Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family

Many listeners will remember Slaughter's controversial 2012 essay, "Why Woman Still Can't Have It All" (ow.ly/WBtzz). The intervening years have given Slaughter a chance to revisit some of the experiences leading up to and following that writing. The result is a thoughtful, well-researched, and thought-provoking book, dedicated to the examination of gender inequality at work and at home. The book examines common beliefs and assumptions related to gender roles; looks at the lenses through which we view those roles, the workplace, and one another; and offers both practical proposals and other, more open-ended thoughts about how society might need to change in order best to serve the needs of both one's family and one's career. Slaughter makes a commendable effort to write an expansive, inclusive piece that will speak to all genders and to workers up and down the career ladder. Perhaps the most crucial theme is her focus on the importance of the role of caregivers in our society and how we should address this need going forward. The author reads the introduction and coda, enlivening her point of view. Unfortunately, Karen White's performance of the main text somehow lacks the same emotional resonance.