Women Money Power: The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality

by Josie Cox

From an experienced financial journalist, the story of how women have fought for financial freedom, and the social and political hurdles that have keep them from equalityFor centuries, women were denied equal access to money and the freedom and power that came with it. They were restricted from owning property or transacting in real estate. Even well into the 20th century, women could not take out their own loans or own bank accounts without their husband’s permission. They could be fired for getting married or pregnant, and if they still had a job, they could be kept from certain roles, restricted from working longer hours, and paid less than men for equal work. It was a raw deal, and women weren’t happy with it. So they pushed back. In Women Money Power, financial journalist Josie Cox tells the story of women’s fight for financial freedom. This is an inspirational account of brave pioneers who took on social mores and the law, including the “Rosies” who filled industrial jobs vacated by men and helped win WWII, the heiress whose fortune helped create the birth control pill, the brassy investor who broke into the boys’ club of the New York Stock Exchange, and the namesake of landmark equal pay legislation who refused to accept discrimination. But as any woman can tell you, the battle for equality—for money and power—is far from over. Cox delves deep into the challenges women face today and the culture and systems that hold them back. This is a fascinating narrative account of progress, women’s lives, and the work still to be done.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, History, Womens, Economics, Sociology, Audiobook

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2024

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Overall, this book would have been 3-4 stars for me. That is, until the author cited research from "Israelis" studying social accountability. (If there was anything funny about writing those three words in a sentence together, it would be quite laughable. But after six months of genocide, I don't find many things funny anymore.)

How can you write an entire book on the disenfranchisement of women and then directly cite those who are living on stolen land while they actively commit genocide against millions of women? Women who still have the keys to their stolen homes? Women having c-sections without anesthesia? Women who are holding the bodies of their dead children? Women who are shot directly in the head for being a journalist? Women whose children are now orphans and attempting to survive without them?

Do I need to go on?

If your feminism doesn't include the liberation of the Palestinian women and girls, then I don't want it.

Thanks to the publisher, the author, and Netgalley for audiobook access in exchange for my honest review.

[Jonathan Shaheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty depressing book to wade through, but provides enough hope that things are ever so slowly moving in the right direction (or at least will in 2028). Would highly recommend pairing this book with “Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism” for the complete picture of how the US has failed women.

[Miraz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, NetGalley, RBMedia, and Josie Cox for early access to the audiobook for Women Money Power!

Women Money Power does a great job recounting the history of Women's financial independence and modern-day challenges women face despite early achievements. I think this book did a great job highlighting key figures in the fight, as well as some women who were overlooked by history books despite their significant contributions.

Women Money Power is a great starting point for the conversations that need to happen regarding women's financial independence, and it got me thinking about our situation today. Some important points that Cox made were the unequal division of labor in the home, and how being the default parent has been detrimental to women's careers and their advancement at work + their annual raises. I think this could have been taken a step further:
In the opening of the book, Cox describes how a CEO states that some women "choose" not to advance in a company, shifting blame. Cox also talks about how women gained and lost the right to choice in the context of abortions. I think the final point that needed to be made was the gain and loss of the choice to work. For wealthy and upper-middle-class women, it is likely still a choice to work or stay at home, but for lower-class and even middle-class women that is not the case. In today's economy, these women are making decisions based on the needs of their families. The choice to work is often based on family survival and success. Today for many American families, if there are no other childcare options, parents need to decide if daycare tuition is worth it. If the tuition is higher than the woman's salary, she may have to leave work in order to save her family money. In other situations, without the dual-income the family will fall under the poverty line because of low wages, and outdated minimum wages across America. These aspects take away a woman's CHOICE.

One of the issues I had with this book was how it almost talked about women in the workforce as an investment and how we want more women in the workforce only for the potential economic benefits it has for businesses. But without adequate support for mothers/families in America this only functions to destroy the family unit. As an American woman, it often feels like instead of getting the supports we need to have a family and a career, our government is instead working to push up expenses to force our hands into entering the workforce to stay afloat.

