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The Ambition Penalty: How Corporate Culture Tells Women to Step Up―and Then Pushes Them Down
- GenresNonfictionFeminism
320 pages, Hardcover
Published May 19, 2026
About the author
Stefanie O’Connell
4 books7 followersStefanie O'Connell is an award-winning journalist debunking myths around women’s work, money and ambition that fuel modern day gender inequality.
“Rigorous, incisive and galvanizing,” her book, "The Ambition Penalty: How Corporate Culture Tells Women to Step Up — and Then Pushes Them Down," is “a testament to what’s possible when women are liberated from keeping themselves small to make other people comfortable.”
She also wrote, hosted and co-produced the WEBBY award-winning podcast “Money Confidential” for REAL SIMPLE magazine.
In her "Too Ambitious" newsletter, Stefanie uses data to expose how power and gender collide to keep women “in their place.” And shows how liberating women’s ambitions can liberate us all.
“Rigorous, incisive and galvanizing,” her book, "The Ambition Penalty: How Corporate Culture Tells Women to Step Up — and Then Pushes Them Down," is “a testament to what’s possible when women are liberated from keeping themselves small to make other people comfortable.”
She also wrote, hosted and co-produced the WEBBY award-winning podcast “Money Confidential” for REAL SIMPLE magazine.
In her "Too Ambitious" newsletter, Stefanie uses data to expose how power and gender collide to keep women “in their place.” And shows how liberating women’s ambitions can liberate us all.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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April 17, 2026The Ambition Penalty by Stefanie O’Connell is a sharp and timely examination of how corporate culture shapes and often constrains women’s professional ambition. The book explores the gap between encouragement and reality in workplace advancement, offering insight into systemic barriers and career dynamics. A compelling read for anyone interested in leadership, gender, and organizational behavior.
June 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.
Stefanie O’Connell is a journalist who writes about the connections between gender, power, and money. I first encountered her on social media several years ago and have enjoyed her data and research-driven posts. In this book, O’Connell persuasively shows how we blame individual women for being underpaid or underrepresented rather than recognizing the widespread social discrimination at work. It’s a fairly short book but well worth the read.
The book begins with recounting a surprisingly common occurrence: a job offer being rescinded when a woman tries to negotiate. This has happened to me– it was really traumatic and absolutely impacted how I approached later negotiations for other jobs. Recognizing it as part of a systemic issue helped me process the event. Women have been told to negotiate for themselves, but when we do so, we are often treated very differently than men.
It’s a great book that includes a lot of research and data. A few bits that will stick with me:
“There is still no country in the world where men perform as much unpaid labor as women”
“One 2023 analysis of US data found that married men were able to work 20 to 30 percent more hours than single men, a gap presumably enabled by the added household labor of their wives– one that is, notably, not reciprocated for women married to men”
“Men with the highest GPAs were called back for a job interview at nearly double the rate of women with the highest GPAs.”
“Women became the majority of college students in the United States over four decades ago, but men still benefit far more from their educational attainment, with significantly higher lifetime earrings than women across every education level”
I especially liked the sections that detail “when you hear” (some unfortunately common statement like “Women just prefer to opt out of the workforce”) with responses and research to back it up. It also addresses the even tougher circumstances that women of color experience.
Stefanie O’Connell is a journalist who writes about the connections between gender, power, and money. I first encountered her on social media several years ago and have enjoyed her data and research-driven posts. In this book, O’Connell persuasively shows how we blame individual women for being underpaid or underrepresented rather than recognizing the widespread social discrimination at work. It’s a fairly short book but well worth the read.
The book begins with recounting a surprisingly common occurrence: a job offer being rescinded when a woman tries to negotiate. This has happened to me– it was really traumatic and absolutely impacted how I approached later negotiations for other jobs. Recognizing it as part of a systemic issue helped me process the event. Women have been told to negotiate for themselves, but when we do so, we are often treated very differently than men.
It’s a great book that includes a lot of research and data. A few bits that will stick with me:
“There is still no country in the world where men perform as much unpaid labor as women”
“One 2023 analysis of US data found that married men were able to work 20 to 30 percent more hours than single men, a gap presumably enabled by the added household labor of their wives– one that is, notably, not reciprocated for women married to men”
“Men with the highest GPAs were called back for a job interview at nearly double the rate of women with the highest GPAs.”
