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 equality.

WOMEN MONEY POWER
The Rise and Fall of Economic Equality
by Josie Cox
Abrams, March 2024

For 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.

Josie Cox is a journalist, editor, and broadcaster with a particular interest in business, workplace culture, and equality. She has an extensive professional network and experience working for a broad range of media outlets in Germany, Switzerland, the UK, and the US, including Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and The Independent, where she served as business editor. As a freelancer, her work has appeared in The Guardian, Fortune, Forbes, The Times and Sunday Times of London, and other publications. She has appeared as a commentator on CNN, Fox News, Al Jazeera, and Sky News, and is a regular guest on the BBC. Cox was a fully funded 2020/2021 Knight–Bagehot Fellow at Columbia Journalism School. She has an MBA from Columbia Business School and is also an associate instructor within the Strategic Communications program at Columbia’s School of Professional Studies. She lives in New York City.