Another issue this book had was diversity. Although Cox does a great job highlighting the work of White Black and Jewish American women, it falls short for every other community, and even goes as far as to push stereotypes. This first became apparent to me when Cox started listing VP Kamala Harris's achievements. First Black person to become Vice President, and the highest serving woman in the US Government in history. What is missing? Kamala Harris's South Asian identity. Kamala Harris is also the highest-serving Asian American in the US Government in history, but her South Asian identity is never mentioned, even though her identity as a Black woman is repeatedly discussed. I also noticed that while listing female leaders of state, although many South Asian and Muslim countries had female leaders of state before many European countries (like Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, Charika Kumaratunga of Sri Lanka, or Khaleda Zia of Bangladesh) they were not included in the list. The only mention of South Asian or Muslim women was to mention a statistic about women's voices being interrupted by men, and saying that it was much higher in Pakistan. As a Muslim woman, it almost made me laugh considering the rights that the women in this book were fighting for were given to Muslim women centuries beforehand by Islamic law, such as the right to inheritance, and the right to own their property and money. The Muslim and South Asian worlds are definitely not perfect in terms of women's rights (the same is still clearly true for Western countries as presented by this book), but to only mention these two communities by highlighting their faults, while very obviously omitting their achievements pushes harmful stereotypes. The same issue arises for Hispanic women. Although the word "machismo" is repeatedly used throughout the book, Hispanic women are mentioned in one line about protests for equal pay, in which "Puerto Rican housekeepers" participated. That's it. Again, this pushes stereotypes about Hispanic women. In the epilogue, Cox asks readers to think carefully about what their words mean, and to be careful about pushing stereotypes about women, and I think she also needs to think about the stereotypes that were pushed in her book by the details she chose to include, and the ones she did not.

[Ava Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

beyond important and also BOLD. I love how bold this book is and how no detail is glossed over. Cox goes into the deep history and advancements we’ve made for women’s rights yet somehow we’re reversing back :( a must read for everyone

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook. It was a snooze fest. It might have been a better physical read than an audiobook. I wasn’t going to switch to find out the other outcome. At the start, I thought to myself boy I don’t really care for this narrator than noticed “read by author” oops. Technically, dnfed at 70 ish %, maybe less. Either way, it was enough of my time to count it OKAY!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Women Money Power” revisits some of the pivotal ways that gender, government, and economics intersect. As someone who enjoys sociological history, none of this non-fiction text was surprising. However, the anecdotes and information were written with appropriate detail, context, and an engaging manner. Financial journalist Josie Cox looks at the myriad of ways that American institutions impact those who identify as female. Cox very appropriately recognizes her privilege as a cisgendered, heterosexual woman at the start and end of the text. I appreciated that she clearly identified herself and that her text represents one perspective. I was impressed with Cox’s narration of her own work. She was both evocative and matter of fact, drawing the reader in with words and voice. Unfortunately, Cox’s very thorough text also reminded me of the minimal progress and significant work required to develop economic equality across genders.

“Women Money Power” was released in the U.S. on March 5, 2024. Many thanks to RB Media and Netgalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women are taught that our positions in the economy and in society—the positions that all the greats who came before us fought for—should be considered privileges rather than the basic rights they are.

Informative, powerful, dense. Filled with historical points of reference you may or may not have been aware of to show how we got to where we are today. A good reminder that one of the reasons things feel so stagnant right now is because the strides made previously were groundbreaking (i.e. women being allowed to work) and now the work being done is more subtle comparatively.

As always, this was slow going for me, a person who struggles with nonfiction reads, because I wanted to make sure I was taking it all in and not just skimming through. Would recommend, but keep in mind it isn't light and quick; lots of data.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Women Money Power is an exploration of the intersection between gender and finance, examining the systemic barriers that have long excluded women from economic power. The author weaves together history, data, and personal stories to highlight the progress made—and the challenges that remain—in achieving financial equality.