“Women became the majority of college students in the United States over four decades ago, but men still benefit far more from their educational attainment, with significantly higher lifetime earrings than women across every education level”
I especially liked the sections that detail “when you hear” (some unfortunately common statement like “Women just prefer to opt out of the workforce”) with responses and research to back it up. It also addresses the even tougher circumstances that women of color experience.
May 29, 2026
As a woman who grew up during the back end of the girl boss era and is on social media currently to see the rise of tradwifeism/soft girl life, I found this book equal parts interesting and enraging. The author calls our attention to the flaws of girl boss feminism; namely, that you can’t individually fight your way out of a systemic problem. She also makes a poignant argument that behind the feminist/ anti- capitalist veneer of “soft life” content is misogyny and the fall back to patriarchal ideals in reaction to the realization that women can’t really have it all - at least not until we make meaningful changes to how our society functions. O’Connell highlights the me too movement as an example of how quickly society can change when we form coalitions and push for said change instead of continuing to fight meaninglessly in the individualism capitalism has engrained in all of us. To be clear, I say this book enraged me not because there is any issue with the writing or the content but because it reminded me that there’s still so much more work to be done. It’s extremely well researched and timely. A must read for all women but especially my corporate girlies.
May 26, 2026
This is the ambition book I've been waiting for.
There has been so much anti-ambition rhetoric lately, and it feels like there's an underlying message that women maybe just aren't that ambitious. In this book, you basically see how that entire argument is just being created by a system that loves to punish women who are ambitious, and wants to keep women blaming themselves, being grateful for the tiny amount they get, and giving their free labor to men who get rewarded for the same ambition that women are being punished for.
sidenote, this book is where I learned that women who earn more then their male partners ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET CHEATED ON, and men feel worse about themselves when their female partners succeed in any way.
The amount of research and data in this book is just bananas. I'm giving it five stars just for that. if you have been a woman who has felt the impact of these things but hasn't had the words for it and wondered if it's just you, this book will feel so so validating.
There has been so much anti-ambition rhetoric lately, and it feels like there's an underlying message that women maybe just aren't that ambitious. In this book, you basically see how that entire argument is just being created by a system that loves to punish women who are ambitious, and wants to keep women blaming themselves, being grateful for the tiny amount they get, and giving their free labor to men who get rewarded for the same ambition that women are being punished for.
sidenote, this book is where I learned that women who earn more then their male partners ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET CHEATED ON, and men feel worse about themselves when their female partners succeed in any way.
The amount of research and data in this book is just bananas. I'm giving it five stars just for that. if you have been a woman who has felt the impact of these things but hasn't had the words for it and wondered if it's just you, this book will feel so so validating.
May 30, 2026
I flew through The Ambition Penalty because it put words to frustrations I think a lot of women have felt for years but haven’t always been able to articulate. Stefanie O'Connell talks about ambition, work, and success without falling into the usual “just work harder and believe in yourself” messaging, which honestly gets exhausting. So much of this book made me think, “yes, that’s exactly how it feels,” especially when it came to the weird double standards women deal with professionally and personally. The Ambition Penalty is smart, grounded, and deeply observant, weaving together research and cultural patterns in a way that made me rethink experiences I’d previously brushed off as isolated incidents. 10/10 recommend!
May 19, 2026
The Ambition Penalty is timely, nuanced, and clearly written with deep insight and intention. Stephanie brings an important perspective to conversations around ambition, success, and the unique pressures women face professionally and personally, grounding these experiences in both compelling data and real-life stories. This book sparks reflection and important conversations, and is a must-read for women at every stage of life and career.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I felt so much energy when reading The Ambition Penalty. It’s easy to get caught up in the narrative “everything is terrible and there’s nothing I can do about it.” This book will shake that thought right out of you. Well-researched, well-paced (it doesn’t drag on), and points to what actually works.
I interviewed the author for our podcast and received an advance copy.
I interviewed the author for our podcast and received an advance copy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
A seething indictment of the myths we use to prop up gender inequality, not only in the workplace, but in the home as well. Well researched and passionately argued, I am recommending this book to every single one of my friends.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews