Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It's Different Than You Think) by Reshma Saujani

Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It's Different Than You Think) Reviews

• 
  Kristen

  Woof. Any book that blames feminism (but cites Lean In as her “feminist” source) instead of capitalism for the labor crisis is no friend of mine. Second wave feminists didn’t force women to “have it all.” They fought for equal pay for equal work and work places free from harassment. If that led to women thinking they could “have it all,” that may have been an unintended byproduct. But, this is a bunch of post feminist appropriation. Had the author read things like Backlash or consulted one gender studies professor, she could have learned a ton. Oh! Further, this BS assumption that, to all women, “have it all” means kids (with free-loading men) and a job in corporate America is just laughable. I wouldn’t have finished it but it was a quick read and I couldn’t look away. lol.
• 
  Alice Nalepka

  It’s no coincidence that I won this book in a giveaway in the midst of looking for a new job, in the midst of two “great” job offers- offers I was ready to take. I needed to soak in this message Reshma Saujani so brilliantly put into words for us.
  
  I have felt a pressing anxiety since my son arrived, and no, it was something other than the fact that he was born at the height of a pandemic (June of 2020 was a wild time to bring a baby earth side). It started with the idea that only 12 short weeks later, I’d have to be back in the office. It started with this clear unbalance I could see unfolding in expectations of our household, regardless of me, not my husband, being the one who works full time. It was my first day back in the office and being told I almost had no job to come back to. Being told I could no longer work from home 2 days a week like I had before going on maternity leave. Being told I would now be taking on another role within the company- on top of my current role and with no additional compensation.
  
  Hopefully others parental leave doesn’t line up so horrendously with a management change as mine did, but regardless of even those changes, motherhood and finding purpose in my work should not have to compete so heavily.
  
  I changed how I interviewed since getting this book. I said no to those first two offers and moved on much more intentionally in my job search. With every interview, as they started off with the, “tell us a little about yourself and how you got to this point in your career,” I’ve shifted how I answer. This book is where I stopped giving more in depth details about my pedigree they see on my resume and instead told each and every one first and foremost there is me, my husband, my son, and my faith, then work. Yes, the book shares stats of how letting on to being a mother actually harms your chance of landing an interview, it I wouldn’t change a single one of those cover letters- a company that doesn’t want to appreciate my being a mother is no company for me. Being a mother is what has made me a stronger, more confident human.
  
  Changing up how I presented myself was the best thing I could ever do. I landed MY dream job (I’m still pinching myself every morning) that I’ll be starting in the coming weeks. And by dream job, yes, it’s a dream to do what I’ll be doing, but it’s also a dream to work where I know me, my family, and my faith can and will come before my job.
  
  This book points out some great ideas that we, our families, employers, and government can do to make this world a better place for moms and women in general. I would challenge each and every person to pick this up and have a go. I know I’ve already sat it on my husband’s nightstand.
  
  This post was supposed to be a book review rather than anything to do with me, but in a sense, this is I hope still a helpful book review. This book helped me take the reins in my job hunt and to find the place that allows me to unapologetically be Mommy first. Thanks, Reshma.
• 
  Grace

  I finished Reshma Saujani's "Pay Up: Reimagining Motherhood in America" a few days ago. I wasn't a fan of the book so I planned to give it a two-star rating here on Goodreads and not write a review, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had to say something.
  
  Full disclosure - after reading this book, I am pretty sure I am not the target audience. I am childfree by choice. There were few references made to women without children and none of them were flattering (like the "old" childless woman in the elevator saying snarky things about a new mom). Yes, women say nasty and inappropriate things to moms every. damn. day. Women also say nasty and inappropriate things to childless women every. damn. day. Cue: "When are you going to have a baby?" "I want to meet my grandchild before I die." "If you don't have children, who will care for you in your old age?" Meanwhile, someone who wants a baby but is struggling with miscarriages or infertility is trying not to cry and someone who actively chose not to have children is probably rolling their eyes.
  