While some parts covered ground I was already familiar with, I found this to be a well-researched and insightful read. The author presents a strong case for how money influences women's autonomy and societal roles, and she offers a hopeful but realistic outlook on the future. One I'd be keen to have on my RL book shelf.

[Rebeca Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This shit was actually fire. I loved how the book was a timeline, it gave me every little bit of info and context I needed without being overwhelmed with the amount of info.

So interesting and important to know how pivotal some inventions and court cases were to have completely changed the lives of women over the years, for the good and the bad.

There’s so many little things or ways that make up our society that completely disadvantage women without us even realizing it, definitely an important read!

One thing I had trouble with though was the amount of names in the book, legit couldn’t keep up but I tried! Loved the ending, not because it was happy ending or anything but because it was written so well. This also must have been so annoying to cite cuz there were easily over 20 pages in the work cited, that needs to be highlighted.

Thanks

[Brian Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Inspiring, informative, fun, and well-researched. Cox weaves in historical facts and figures to demonstrate the inequalities women have faced in the home, in business, at work, and in countless other areas where our society has gender biases. I found the statistics and research in the book to be both thorough and digestible. There is a perfect balance of history and convincing data, and so many women - ranging from gritty, smart, fun - whose stories I wanted the author to dive deeper into. If you want to learn more about human history, or business history, or arm yourself with simple yet powerful data points that illustrate gender inequality… this book is for you!

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a spectacular piece of literature that encapsulates research that fairly and thoroughly reviews the recent economic history of women, heavily focusing on America and the post-1920s trajectory.

It is dense; however, the pace and variety is delightful and I would recommend it to anyone. I hope that as many people as possible read this - I learned a great deal and it lit quite a fire within me to effect change.

The nonfiction streak continues.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received an audio review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

4.5

In Women Money Power, financial journalist Josie Cox walks through the fight for women's economic equality in the United States. She argues that women's equality relies on financial freedom, showing how things like access to family planning (whether it be contraceptives or abortion) play a pivotal role in gender equality. She tracks legislation that has made it possible for women to get fired or not hired based on their probability of leaving the workforce to raise children and how the modern childcare crisis is forcing women out of the workforce at alarming levels.

Overall, I thought this was a really well researched book! It does lean a little dry and fact heavy but I appreciated the humanity she was able to bring to some of the pioneers of gender equality. If you're looking to pick up a good nonfiction this Women's History Month (or whenever because diversity shouldn't be limited to a certain time of year), I highly recommend this!

[An · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book to be a bit too history heavy rather than offering adequate sociological commentary. Even as a history book, it doesn't discuss any equal rights movements or activism beyond the United States, which is disappointing. Also, the individual centric style of storytelling didn't quite suit my taste.
3.5/5

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible. It should be required reading. SO much valuable information. Such an important perspective on the fight for equality and the current threats and inequality that still exist for women in America.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The women's history I've always wanted to hear. I enjoyed this because it provided both sides of major movements and showed how even women can have ulterior motives.

Highly recommend.

[Felisha Daemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every woman no every person on the face of the planet needs to read this. This book has inspired me in more was than I could imagine. I am mad. I am saddened. I am blown away that I was born into a time when women were still forced to asked their husband for permission for a damn bank account. This book has made me want to continue to help make changes towards true equality for everyone.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough for it to stand out to me as much as I wanted it to as a woman in finance. Parts were interesting but I feel like there was so much else she could've spoken about but didn't, disappointing.

[Emm H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read more as an academic text than public-facing, which was interesting. There's lots of valuable information on the ways that financial systems have influenced the rise and fall of the patriarchy throughout history, but much of the book is not as engaging for a non-economist or historian reader. I enjoyed it, but I'm also not sure I was the intended audience.

