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Event: The Cost of Being a Woman: Understanding Why Women Pay More — and Women of Color Pay Most

Thursday, December 11, 2025 | 5:30 PM (Doors open at 5 PM)
Luminary, 1204 Broadway, New York City

Free with registration

Hosted by Working for Women, in partnership with Luminary and The Persistent

RSVP Here

The “pink tax” may be familiar — the extra dollars women pay simply to live in a world built for men. But the real cost of being a woman runs deeper, and for women of color, that cost compounds.

On December 11, Working for Women invites you to an evening of conversation and connection as we unpack these hidden costs and explore how systems of wealth and opportunity can shift toward equity.

Our next Book Salon features Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, author of The Double Tax: The Cost of Being a Woman of Color in America, in conversation with Francesca Donner, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Persistent and former Gender Director at The New York Times.

Together, they’ll delve into what Anna calls “the double tax” — how racism and sexism intersect to make life more expensive, more time-consuming, and more exhausting for women of color. Drawing from hundreds of interviews and studies, The Double Tax reframes how we think about equity, value, and power — and why true progress for women means ensuring no one is left behind.

“I wrote The Double Tax because I wanted to make clear to anyone willing to listen that the individual costs we face as women of color today become societal costs for everyone else tomorrow.” — Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

This event continues Working for Women’s ongoing Women, Money, and Power series, which explores the intersections of gender, wealth, and opportunity — and what it takes to create systems that work for women, not against them.

Join us at Luminary for what promises to be an honest, energizing, and forward-looking discussion about the true cost of womanhood — and how we can all share the work of reducing it.

Limited copies of The Double Tax will be available at the event.

About the Author

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman is a doctoral candidate at Harvard Kennedy School studying public policy and economics. A Ford Foundation Fellow, Roosevelt Institute Fellow, and the youngest recipient of the CEDAW Women’s Rights Award from the United Nations, Anna’s work has appeared in TIME, Bloomberg, NPR, and The New York Times.

Her first book, The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System, was the first trade publication to feature Black scholars across fields like economics, health, and technology. Her second, The Double Tax (Penguin/Portfolio, 2025), examines the compounded costs women face — and how closing the gaps benefits everyone.

About Our Partners

This event is hosted in partnership with Luminary, a global membership community supporting women through connection, learning, and growth, and The Persistent, a media company amplifying women’s voices, stories, and ideas. Sign up for The Persistent’s free newsletter here.

Join us for this important conversation. Together, we can make the cost of being a woman — and especially a woman of color — less expensive for generations to come. RSVP Now