  What about women struggling to conceive? Foster moms? Women wanting to adopt? How will reimagining motherhood help them? And for those of us who are childfree by choice, the book barely addressed why people make this choice. And then there's those who do not have consistent access or affordable birth control or live in States with strict abortion bans who may end up becoming mothers when they do not want or are not ready to. What about them? How do we help them?
  
  So, that rankled me a bit. As did the privilege. Suggesting that seven to nine hours of sleep each night should be non-negotiable (and that a device with a monthly subscription charge has been a lifesaver in making it happen) or that we must take care of our own health is all well and good, but let's not forget... Many women cannot afford or access these things. Same with remote work and flex schedules. If you are a woman working retail or as an LPN, there are no telecommuting or flex scheduling options.
  
  Legislation and a Marshall Plan for Moms are all well and good, but we need cultural shifts on macro and micro levels to actually make any of these changes a reality.
• 
  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 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.
• 
  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 book fall extremely flat to me. Very disappointing read
• 
  Cari

  There have been many books on this topic, but I appreciated Saujani's perspective on how the pandemic has changed women's lives. I also enjoyed her focus on action and how we can move forward after a difficult time.
• 
  Sam S

  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.
• 
  Glenda Nelms

  Very eye-opening and powerful book on gender equity in the workplace. Saujani shows the cost of inaction for families, women and economy through data and personal experience. Pay up is a call to action for business leaders.
• 
  catsonthebeach

  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.
• 
  Joanne

  Had I gone into this knowing it was about moms at work I’d have liked it better. Felt like it tried to fold in everyone and it really could given some of the very solid ideas that would improve work life for lots of people but it just did not execute that portion of the message the way I think it wanted to. So solid as a treatise for improving mom life at work but not so solid as “the future of women at work” given the way it so often clumsily equates womanhood with child bearing throughout the text.
• 
  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.
• 
  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.
• 
  JoAnna

  Anyone who is familiar with Reshma Sujani's advocacy work focused on reimagining social supports for women in the workplace will find a longer-form summation of her strategy in this book. There are no surprises here: a quick and dirty explanation of what's wrong with the modern workplace and how working parents, especially mothers, are past burnt out; a brief history of women in the workplace from the mid-20th century to the present; and a call to action for more flexible work environments, schedules, and benefits that would tangibly help employees with children, such as fully paid parental leave, childcare subsidies, and financial remuneration for caregiving work. Saujani's personal anecdotes frame a nod to shifting expectations about the division of household labor and caregiving (a topic better addressed in more detail by Eve Rodsky's "Fair Play," including practical strategies). After the publication of too many business books by women that place the burden of "balance" squarely on the shoulders of women instead of demanding change from dominant workplace cultures - like Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" and Tiffany Dufu's "Drop the Ball"- Saujani's book is a refreshing change.
  
  Although I fully support many of the goals Saujani advocates for (first and foremost paid parental leave), I have to draw attention to how her book sidesteps a crucial aspect of the women's movement that has contributed directly to the immense challenges of working parents today. In chapter 3, where the author walks through the last several decades of gender inequality in the workplace and the changes sparked by modern feminism, she only goes as far to say that women were only able to make so much progress in the workplace by "hiding" their motherhood. Until very recently, most of modern feminism aimed at the professional advancement of women precluded motherhood entirely. It wasn't just that women had to downplay their role as mothers - activists championed the ability to forego or delay motherhood in order to build careers and enable self-determination (i.e., the focus was on helping women to be more like men-without caregiving obligations- to succeed). A large reason our workplace cultures are devoid of meaningful support resources for parents is because they were not part of the original demands of those pushing for greater gender equality. It does Saujani a disservice to understate this, because many current high-profile political allies of the cause for policy changes such as paid parental leave are direct descendants of this era of activism. I wish she would have taken this kind of activism to task for their exclusion of parental needs as much as she demands change from modern employers and governments.
  