[Caroline B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides stories of different women within America who have contributed to advancing economic equality. The writing unfortunately didn't grip me, and I didn't find a great deal of new information. I was also kind of depressed that people had fought so hard to make changes, and there are still the same systemic issues (and in some cases, going backwards) (this is not the author's fault)

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some parts that were interesting but a lot of parts were pretty slow. I wish the chapters were shorter

[Susan D'Entremont · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I already knew much of the information in this book, the author puts it together in an engaging and succinct way. A lot of information is conveyed in a relatively short book.

This was a reminder of how difficult things were for women only a generation or two ago. Women could be fired for being pregnant until the 1970s. It was difficult for women to get a business loan without a male co-signer until 1988. In 1964, a woman, Brooksley Born, graduated first in her class from Stanford Law School, but the school would not recommend her for a Supreme Court clerkship, and so on.

I especially enjoyed the section on Pauli Murray, a woman I knew nothing about before reading this book. She worked against segregation, was the first Black woman to be employed by a major New York law firm, and was a founder of the National Organization for Women. She later became an Episcopal priest and was named a saint after her death. I would definitely like to learn more about her.

Yet thing are not rosy today. One of the surprising things I learned is that companies who appointed women to their boards or as CEO were consistently more likely to have expereinced bad performance in the previous months than those who appointed men. It's like the companies are setting women up for failure just to say that women can't do the job. Of course, those might be the only board or CEO positions women could get. The author mentions the appointment of female presidents at Harvard and Columbia as an example of women moving up. But since this book was written, it was only female college presidents that were called before Congress to get grilled about their attitudes towards campus protests against Israel in the Israeli-Gaza war. This seems adjacent to the appointment of women only to failing companies.

I appreciated the author's discussion of the economic value of unpaid and household labor, and that it is valued at about 9% of GDP. It is important work without which the economy and society as a whole could not run. Yet as women work more paid hours, men to not pick up the unpaid work at the same rate.

Unsurprisingly, child care is a huge issue in the US which is not only holding back women, but the economy. It is estimated that 80% of counties in the US are "child care deserts" for infants and toddlers, meaning there are many more children than child care slots. Yet we also have no mandate for paid maternity leave. The average cost of childcare is $15,000 a year for an infant. Both younger men and women's participation in the US labor force has been declining while in Canada it has been rising. This is in large part due to our lack of parental leave and childcare. The author points out that now that abortions are harder to access, the need for things like childcare are greater than ever.

Some fun facts I learned from the book:

The "We Can Do It" artwork was originally produced as an in-house poster for Westinghouse by J. Howard Miller and was rarely seen outside the company. It was rediscovered in the 1980s, and now we see it everywhere.

One of the scientists who worked on the birth control pill, Gregory Goodwin Pincus, was denied tenure at Harvard, so he moved to Worcester to work at Clark University, where he did his research on a shoestring budget until a wealthy woman, Katharine McCormick, funded the research. Of course, in his obituary, other male scientists are mentioned, but neither McCormick nor Margaret Sanger, who originally approached him about doing the research and connected him with a lot of funding were mentioned in the obituary.

A woman's mother's work history has no correlation to being in the paid workforce, but her mother-in-law's status does. If a MIL was in the paid work force, her DIL is more likely to be too, showing how important examples are for sons as well as daughters.

Kamala Harris's presidential campaign slogan from 2020, "For the People," was in honor of Shirley Chisholm.

The stopping of the tenure clock for parents when they have children ends up helping men but hurting women, probably because women end up doing all the child care when their clock is stopped.

President Nixon was an advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment.

Also, a professor of mine way back in the day, Rosanna Hertz, is cited on page 148!

[Jennifer Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women’s history is a passion of mine and I am always looking for new material and insight. Political and social histories of women have been more well documented in recent years, but I was incredibly interested to gain a better understanding of economic history. Josie Cox’s Women Money Power is incredibly well researched and the text is presented in an informative manner, but with highlights and individual stories that make it relatable.

