in the wake of
What does 'in the wake of' mean in the following sentence? Does it mean that Williams said that due to the book "Women Don't Ask", many blamed wage inequality on women’s failure to speak up and request raises?

In the wake of Linda Babcock’s popular 2003 book “Women Don’t Ask,” said Joan C. Williams, a law professor and co-author of the book “What Works for Women at Work,” many blamed wage inequality on women’s failure to speak up and request raises.

Question

in the wake of
What does 'in the wake of' mean in the following sentence? Does it mean that Williams said that due to the book "Women Don't Ask", many blamed wage inequality on women’s failure to speak up and request raises?

In the wake of Linda Babcock’s popular 2003 book “Women Don’t Ask,” said Joan C. Williams, a law professor and co-author of the book “What Works for Women at Work,” many blamed wage inequality on women’s failure to speak up and request raises.

Answer

'the wake' is what a boat leaves behind it as it sails through the water, so it means 'following' [as a result of].

In the wake of increasing taxes, many people left the country.

So 'increasing taxes' is like the boat, and the new situation is like the water behind it [it has been disturbed or changed in some way that is beyond our control].

You can also be in someone's wake:

The new director is making lots of changes and I am caught in his wake.

This means the new director is a powerful force and if you are in his wake, you are powerless to do anything [the water isn't calm any longer and it's moving you around].

Answer

It just means "after" or "following".

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