Shortchanged: Why Women Have Less Wealth and What Can Be Done about It, Chang Mariko Lin

The first book to focus on the differences in wealth between women and men, 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, most important, the demands of 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 womens financial resources. Chang proposes a number of practical suggestions to
address the unequal burdens and consequences of care-giving, so that women who work just as hard as men will not be left standing in financial quicksand.