From an historical standpoint I was aware of the limitations of previous generations of women to education, employment opportunities, and essentially economic opportunities. As a millennial it is astounding to me that my own mother was not able to gain credit or open a bank account in her own name until the 70s in some states. Or even go to a bar and be served at the counter until that time period. However, I wanted more information on pay disparity and the reasons behind it today, and Cox delivered quite well on this subject. As a public employee I took for granted public posting of pay schedules and advancements. I was completely uninformed that in the private sector pay salaries and schedules may not be posted and or even a range on salary may not be posted. The fact that companies might have policies about discussing pay with colleagues is absurd. Of course this is only to discriminate in pay, why else would there be such a policy? Also, that many women CEOs only attained their positions at the time their company was in jeopardy was enlightening. Who better to blame for downing the ship than the women at the helm?

Highlights focusing on activist women such as Betty Friedan, Lily Ledbetter, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, etc were well done. However, a more well-rounded intersectional perspective would have been appreciated. I listened to the audio production which was narrated by the author, which I enjoyed. Reading such an informative text would have been more difficult for me. Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for allowing me to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know when you start a book and you have this sense that it will make you just so mad, hurt, and angry but then also leave you feeling empowered? Normally I find that in works of fiction but I feel like it holds true for some nonfiction that deals with a heavy subject in such a respectful way, books that try to find the silver lining in otherwise disheartening situations. Josie Cox’s examination of women in the workplace from the start of World War II to the present day caused indignation combined with a hope that things, though slipping in the last few years, have the potential to get better.

Cox begins with women joining the workforce in the 1940s, the Rosie the Riveters, who stepped up to fill in for all the men that had left for the war. She examines the post-war baby boom that found the same women back at home, mostly out of the workforce again. And then follows women through the 60s and 70s as they try to break into those areas largely only ascribed to men, into the 80s and 90s, the era of women having it all and balancing everything, into the 2000s where we find ourselves facing a backlash, with less women again in places of power, still not earning the same as the men doing the same jobs, wondering, can we really actually have it all or does something need to give?

The women Cox highlights are fascinating and she brings to life the forgotten heroines of the feminist movement. Women today owe a huge debt of gratitude to those who went before,who dared to challenge the system, who stood up for themselves and fought the powers that be; the choices and expectations we have in our lives are due to the battles they fought for us. This book raises some great questions, conversations that we need to be having about what it means to be a woman in the 21st century and I hope this book finds its way onto a lot of people’s reading lists.

[S M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because money is power, understanding women's ability to earn, hold, and control their own money is paramount to understanding where women stand in society at any given time. Cox presents us with a rigorously researched history of how women were able to enter the U.S. working class and specifically which pieces of legislation helped further the fight for equal pay and therefore equal recognition and rights. The author thoroughly acknowledges the privileges she and others have been bestowed that many other women still lack and presents a quite comprehensive view of who has benefited from various feminist economic movements.

Cox makes it clear that women's economic rights provide benefits to society at large, not just women, and like everything else in this book she backs this up with thoroughly cited evidence. Despite the barrage of information presented in this book, Cox presents everything in accessible language and guides readers through the implications and effects of the legal statutes introduced.

Though there have been some set backs in women's rights recently, Cox ends on an optimistic note that we've made great strides as a society from where we were just a few generations ago, and that there is a constant effort to obtain equal rights, which we all have the power to support in some capacity.

[Candace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Women Money Power by Josie Cox is an informative exploration of gender bias. Cox is a financial journalist who shines a light on the battle for equality through an economic lens. Starting with Rosie the Riveter and moving into present day, we look at the discrimination that women face in the workplace. This book touches on the complex societal and cultural influences affecting woman’s fight for financial freedom in the United States. I felt this was presented in an easy to digest format. It was powerful and enlightening. It also pisses me off. The ways that the power dynamics are entirely unbalanced disgusts me. The “glass cliff”, where women and people of color are put in a position of power in order to fail is an abhorrent practice. I think this book is a good educational tool, giving a condensed look at the history of women in the work force and how ingrained bias has impacted the economic power of women. It ends on a message of cautious optimism, but this is not an issue that is easily solved. I would like to know what action steps need to be taken next to improve matters, but that isn’t what this book seeks to deliver. We have a long way to go, and knowledge is power. 5/5 stars.

[Karin Künnapas · Rating 4 out of 5]

/Audiobook/

This is an overview of how women's fight for equal rights in law, work, and home has progressed over the last couple of hundred years. I liked how it felt more fact-based and told the stories of real women, then just randomly bashing the patriarchy.

On the one hand, it was amazing and inspiring to hear about the stories of women who really fought for their and other women's rights, the sacrifices they had to endure, the failures and triumphs. But on the other hand, it was also very sad to hear how some things really haven't changed at all in the last 50 years and how some of the changes were actually put into law in my lifetime and not fully implemented. Also, how one person can turn back time in a negative way (yes, I'm talking about the orange leading the US) and delete the progress of years.

I don't believe that women are still equal and there are a lot of obstacles that affect our lives. I'm definitely in the privileged group, but I still think that this is an important read for everyone, irrespective of their social status.

[Kelly Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening, engaging and insightful. This should be mandatory reading for everyone! I had high expectations for the content, but it surpassed them. The structure was that the author recounted stories of specific women, following a chronological order, in a very engaging interesting way, describing them comprehensively so we understand them as full people. And using their stories to demonstrate real changes made and/or real difficulties that women encounter. All the while, these stories are substantiated and filled with countless statistics and supporting facts. This book is such a comprehensive take of how complex the issue is of women and economic parity. I never realized, despite how much progress has been made, how far away we still are, and how so recent some of these changes have occurred. I would recommend this book to everyone!

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I was interested in the topics discussed in this book, I found that the audio book format made it difficult for me to fully engage with it. It’s possible that if I were to read a hard copy of this book it would have been a better experience but listening it made it difficult to focus on the content in a meaning full way. I also found that the focus on the United States made it a little bit difficult to feel connected to the information since I don’t live in the United States. There is a lot of overlap with the situation in Canada, but some substantial changes make even the similarities difficult to connect with.

I did find that the author had some good research, but the presentation of the book made it difficult for me to like the book the way that I had hoped I would,

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

[Sarah M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I was provided a digital (audiobook) ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting listen on the economic history of women in the United States beginning around the suffrage movement and ending with current day events. It is by no means comprehensive but nor can it be within 300+ pages. It kept my attention while providing historial information on key legislation and figures. While it obviously touched on household names like Betty Friedan & the Feminine Mystique it also covered lesser immortalized names like Pauli Murray. This is an academic text which looks through the lens of the financial and economic impact on women.

Audiobook was narrated by the author Josie Cox - whom I thought did a good job with the audio.

#netgalley #womenmoneypower

[Beatrice Breckheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Credit goes to this book for introducing me to the activist Pauli Murray, who we owe so many of women’s hard-fought for freedoms today. This book does an amazing job with taking the reader through history to show how gender equity has, and for a long time will be, tied to economics, and explains historical decisions and events that have precluded steps toward equity, while introducing efforts in favor of a more equal landscape. In particular, I was impressed by the author’s ability to not only write the captivating (although at most points, infuriating) history of women’s economic struggle in a logical timeline, but also how many aspects of gender equality she was able to succinctly tie back to economics. The author claims in the introduction that the book isn’t comprehensive, as none can be, but I’d say it was as very nearly close as it could get without doubling in length. As a frequent feminist nonfiction reader, I recognized many of her sources and was impressed with her ability to fit them all within the same narrative. Highly recommend!!