Essay on Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

In the article “Lean In: What would you do if you weren’t afraid,” Sandberg modernizes feminism for the woman of today. Sandberg addresses many points of gender inequality that are still present in today’s society. She urges woman to not fall into passive gender roles, but rather, to be “Ambitious”. Her goal is that young women just entering the work force will not only continue, but also aim high. One point that

Sandberg’s book analyzes the many biases between women and men in positions of leadership in the workplace as well as her view on “feminism” in the corporate world. She claims “women hold themselves back unintentionally in their careers” by not taking part in career advancement opportunities that may arise in addition to hesitance and worry of repercussions which might occur for making requests or demands of their superiors. Sandberg believes that the reason for this is because women are living up to the stereotypes as “caregivers, sensitive and communal” while men are portrayed to be providers, driven and decisive”. The portrayals

I think the whole book is revolved around the Acquired needs theory too. This is because this theory is the need for achievement, power, and affiliation. Many business-affiliated women strive for such qualifications. Sandberg’s book is how to achieve such goals, also how it is okay for women to be at the top of a company. As many things change in the world; the way people see women leaders have changed too. This book is about how it’s okay for women to run company’s not just households.

This concept illustrates gender inequality because even in a field that is dominated by women, gender perceptions about men’s roles, abilities, and skills, privilege them and ease their advancement within the occupation. (Wingfield, p363-365)

In our society, there are many opportunities and jobs that are pursued by more men than women, and our society helps perpetuate this conception. “Lean In: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” by Sheryl Sandberg argues the point that in our society, women are not being encouraged and shown while growing up that they can and should do anything that boys can do. Sheryl Sandberg gives many statistics, firsthand experiences, and the experiences of other to support her argument. Sandberg also uses logos, ethos, and pathos at many points in her essay to prove her point.

More modern women no longer subscribe to the idea that they should only aspire to be housewives. This movement, which began in the 1940s, is hailed as the rebirth of feminism. Women entered the workforce to replace their husbands who had been sent off to fight in World War II. As a result, their work in factories and shipyards challenged the gender norms of that time period, and thus paved the way for future generations to come (“The Women’s Movement—Our History,” 2005). Today, in lieu of Rosie the Riveter, women and girls have many professional role models to look up to. Nonetheless, it remains imperative that the structure of the workplace changes to accommodate a more balanced gender ratio, but this is not always possible within the current patriarchal framework. Gender equality in the workplace has not yet been achieved despite the successes of elite women. However, as small progressions are being made, it is a recurring debate among feminists whether or not the ambitious woman can “have it all.” Sheryl Sandberg expounds on this idea in her book Lean In, believing it possible if a woman has enough determination. Other esteemed women, such as Anne-Marie Slaughter and feminist scholar bell hooks dissect her arguments in their respective works “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” and “Dig Deep: Beyond Lean In,” both coming to the conclusion that women and men must first be liberated from the institution. Richard Dorment, author of “Why Men Still Can’t Have It All”, bases his

In Sandberg’s book, Lean In, she talks about the balance of family and work life briefly. The majority of the book is spent on explaining how women should take charge of their careers and drive them forward.

Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” discusses the meaning of feminism, while looking at the different perspectives women have on the matter. In her essay Gay disagrees with the definition that society has given feminism, otherwise known as “essential feminism”. “Essential feminism” is a clear cut definition with no room for discussion. She states that the inaccurate definition is “warped by misconception”(304),claiming that the uttermost problem with “essential feminism” is that it does not allow for individuality in women to exist. Gay supports her main idea with different examples of women such as Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer, and Su. Sandberg a successful business woman, believes that women should “lean in” to their careers while still having

The first argument I’d like to point out is hooks’. This is her stabbing at her take on feminism. She says that “It almost seems as if Sandberg sees women’s lack of perseverance as more the problem than systematic inequality.” (hooks p. 662). From early on in Sandberg’s life story we see that she has recognized many weaknesses, and this is what one of her first arguments is. After she introduces her mother she goes on to say this, “When she graduated in 1965 with a degree in French literature, she surveyed a workforce that she believed consisted of two career options for women: teaching or nursing. She chose teaching. She began a Ph.D. program, got married, and then dropped out when she became pregnant with me. It was thought to be a sign of weakness if a husband needed his wife’s help to support their family, so my mother became a stay-at-home parent and an active volunteer. The centuries old division of labor stood.” (Sangberg pp.643-644). While this is more of an emotional argument then hooks’, it carries the same amount of meaning. We see that each of them address issues based off things that they have grown up with. We see that hooks’ addresses the systematic inequality because of her ethnicity and gender. Sandberg is addressing gender alone.

In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean in: Women, Work and the Will to lead” was publish (need info about Sandburg is and what she do), I had drop out Saint Paul College dude to my father’s illness. I had to return home to tend to my parents because they were my first priority. Maybe because of my family situation I agreed and relate to some of Sandberg’s theory but not all of story has valid proof in her first chapter, “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” she shear historical experience of the women in her family tree. Also she express the struggles of women hood and their careers lifestyles. Follow by her views of comparison about the male roles vs. the female roles in education and career options.

In the article “Lean In” Sandberg says how women almost always hold themselves back within their careers without really meaning to. She brings up issues that come

For my research question I will be asking: “How is America making progress on gender equity?” Fundamentally, I believe that women are still misrepresented, and are still facing many challenges in the workplace, especially in the business world. The gender stereotypes play a considerable role in the way the society sees women as leaders. However, it will be judicious to consider the small but noticeable changes that have been made over the past years concerning gender equality in the American workplace.

Some organizations mirror society’s idea about which group of workers are appropriate for certain types of jobs. Although hiring and promotion are supposed to be based on rational and universal criteria, they often express informal expectations about gender, race, and class of the people best suited for particular positions, producing race and gender stratified work forces. Men are thought to be more ambitious, task-oriented, and work involved; while women are considered less motivated, less committed, and more geared towards work relationships than work itself.

Nevertheless, women who assimilate and take on these “male-like” qualities are able to make occupational gains; yet they face gender and other social barriers in the work place. For example, Adams and Demaiter (2009) explored the successful experiences of women in information technology. The scholars found that these successful women recognized their success, but denied the fact that they have experienced gender inequality, while unknowingly identifying incidents where gender did seem to be an issue. These

In this case study, Liz Ames has come up against an all too common problem in business today: gender bias. Effectively managing racial, ethnic and gender diversity is not just a human resources issue; it is a serious business issue.