining example of how creative solutions can grow from adversity.
In the second chapter, Low explores the cultural underpinnings of women entering the workforce. She points out that this major change occurred at the same time as the US moving towards unilateral divorce laws, meaning no-fault divorce, in the 1970s. “If you understand women entering the labor force as a gender revolution that came in and changed our attitudes about women’s role in society, then of course, men’s role would change, too,” she remarked.
Low sheds light on how social norms have changed over time. “That generation went to school at high rates. The generation coming up under me did not get that message,” she explained. Rather than inspiring young women to pursue bold careers, the current model instead leaves today’s young women to often watch their mothers struggle with demand and burnout.
As Low explains in the interview, a big part of the gender wage gap is society’s perception. “When we think about the fact that women spend, on average, more time outside the labor force and spend more time with children, we’re like: ‘Oh, well the gender wage gap is because women have different preferences, and this is their choice,’” she stated. This harmful line of thinking ignores the structural realities that we know place a disproportionate, unfair burden on women.
In tackling these systemic barriers, Low is an advocate for equipping women through data-driven tools to better understand and make informed choices. “Once you have the tools to make those decisions with data and information, then whatever you choose is okay. There’s no wrong way to navigate the life that you choose and that works for you,” she asserted.
Low’s perspective challenges the binary view of women’s roles. “You have 24 hours in a day; being the Instagrammable tradwife or being Sheryl Sandberg are two separate full-time jobs,” she explained. “You cannot do those two together, but you can have elements of both of those – it is not all or nothing.”
Her recent work culminates in what she calls “a love letter to women,” encapsulating their agency as economic participants just like men. The book coordinates and integrates examples of how women are not only economic beneficiaries, but economic agents, just like men. They make rational decisions to optimize outcomes,” Low stated.
With Corinne Low at the helm, joined by expert collaborators and passionate advocates, we’re on a mission to empower women’s choices and remove systemic barriers that hold them back. Her insights — often hard-earned — resonate beyond the personal and point to a deep-rooted social problem that can and must be addressed.