Holding It Together summary

Akari is a single mother of two young children. She works tirelessly to make ends meet, juggling two retail jobs during the week, and a shift at a manufacturing facility on the weekends. She clocks in 50 hours a week for a maximum of $3,000 a month. 

In her Indiana town, the living wage is $7,300. Despite her relentless efforts, Akari remains $20,000 in debt. She’s also shouldered with the guilt of not being present for her children.

A few years ago, tragedy struck. Akari’s partner was shot and killed, leaving the children without a father and, in many ways, without a mother as well. Akari’s demanding work schedule, driven by the need to provide for her family, means she’s physically absent for much of their lives.

Akari’s story is both heartbreaking and far from unique. Across the United States, countless women are in similar situations, working multiple jobs and fighting to make a living.

And yet, consider how wealthy the US is. It begs the question – why are so many families in desperate circumstances?

The core issue lies in the lack of a societal safety net. Instead of investing in essential services like childcare and creating positive social policies, the US has done the opposite. For decades, the federal minimum wage has stagnated at $7.25 an hour. Additionally, attacks on unions have made it nearly impossible for workers to secure basic rights like paid sick leave and fair working conditions.

Without a safety net, a society will unravel. The US experiences higher levels of depression and poverty compared to other high-income countries, alongside greater political unrest. 

The absence of support systems means the responsibility of holding everything together falls disproportionately on individuals, particularly women. Women like Akari become the invisible glue of the economy, working tirelessly for low pay while balancing childcare and other responsibilities.

This scenario isn’t just unfair; it’s unsustainable. Things could be different, and later we’ll look at some possible solutions. But first, we need to understand how women get trapped in the first place. How do they end up being the ones expected to keep their families and, by extension, the country together?