Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In

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.

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 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

Discriminating women because of their gender is common in the workforce and unfortunately, has become a norm. Discrimination begins from childhood and that is why it has become accepted in America’s society. Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook and author of “Lean In: What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?” writes that “the gender stereotypes introduced in childhood are reinforced throughout our lives and become self-fulfilling prophecies (653).” I can relate to Sandberg’s point because when I was a child, I use to think that girls could not be police officers or fire fighters because it was not seen as an appropriate choice for a girl. I acknowledge Sandberg’s point because gender stereotypes are reinforced in television, the workforce, and at home during indoor or outdoor chores. hooks, activist and author of “Dig Deep: Beyond Lean In” would support this point; however, she would argue that patriarchy is the core issue, not stereotypes. In other words, hook believes that “we must understand that challenging and dismantling patriarchy is at the core of contemporary feminist struggle- this is essential and necessary if women and men are to be truly liberated from outmoded sexist thinking and actions (662).” If patriarchy is the focus then America can establish why women are treated unequally from the men. Stereotypes are important, but hooks’ think that Sandberg “Is simply taking old ideas and giving them a new twist (664).” I agree with hook because Sandberg mentions how women face stereotypical issues, however does not explain that patriarchy is the real reason women have difficulties in the workforce. Before jumping into conclusions Slaughter must focus on how patriarchy can improve.

There is change concerning perspective on gender inequalities in schools. I In and article written by Diane Reay, called “Nice Girls” “Girlies,” and “Tomboys”: Gender Discourses, Girls’ Cultures and Femininities in the Primary Classroom, explains that contemporary gender power relations within an elementary classroom, is more complicated than “girls versus boys”. Reay found that girls were split into identifiable groups, each group defining how feminine they were or weren’t. She concluded that gender either operates as oppositions or hierarchy or most commonly both at the same time. These studies can lead us into why later on in life, during the time we are looking for jobs and professional work, men and women are seen on different playing fields. When you think of a CEO of a company or of world political leaders, does a male or female come to mind? Many, if not most of us, see these positions as being held by men. Even though we are approaching the twenty-first century, women in our society are still not equal to men when it comes down to the professional world. This discrimination in the workplace results in women not receiving the same benefits that men do. In certain cases women do the same job, for the same amount of hours, and still do not receive the same pay for their work. The average women’s paycheck is usually less than the average man, consistent with any field of work. Is there a

“The wage gap has narrowed by more than one-third since 1960”(Hegewisch, 2010) and “the share of companies with female CEOs increased more than six-fold” (Warner, 2014) since 1997. As well as the truth that men and women’s earnings differ for many other reasons besides the presence of sexism. “Discrimination in labor market, in education/retiring programs, unequal societal norms at home and the constrained decisions men and women make about work and home issues” (Hegewisch, 2010) are also factors that can contribute to the unequal treatment of man and women in the workplace. Yet even with most of these variables removed women are still being paid less than men, sexually harassed in the workplace and hold very little managerial positions.

Lean In: Women, Work and The Will To Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg, addresses how women can achieve professional achievement and overcome the lack of leadership progress that has been absent over the past few years. Sandberg uses personal experience, research and humor to examine the choices that working women make everyday. She argues that women can achieve professional goals while still being happy within their personal lives. She argues this by going into detail about what risks to take, how to pursue certain professional goals and how to overcome struggles such as balancing a family and a career. All through Lean In, Sandberg uses the fourth dimension of interpersonal effects through a Narrative to show her indicated stance on gender

In modern america sexism is slowly diteriating, but it has not complitly disappeared. Women have worked hard to become astronaut, Ceos, presidentsdoctors and more, but even with these accomplishments women are still discriminated against. Women face a variety of stereotypes in the work place that prevent them from progress, some company's really think that women don't need equal pay because they are not the head of the house hold and their husbands paycheck should do the job. Other business corporations believe that women can not committed to a job because they are the primary caregiver of their children which causes companies to lose money every time there is an emergency. "The paradox is that the world of rigid and hierarchical sex roles

Inequality has been a dilemma for several years in countless different ways. A persistent problem with disproportion of income between women and men has been lingering within many companies in the United States. It has been said that women earn less money than men in the workplace for many different reasons. Some of these reasons are that women have not spent enough time in the office to be rewarded with raises and bonuses because they are busy with their home lives and taking care of their children, they, unlike men, have been taught to be timid and unaggressive which ultimately steers them away from requesting higher pay, or they do not meet the qualifications to receive promotions (Hymowitz, 2008). This essay is in response to On

In contemporary society, there is a movement toward feminism, both in average lives and when it comes to the labor market. Many individuals agree that men and women alike should have equal

Over the past few decades, great strides have been made by women in the workplace. This increased number in women in the workplace does not mean equality however. Even with equal qualifications and achievements, women are still not given all the opportunities that men have. The chapter in the textbook, “Gender at Work”, shows us more of these inequalities in the workplace. Such inequalities cause gender segregation of jobs and can be linked with the pay inequality in the labor force. Even in jobs that are predominantly filled by women, men earn more than women. Women are often stereotyped as being family focused and not as able to travel, therefore they tend to get passed up for promotions (Garson p.353). This invisible barrier that keeps women from moving up the executive ladder is referred to as the “glass ceiling” (Baxter and Wright p. 346). Women also tend to do more domestic work, or unpaid labor and caregiving. This extra unpaid work is referred to as “the third shift” and is largely rested on the shoulders of women (Gersel p. 352). Consequently, this seems to be one of the biggest things holding women back from taking on jobs that are normally considered male

Since the mid 1800’s women have been fighting for equality and while many issues have been accomplished it seems that women still have a long and difficult battle before them especially in the workplace. Today, women still face difficulties in the workplace and many times a woman must be leery about how she approaches the situation, if she approaches it at all. For most women in the workplace are at risk of losing their employment when confronting such issues. In this time of age, women face the issues of gender bias, sexual harassment, limited career advancement, equal pay, and much more. On a more personal note, I also, have been battling my rights to equal pay compared to another male co-worker. Therefore, this paper will focus the issue women face

Several theories have been utilized to guide research exploring the glass ceiling metaphor. The social role theory explains the labor division between men and women and the difference in their leadership style (Sabharal, 2015). Men are regarded as more agentic- aggressive, dominant, and independent. Women behaviors are more communal- empathetic, nurturing and kind. This theory posits that individuals might question the capacity of women in leadership roles, because requirements of leadership contradict the social role of women (Sabharwal, 2015). Because men majorly occupy leadership roles, it is largely assumed that leadership demands male-like personas. Therefore, women are judged less favorably when seeking management positions. Moreover, managers are less likely to promote women because of their social responsibility as mothers, which ascribe the primary responsibility of family (Sabharwal, 2015). Role incongruity and the perpetuating masculine stereotype contribute to the challenges women face in leadership positions (Sabharwal, 2015).

The concept of gender denotes the distinction between culturally driven and created roles of masculinity and femininity. These specific and normalized attitudes and behaviors transcend and effect how differently men and women live their lives. Based on society’s continual re-enforcement of such gender stereotypes, we see an on-going dilemma of gender inequality. Though some may argue that men experience gender inequality, this seems to exist on a much more invasive level for women. As of recently, the awareness of gender inequality in the workplace has increased. With the fight for equal pay and equal respect, society is already making strides towards the equality of women. With that being said, one aspect of gender inequality that seems

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.