New Science: Why Women Are So Exhausted + The Surprising Ways to Feel Better

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 3 September 2025

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Economist and Wharton Associate Professor Corinne Low shares the shocking data behind women’s declining happiness, the “squeeze” of modern life, and the invisible forces shaping our choices around work, marriage, and caregiving. In this episode, we unpack: Why women still do most of the housework—even when they earn more How outdated divorce laws shaped women's career decisions and financial risk The caregiving and career “squeeze” that hits hardest in your 30s How gender roles and attraction patterns keep us stuck in cycles of burnout Practical, data-backed strategies to reclaim your energy, time, and joy ✨ This episode changed how I think about happiness and ambition and I hope it gives you tools to redefine “having it all” on your own terms. ✨ Homework: As soon as you finish listening, block out time for the activity that brings you the most joy (your “utility function”)—and protect it like it’s a meeting with your boss. For more from Dr. Corinne Low, find them on Instagram @corinnelowphd or online at https://www.corinnelow.com/ Grab your copy of Having It All here. Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome. Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/. Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors: Puori: go to Puori.com/LizMoody and use promo code LIZMOODY for up to 20% sitewide. Seed (DS-01): head to Seed.com/LizMoody and use code LIZMOODY for 25% off your first month. Pique: check out PiqueLife.com/LizMoody for up to 20% off plus a special gift. Shopify: sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at Shopify.com/LizM. LMNT: go to DrinkLMNT.com/LizMoody to get a free LMNT sample pack with any order. The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy. Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 361. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Your research uncovered a massive paradox to me. As women gain more freedom and opportunity
0:04.7	over the last 50 years, their happiness levels actually declined. What's happening there?
0:10.0	What's happening is we have economic opportunity, yes, but we also have a lot more work.
0:15.7	I always say gender roles have converged at the workplace, but they haven't converged at home.
0:19.3	It allowed us to kind of play the same role in the workplace as men, but there wasn't a similar revolution in the role that men
0:25.3	were playing. My data shows that men's level of housework has actually stayed almost entirely constant
0:30.3	since the 1970s. Then at the same time, there's this parenting time has really increased since
0:35.2	the 1990s. So when you look at women's time use data,
0:38.5	they have kind of less time than ever. Women in heterosexual marriages who are the primary
0:43.6	breadwinners do almost twice as much cooking and cleaning as their male spouses. Why are men not
0:49.4	cooking and cleaning? Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Liz Moody podcast. Do you feel like you are doing everything right?
0:56.2	You are working hard in your career.
0:57.7	You're showing up for your family.
0:59.0	You're trying to be the amazing partner, the great parent, the great friend, the badass at work.
1:04.6	And yet you still feel like you are failing at all of it.
1:08.8	You look around and you think, why is this so hard?
1:12.8	Women today are more burnt out, more overwhelmed, and less happy than our mothers and our
1:17.7	grandmothers, even though we technically have more freedom and opportunity than ever before.
1:23.7	How is that possible? That is what we are getting into today. And the good news is we are not just naming the problems, we are giving an exact playbook to fix them.
1:33.0	My guest today is Dr. Corinne Lowe, a Wharton economist and the author of the upcoming book, having it all what data tells us about women's lives and getting the most out of yours, which is one of my favorite books that I
1:44.6	have read in a long time. This episode is going to give you so many aha moments about things that
1:50.5	you have felt but haven't been able to put exact words or data to. And by the end, you're going to
	...

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