Overview

Huge social changes occurring in real time are leading us to rethink traditional roles in our homes, workplaces and in society. So why do women who outearn their male partners still tend to do more housework and childcare? Why are unemployed men generally happier if their female partners are also unemployed? Why is unpaid labour still seen as a less important contribution than paid work within family units? In Breadwinners, award-winning science journalist Melissa Hogenboom interviews dozens of female breadwinners, stay-at-home dads and same-sex couples, comparing their stories to the latest research to demonstrate the consequences of changing dynamics. She reveals how pursuing and maintaining power is a key part of every human interaction, affecting every area of our lives. Breadwinners shows how, the closer we look, the easier it is to see the influence of power structures all around us. Ultimately, it gives readers the tools to address imbalances and improve our relationships at home and at work. If we can share power more equally, we can improve not only our own wellbeing but also recognise how to dismantle social structures that are seemingly set in stone.

Full Product Details

9781837262243

Table of Contents

Reviews

A life lived free of power imbalances is the holy grail. Gender trumps money - and it's time for this to change. This book is a factual companion for women looking to change the conversation around how they work, live and prosper -- DEBBIE WOSSKOW OBE Melissa Hogenboom is a brilliant science writer and Breadwinners is the top of her game. I love her strong authorial voice and her nuanced analysis of the scientific literature. I can think of no one better to examine power dynamics at home and in the workplace, and to bring this fascinating research to a wide audience -- DAVID ROBSON Power, sex, and dishwashing: in this fascinating book, Melissa Hogenboom explores how differences in earnings affect every aspect of our relationships, from the most intimate to the most mundane. She shows that, for all the progress our societies have made, subtle (and not so subtle) asymmetries remain in how men and women react to these earning differences, often to the women's detriment. As Hogenboom convincingly argues, better communication and clear expectations can help couples navigate these sometimes treacherous waters -- HUGO MERCIER [Melissa Hogenboom is] a really exciting thinker who has that wonderful ability to take lots of information . . . and then clarify in a way that makes it open and digestible -- SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR Praise for The Motherhood Complex: Hogenboom unfurls a proper anatomy of motherhood, delving into the physical and emotional changes . . . This book is reassuring, warm and subtly challenging -- VIV GROSKOP * * Observer * * The Motherhood Complex offers a fascinating and deeply engrossing portrait of identity change after one of life's biggest event -- DAVID ROBSON A welcome, refreshing and clear-eyed look at the twenty-first century expectations of motherhood -- GINA RIPPON The Motherhood Complex does for mothers in particular what Invisible Women did for women as a whole: exposes the myriad ways in which the system is stacked against us, while celebrating the strengths and successes we achieve in spite of it all. A meticulously researched investigation, and a movingly intimate memoir -- LEAH HAZARD

Fascinating and enraging . . . A sharp, evidence-based account of how stereotypes and invisible imbalances influence everything from who empties the dishwasher to who advances at work. Fair warning: it will make you angry - and rightly so * * New Scientist * * Gender trumps money - and it's time for this to change. This book is a factual companion for women looking to change the conversation around how they work, live and prosper -- DEBBIE WOSSKOW OBE Mind-blowing . . . This book lifts the veil on how we all consciously - and subconsciously - approach power and what we can do to make our own lives and relationships better. Absolutely unmissable * * Stylist * * If I'd understood the weight of the invisible work I was doing as a breadwinner and young mother- if I'd had a book like this - I might have spoken up sooner, especially to myself -- MARY PORTAS The private arrangements governing how couples divide finances, housework and careers is, for many of us, an endlessly fascinating topic. In this thoughtful book, journalist Melissa Hogenboom turns it into a more profound lens through which to view power dynamics in society, business and beyond * * Financial Times * * Power, sex, and dishwashing: in this fascinating book, Melissa Hogenboom explores how differences in earnings affect every aspect of our relationships, from the most intimate to the most mundane -- HUGO MERCIER Melissa Hogenboom is a brilliant science writer and Breadwinners is the top of her game. I love her strong authorial voice and her nuanced analysis of the scientific literature. I can think of no one better to examine power dynamics at home and in the workplace, and to bring this fascinating research to a wide audience -- DAVID ROBSON Melissa is one of the best science journalists out there - always with clarity, receipts and exactly the kind of factoid that leaves you with your mind blown. Ultimately, this book on power imbalances rips up the status quo by empowering us, the readers, with exactly the kind of information we need to challenge them -- SOPHIA SMITH GALER This eye-opening book invites us to rethink outdated expectations and imagine more equal, fulfilling partnerships that align with the lives we truly want to lead -- HEEJUNG CHUNG [Melissa Hogenboom is] a really exciting thinker who has that wonderful ability to take lots of information . . . and then clarify in a way that makes it open and digestible -- SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR

