The Ambition Penalty

Name: The Ambition Penalty
Price: 34.99 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9780349448220

Stefanie O'Connell

$34.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Piatkus Books
19 May 2026

Gender studies: women; Careers guidance; Business ethics; Business communication & presentation; Advice on careers & achieving success

We spoke up. We took charge. We asked for more. But where has it actually left us? Not only are generations of women more burnt out than ever, but the gender pay gap has barely budged in decades.

In The Ambition Penalty, journalist Stefanie O'Connell presents a deeply researched and sometimes shocking look at the ways women remain passed over and excluded, not for a lack of ambition, but because of it. She calls it 'the ambition penalty' - the sum of the financial, personal, and professional costs women face for daring to want more.

The Ambition Penalty dismantles the myth that women are less ambitious than their male peers and debunks common claims - like women aren't confident enough and don't negotiate enough - used to justify stubborn gender gaps in power. This book reveals why decades of educational gains and empowerment messages have not translated into corresponding advances for women at work or at home.

The Ambition Penalty gives women the talking points they can use to call out these biases, and lays out proven practices for leaders and allies committed to cultivating environments where women's ambitions are supported, rewarded, and celebrated.

By: Stefanie O'Connell
Imprint: Piatkus Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 232mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 400g
ISBN: 9780349448220
ISBN 10: 0349448221
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 19 May 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Stefanie O'Connell is an award-winning journalist covering money, power, and ambition whose work has been published in Slate, Bloomberg, Newsweek, USA Today, Glamour UK, Business Insider, and CNBC. She wrote, hosted, and coproduced Real Simple magazine's winning podcast Money Confidential and publishes the Too Ambitious newsletter. O'Connell lives in New York City.