Women aren’t stepping back from careers because they lack ambition. They’re being pushed out by workplaces built around the expectation that good employees have no caregiving responsibilities.

This episode investigates how rigid workplaces, economic inequality, and unrealistic expectations for constant availability push talented mothers out of jobs at their peak earning years. What would happen if workplaces actually supported caregiving, and why is that critical for economic success?

Featuring June Carbone, professor of law at the University of Minnesota, Nancy Levit, professor of law at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and Naomi Cahn, professor of law at the University of Virginia co-authors of Fair Shake: Women and the Fight to Build a Just Economy and journalist Josie Cox, author of Women, Money, Power.

Presented by WorkingNation, the nonprofit media platform focused on the future of work.

Women aren&rsquo;t stepping back from careers because they lack ambition. They&rsquo;re being pushed out by workplaces built around the expectation that good employees have no caregiving responsibilities. This episode investigates how rigid workplaces, economic inequality, and unrealistic expectations for constant availability push talented mothers out of jobs at their peak earning years. What would happen if workplaces actually supported caregiving, and why is that critical for economic success? Featuring June Carbone, professor of law at the University of Minnesota, Nancy Levit, professor of law at the University of Missouri&ndash;Kansas City, and Naomi Cahn, professor of law at the University of Virginia co-authors of Fair Shake: Women and the Fight to Build a Just Economy and journalist Josie Cox, author of Women, Money, Power. Presented by WorkingNation, the nonprofit media platform focused on the future of work.

The Work Behind the Work is a WorkingNation podcast about why raising children in America has become so difficult, and what that reveals about our entire economy.

Hosted by WorkingNation executive producer and working mom Melissa Panzer, the series looks at how rising costs, lack of support, and cultural expectations are pushing families to the brink. Birth rates are falling. Care is unaffordable. And the long-term consequences are already unfolding.

This is not just a parenting problem. It is a national economic warning.

The Work Behind the Work is a WorkingNation podcast about why raising children in America has become so difficult, and what that reveals about our entire economy.
Hosted by WorkingNation executive producer and working mom Melissa Panzer, the series looks at how rising costs, lack of support, and cultural expectations are pushing families to the brink. Birth rates are falling. Care is unaffordable. And the long-term consequences are already unfolding.
This is not just a parenting problem. It is a national economic warning.