Gender trumps money - and it's time for this to change. This book is a factual companion for women looking to change the conversation around how they work, live and prosper -- DEBBIE WOSSKOW OBE If I'd understood the weight of the invisible work I was doing as a breadwinner and young mother- if I'd had a book like this - I might have spoken up sooner, especially to myself -- MARY PORTAS Power, sex, and dishwashing: in this fascinating book, Melissa Hogenboom explores how differences in earnings affect every aspect of our relationships, from the most intimate to the most mundane -- HUGO MERCIER Melissa Hogenboom is a brilliant science writer and Breadwinners is the top of her game. I love her strong authorial voice and her nuanced analysis of the scientific literature. I can think of no one better to examine power dynamics at home and in the workplace, and to bring this fascinating research to a wide audience -- DAVID ROBSON [Melissa Hogenboom is] a really exciting thinker who has that wonderful ability to take lots of information . . . and then clarify in a way that makes it open and digestible -- SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR This eye-opening book invites us to rethink outdated expectations and imagine more equal, fulfilling partnerships that align with the lives we truly want to lead -- HEEJUNG CHUNG Praise for The Motherhood Complex: Hogenboom unfurls a proper anatomy of motherhood, delving into the physical and emotional changes . . . This book is reassuring, warm and subtly challenging -- VIV GROSKOP * * Observer * * The Motherhood Complex offers a fascinating and deeply engrossing portrait of identity change after one of life's biggest event -- DAVID ROBSON A welcome, refreshing and clear-eyed look at the twenty-first century expectations of motherhood -- GINA RIPPON The Motherhood Complex does for mothers in particular what Invisible Women did for women as a whole: exposes the myriad ways in which the system is stacked against us, while celebrating the strengths and successes we achieve in spite of it all. A meticulously researched investigation, and a movingly intimate memoir -- LEAH HAZARD

Fascinating and enraging . . . A sharp, evidence-based account of how stereotypes and invisible imbalances influence everything from who empties the dishwasher to who advances at work. Fair warning: it will make you angry - and rightly so * * New Scientist * * Gender trumps money - and it's time for this to change. This book is a factual companion for women looking to change the conversation around how they work, live and prosper -- DEBBIE WOSSKOW OBE If I'd understood the weight of the invisible work I was doing as a breadwinner and young mother- if I'd had a book like this - I might have spoken up sooner, especially to myself -- MARY PORTAS Power, sex, and dishwashing: in this fascinating book, Melissa Hogenboom explores how differences in earnings affect every aspect of our relationships, from the most intimate to the most mundane -- HUGO MERCIER Melissa Hogenboom is a brilliant science writer and Breadwinners is the top of her game. I love her strong authorial voice and her nuanced analysis of the scientific literature. I can think of no one better to examine power dynamics at home and in the workplace, and to bring this fascinating research to a wide audience -- DAVID ROBSON Melissa is one of the best science journalists out there - always with clarity, receipts and exactly the kind of factoid that leaves you with your mind blown. Ultimately, this book on power imbalances rips up the status quo by empowering us, the readers, with exactly the kind of information we need to challenge them -- SOPHIA SMITH GALER This eye-opening book invites us to rethink outdated expectations and imagine more equal, fulfilling partnerships that align with the lives we truly want to lead -- HEEJUNG CHUNG [Melissa Hogenboom is] a really exciting thinker who has that wonderful ability to take lots of information . . . and then clarify in a way that makes it open and digestible -- SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR Praise for The Motherhood Complex: Hogenboom unfurls a proper anatomy of motherhood, delving into the physical and emotional changes . . . This book is reassuring, warm and subtly challenging -- VIV GROSKOP * * Observer * * The Motherhood Complex offers a fascinating and deeply engrossing portrait of identity change after one of life's biggest event -- DAVID ROBSON

Melissa Hogenboom is a brilliant science writer and Breadwinners is the top of her game. I love her strong authorial voice and her nuanced analysis of the scientific literature. I can think of no one better to examine power dynamics at home and in the workplace, and to bring this fascinating research to a wide audience -- DAVID ROBSON [Melissa Hogenboom is] a really exciting thinker who has that wonderful ability to take lots of information . . . and then clarify in a way that makes it open and digestible -- SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR Praise for The Motherhood Complex: Hogenboom unfurls a proper anatomy of motherhood, delving into the physical and emotional changes . . . This book is reassuring, warm and subtly challenging -- VIV GROSKOP * * Observer * * The Motherhood Complex offers a fascinating and deeply engrossing portrait of identity change after one of life's biggest event -- DAVID ROBSON A welcome, refreshing and clear-eyed look at the twenty-first century expectations of motherhood -- GINA RIPPON The Motherhood Complex does for mothers in particular what Invisible Women did for women as a whole: exposes the myriad ways in which the system is stacked against us, while celebrating the strengths and successes we achieve in spite of it all. A meticulously researched investigation, and a movingly intimate memoir -- LEAH HAZARD

Author Information

Melissa Hogenboom is an award-winning science journalist, filmmaker and editor at the BBC. She makes and commissions films and writes articles on a range of topics including psychology, neuroscience, human evolution and health. She is currently a health correspondent and commissioning executive at BBC Studios. Her journalism has been recognised by multiple awards, including the Webby Awards, Drum Awards, AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Awards, Telly Awards and Association of British Science Writers Awards. She is a New America fellow and the author of two books, The Motherhood Complex and Breadwinners. melissahogenboom.com | @melissa_hogenboom

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