Economist links 'Femonomics' to personal life, says leaving husband for a lesbian partnership improved family balance

A prominent U.S. economist has publicly described a personal transformation prompted by her research into gender economics, saying she left her husband and began a relationship with another woman. She argues the move reflected a broader pattern in which domestic labor falls most heavily on women and that a reworked partnership can improve family life.

Corinne Low, a professor of economics at one of America’s top business schools, specializes in gender economics and has long argued that as women entered the workforce in larger numbers, men's roles at home did not adjust, leaving women to shoulder the household burden while continuing to advance professionally. Low describes her own experience as a living case study of the academic truth she teaches: the period she terms the squeeze, when young children at home push women's careers toward a plateau unless labor at home becomes more equitably shared.

Low recounts a turning point in 2021, amid the demands of juggling a demanding tenure track and motherhood. She describes the moment when her frustration about being the primary manager of childcare, school meetings, doctors’ appointments and other household duties boiled over. She says she told her husband she had checked out of the marriage and did not want to pursue another traditional male partner. Instead, she says she announced she wanted to date a woman, viewing the shift as a conscious response to persistent inequities at home and in the workplace. The admission was not framed as a rejection of love or family but as a request for a partnership built on fair share of the load.

The narrative portrays the immediate consequences: Low moved closer to her workplace, reducing a lengthy commute, and began a process of reconfiguring her life around shared parenting and a different kind of partnership. She says the transition helped restore her mental state, reduce daily exhaustion, and create a calmer home environment for her son. The account emphasizes that the change was not simply about sex or attraction but about creating a domestic arrangement that aligns with the demands of a high-achieving career and reliable parenting.

Low describes meeting Sondra, an events producer and musician, after her decision. The two began dating, and Low notes that Sondra’s everyday acts of care—sharing household duties, providing emotional support, and contributing to childcare—felt like a natural extension of a fair partnership. The couple later married and welcomed a daughter, with Low saying that both partners contributed to night shifts, meal planning, and errands in ways that had previously felt out of reach. The emphasis is on shared responsibility rather than a fixed gender role, and Low frames the change as a personal and parental breakthrough rather than an attack on traditional family structures.

The story instance is used to illustrate broader research findings, including data from the Institute forFiscal Studies about unpaid work in the UK, where working-age women Middle income households average nearly two hours more unpaid work per day than men. Low’s own research supports the conclusion that as women’s earnings rise, the domestic load must be renegotiated to prevent career stalls. The narrative asserts that the right partner can help achieve a sustainable balance that benefits both parents and children.

In addition to sharing her experience, Low discusses a forthcoming book, Femonomics: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and How To Get The Most Out of Yours. The volume is described as offering strategies to renegotiate a household deal and to protect one’s work and personal life from the pressures of traditional gender norms. The book presents a framework for women to reevaluate obligations, set boundaries, and pursue a fair distribution of domestic labor without sacrificing professional ambitions. Notably, Low emphasizes that the goal is not simply about leaving a marriage but about finding a partnership in which responsibilities are explicit, visible, and shared.

The author also outlines practical takeaways that readers can apply to their own relationships. Among them are pruning nonessential obligations that drain time and energy, conducting a candid audit of every domestic task, and ensuring that personal time and professional development are prioritized. The guidance also calls for redefining flexibility in work life, arguing that flexible arrangements can mask ongoing expectations of constant availability, and it advocates deliberate delegation of responsibilities rather than passive acceptance of unequal workloads.

Femonomics: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and How To Get The Most Out of Yours is published tomorrow by Hodder Press in the United Kingdom, with the US edition published as Having It All. Low’s account and the accompanying research underscore a broader cultural conversation about gender roles, work, and family life in modern society. The story sits at the intersection of culture and entertainment by presenting a high-profile academic perspective through a deeply personal narrative, inviting readers to reconsider assumptions about marriage, parenthood, and professional success.

As part of the broader discourse, Low asserts that the aim of her work is not to vilify any gender but to illuminate patterns that, if addressed, can free both partners to pursue fulfilling careers and partnerships. The narrative emphasizes that meaningful change often begins with an honest assessment of the invisible labor that sustains households and the development of practical strategies to ensure that responsibility is shared. In doing so, the piece contributes to ongoing discussions about gender equity in intimate relationships and the workplace, grounded in empirical data and concrete life experiences.