Having it Almost with Corinne Low, PhD

What if the problem isn’t our ambition, resilience, or mindset, but a system rigged in ways mothers are taught to internalize as personal failure?Corinne Low, PhD – Wharton economics professor, author of Having It All, and mother of two – joins Sara to unpack how becoming a mother blew up the script she was following and exposed the gap between the lives women are promised and the ones they are actually supported to live. Drawing on rigorous economic research and deeply personal experience, Corinne names the forces that make motherhood feel so destabilizing at work and at home, even for highly accomplished women.Instead of telling women to lean in or try harder, Corinne brings data to the quiet crisis so many mothers experience. She explains how workplaces are structured around an outdated model of family life, how gendered expectations inside marriages continue to shape women’s careers, and why exhaustion and guilt are often rational responses, not personal failures.In this conversation, we explore:why “utility” matters more than happinesshow mom guilt is often misnamed desirewhy the so-called ambition gap is a mythhow workplaces lose mothers during “the squeeze” yearswhy choosing the right partner and where you live may shape your life more than anythingThis episode offers a clearer, more honest way to think about work, motherhood, and what “having it all” can realistically mean.📚 Purchase Having It All here and wherever books are sold:https://a.co/d/0fHBOX8T******Learn more about Sage Haus: helping busy households hire vetted, professional House Managers, Family Assistants, and Meal Prep Chefs – whether you need 10 hours a week or 40+👉 Get started at https://themothers--sage-haus.thrivecart.com/hiring-services-deposit/*******⭐️ Follow The Mothers and leave a 5-star review if this resonated💬 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it📱 Join The Mothers on Instagram @themotherspod✍️ Subscribe to ⁠⁠Sara’s Substack⁠⁠ for reflections on life, work, meaning & motherhood💼 Find Sara on ⁠LinkedInThe Mothers is a production of Backline Media.