  I also wish that the book was a little more beefy, instead of being edited down to an under-200 page volume clearly designed as easily digestible fodder for corporate book clubs. While there is a pressing need to discuss the issues in "Pay Up" in an accessible way in board rooms and break rooms everywhere, I didn't feel that this book offered anything new to me as someone who consistently follows Saujani's advocacy work on social media and elsewhere. It's a good start, I hope, to having more books that examine these issues in more detail in the publishing pipeline and public discourse.
• 
  Livvy

  This book focuses on working mothers and how to accommodate for their situations in the workplace. Although not very relatable, that didn’t prevent me from taking multiple pages of notes.
• 
  Michaela R

  Mandatory reading for everyone regardless of gender and parental status.
• 
  Jacy

  3.4
  
  An interesting perspective at an opportune time.
• 
  Heidi Ellis

  A necessary read for sure. A quick 200 pages, not deep analysis or research, but enough statistics and substance to tell a compelling story that everyone needs to listen to. I appreciate a self help book that’s not about fixing yourself but about fixing the system. Highly recommend.
• 
  Kara

  This is a quick, easy-to-read book full of difficult, hard-to-implement topics reading women, work, pay differentials, how motherhood affects women both in the workplace and at home and ideas on how to start solving these issues. This is not an issue just for women who want to work outside the home but for society as a whole as the economy cannot survive without women in the workplace particularly in the hospitality, food service and education sectors where women are predominant and yet more likely to leave in recent years as a result of the pandemic causing educational crisis and burnout and unprecedented levels.
  
  As a working mom I resonated with so many of these hardships and if I'm honest I'm not sure if the solutions proposed would actually work likely because of how systemic the problems are. Yet Saujani makes a great point that though these issues have been present for decades, in light of the pandemic now may be the best time to work together to solve them. I also appreciate that Saujani writes to tackle the problem and not to "man hate" or push women to "lean in" more. She is candid about how these issues exist in her home despite a committed husband who is also passionate about the issues.
  
  The author doesn't reveal her political affiliations aside from verbal support for the Biden pandemic tax/childcare relief efforts though I can see how the conservative Right would likely be opposed due to basic ideology. But as someone who suffers from this inequality, I'm very sympathetic to the solutions proposed since it seems that no other political party is addressing this glaring issue.
  
  A few of the ideas/quotes I want to remember:
  Introduction:
  p. 11 "While my husband and I both run busy business enterprises by day, I also run another enterprise 24/7--the family enterprise. ... Despite the fact that the work women do at home is the backbone of our families and our economy, our society puts little to no value on it."
  
  Chapter 6 Empower: Changing Our Reality from Within
  p. 106 "Coming up with who does what on the 'chore wheel' is the easy part. Not swooping in to take over whatever pat of the wheel isn't our domain--even if some things fall between the cracks--is the bigger challenge. So yes, divide the chores. Set the boundaries of what isn't yours to do. And then don't do it."
  
  Chapter 7 Educate: Reimagining the Workplace
  This chapter details 9 ways to make the workplace work for women and strategies for employers and women to use to work toward the solution.
  1. Give women control over their schedules.
  2. Support women with childcare.
  3. Own your role in shaping gender dynamics at home.
  4. Give parents paid time off for illness.
  5. Root out the motherhood penalty.
  6. Don't rush new mothers back to work before they are ready.
  7. Implement strong reentry strategies.
  8. Prioritize women's mental health.
  9. Advocate for mother's publicly.
  
  Chapter 9 Advocate: From Rage to Power
  p. 169 Quote from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, "Our policymaking has not accounted for the fact that people's work lives and their personal lives are inextricably linked, and if one suffers so does the other."
  This chapter focuses on "three critical public policies we as women need lawmakers to put in place with a sense of urgency: affordable childcare, guaranteed and paid parental leave, and continued cash payments to mothers (and parents)." Other ideas listed but not expanded on include "structural changes needed to economically support women including changes to our tax code, Social Security, pay equity, pre-K public health and ending harassment and discrimination in the workplace."
  
