Hard cover. Language: English. Pages: 224. Sewn binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 224 p. Contains: Tables, black & white, Figures, Charts. Women now receive more college degrees than men, and the wage gap between men and women has never been smaller. So why does the typical woman have only 36 cents for every dollar of wealth owned by the typical man? Why do single mothers have only 8% of the wealth of single fathers? The first book on gender and wealth, Shortchanged is a compelling and accessible examination of why women struggle to accumulate assets, who has what, and why it matters. Mariko Lin Chang draws on the most comprehensive national data on wealth and on in-depth interviews to show how differences in earnings, in saving and investing, and care-giving all contribute to the gender-wealth gap. She argues that the current focus on equal pay and family-friendly workplace policies, although important, will not ultimately change or eliminate wealth inequalities. What Chang calls the "wealth escalator"-comprised of fringe benefits, the tax code, and government benefits-and the "debt anchor" must be the targets of policies aimed at strengthening women's financial resources. Chang proposes a number of practical solutions to right this injustice.
