When Princeton professor Anne-Marie Slaughter published an essay in The Atlantic titled, "Why Women Still Can't Have It All," in July 2012 (most popular article of all-time of The Atlantic), she touched a nerve across generations and among both men and women, setting off a renewed public debate on women's progress and work-life balance.
Slaughter recently visited campus as a guest lecturer in the Authors@Wharton series and spoke directly to the people who she says inspired her to write the piece: this generation's students. In an interview for Knowledge@Wharton with Stewart Friedman, Wharton practice professor of management and director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project, Slaughter, former director of policy planning for the U.S. State Department, shares what it was like to draw back the curtain on her life as someone perceived to "have it all," and why she passed up the promotion of a lifetime to be with her family. She also suggests how companies can make life better for both women and men, and what society collectively must do to support the next generation.
An edited transcript of the conversation follows...

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