  Afterword
  p. 187 "...it's not about breaking more glass ceilings. It's not about achieving gender parity, or even equal pay. It's about a full-scale reenvisioning of how we as a society, and workforce, and a country define 'work' and the value we place on the invisible labor women do outside the workplace that holds our economy and our social fabric together."
  p. 188 "We can pay up and give mothers the flexibility, compensation, support, and respect that they deserve so they no longer need to hide the critical care work they do at home."
• 
  Monique

  I want to like this book. Although the title is misleading, it's on an important topic I support. I also value the publication of the topic covered, and the conversations this book could start....
  
  That being said, the book itself is very poorly written, and a drag to read.
  It also isn't the first book I've read surrounding women leaving the workforce during covid. Essential Labor also covers this in part, and I feel like it was done better in that book. While Reshma offers "solutions" I think are better labeled as suggestions, three-quarters through the book she should not feel the need to remind us of the event that spurred said event... Not only did you mention it in the beginning, and therefore foundation, of the book... But also every 20 or so pages after that... Not to mention it effected the entire world as well, we also saw and experienced it.
  
  I'm sure it is validating and resourceful for some, but it has been a struggle to finish reading this book. I WANT to like Pay Up more than I do. Especially with such an attention grabbing title. A lot of people have had their attention drawn to me and expressed interest while I've been reading it. And I can think of a few people a generation up or so who'd I would recommend this book to... But it's hard to endorse. A quarter of Pay Up left and I am annoyed to still be reading it, and even more annoyed that that's my main takeaway. :/
  
  ALSO: to add, the language is not inclusive to trans-parents. Motherhood and womanhood aren't exclusive to one another. Just not the book for me
  
  UPDATE UPON COMPLETION: I have a whole long list of problems I had with this book... I will say I think this book is a good starting point philosophically in the realms of feminism. It has a lot of statistics so I don't think I realized that at first. I went back and forth on whether I wanted to give it 2 or 3 stars. It doesn't present itself as a philosophical book, but in order to give it three stars that's how I'm thinking of it.. Because I didn't want to be as frustrated with this book as I was. It is good to get the brain going.. That being said, I realized it lacks a lot of depth. Why? For a woman of color, I don't feel Reshma has a good understanding of INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM... Which was VERY disappointing.
  
  On page 161, non-binary people are addressed for the very first time in this book.. Followed by about 1 paragraph addressing how POC face similar issues. There is a term for that, and a whole generation of feminists who focused on that: INTERSECTIONAL FEMINSTS. Reshma never even mentions INTERSECTIONAL FEMISM in this book by name. Side comment: menstration, and reproductive issues, diseases, and struggles are basically never addressed either.
  
  I could say a whole lot more about how and why this book was so frustrating, and why I struggled to finish it. It was unsatisfying, but it did motivate me immediately to go find things to fill the void it left me with. Maybe it's the studying doula in me? Time to go read Luisa Capetillo Pioneer Puerto Rican Feminist, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for about 4 months. For that motivation I am gratful.
• 
  Brian Larson

  PAY UP! Literally pay up and read this book (**looks at all the heterosexual men in the room**). I really wish I didn’t miss Saujani’s book talk at the 92nd Y last week, alas, “Pay Up” (the book) exceeded expectations.
  
  Saujani (founder of Girls Who Code) makes a clear argument: pay working women what they’re worth (inclusive of stay at-home moms!). “Pay Up” is a cautionary book aimed at the heart of corporate America and the US government. While Saujani isn’t the first to consider COVID a “once in a generation” opportunity to restructure our caregiver economy, she is the first to marshal her troops to achieve “three critical public policies” aimed at creating a more equitable society. The Marshal Plan for Moms offers concrete steps that women (and men!) can take to ameliorate the historical one-sides burden of caretaking. (Though the book has some international anecdotes- the Icelandic “Women’s Day Off” example is anecdotal gold- it does find focus on the US and its workforce.)
  
  “Pay Up” puts the definitive coffin death-knell in Sandberg’s “Lean In” strategy and Amoruso’s “Girl Boss.” Saujani confesses, “Because beneath the glossy, shimmering feminist promise of ‘having it all' is a dark truth that no one told me and that I unwittingly omitted from my rah rah empowerment rhetoric: ‘Having it all’ is really just a euphemism for ‘doing it all.’” I absolutely loved the inclusion of other, less top-of-mind voices throughout this conversation (Cain, Friedan, etc.).
  
  Some of my favorite topics in “Pay Up” included the rise of alcoholism amongst women during COVID, the need for expanded CTCs, the identifying of “childcare deserts,” and discussion of LGBTQ “parental bonding leave.” It’s not everyday that topics like these come up when we discuss “the future of work.” Bravo!
  
  Last- if you only have a half hour to read this book, Saujani has got your TLDR back! Flip to the last 3 chapters. The three actionable public policy recommendations found there are the heart of “Pay Up” (affordable childcare, guaranteed and paid parental leave, and continued cash payments to mothers (and parents)). Can we close the pay gap and rethink the caregiving economy to unload the burden on the backs of women? We can- but we, men and women, must band together and marshal the troops at home and in Washington!
• 
  Marya

  Very limited. The perspective is largely focused on upper and upper-middle class mothers like the author. Yes, the workforce is not structured to accommodate their needs. Yes, it sucks. Yes, it should change. But just telling employers they should change because happier workers make for a better workforce is naive.
  
  First of all, the book takes as a given that mothers should still be mothers...doing both paid work and the bulk of the domestic work because their male partners will not/cannot/should not be asked to step it up. The workforce is not structured to accommodate CAREGIVERS - of all classes, ages, and genders. If Saujani challenged those women/mother stereotypes, she'd see that there are plenty of men who want to be good dads or childless women who want to be great caregivers for their relatives. It doesn't matter who is taking care of the family; the employer's practices by and large punish whomever happens to fit in this category. By broadening the scope of the problem, Saujani could bring in many more stakeholders.
  
  Secondly, the recommendations given come straight out of wealthy corporate America. Yes, it's great that insert-your-Forbes500-employer can offer better benefits. Most people don't work for these companies, and most employers lack the resources to implement these suggestions. Your average member of the service economy simply doesn't have the option of working from home. They are being paid to be available during a specific time to serve customers their burger, their T-shirt, or their flight to LA. The Walmart example alone shows that Saujani is confused about the mechanics of low wage work itself (hint: Walmart didn't create a scheduling app for its' workers benefit: see On the Clock for how these apps work in practice).
  
  Sure, the problems of working mothers are real. Sure, they are not being addressed. But the problem is so much bigger than what Saujani encounters in her own circumscribed life.
• 
  Pam Bedore

  I really enjoyed this provocative, informative book that blended memoir with plain-talk reports of recent social science research.
  
  Saujani's argument is hardly groundbreaking: the current structure of private/public labor in US society is unsustainable. As Saujani carefully documents, the US is an outlier from other advanced economies in its expectations for women to have productive and fulfilling careers at the same time as they do the majority of housework and childcare.
  
  Her clear statement of facts is compelling, and this book is highly engaging with its timeliness in including recent personal stories and data from the plight of American women during the covid-19 pandemic. Her solution to the problem is bold and (imo) necessary: we must value monetarily the work people do at home and in childcare, and governmental approaches to the pandemic emergency provide some relevant frameworks for how to do this.
  
  My favorite moment in the novel was perhaps a bit personal. It is the report of a study that moms generally pay attention to the health of members of the household/extended family in the following order: kids, older relatives, pets, spouse, self. This made me laugh uncomfortably as I recalled a recent situation in which I postponed a routine cancer screening for myself in order to take a cat to the vet without even telling my husband, who would have been glad to do pet duty.
  
  This book won't blow your mind, but it will give you relevant and well-researched matter for reflection. The audiobook is excellently narrated.
• 
  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 /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.