Some books generate a storm of criticism as soon as they are published, much of which seems based on reading about the book, not actually reading the book itself. "Lean In" is one such book. The thrust of the book was no secret, since it is based in large part on talks Sandberg gave in 2010 and 2011. In those she stressed the need for women to "lean in" -- recognizing that many typical female behavior patterns hurt women at work, that those behaviors can change, and that motherhood doesn't have to mean "leaning back" at work. Those arguments, along with Sandberg's extraordinary success, sparked the aforementioned storm of criticism when the book came out. She was accused of blaming the victim by ignoring structural sexism in American business,and of elitism by discussing issues that had nothing to do with the problems of most working American women.
When I actually read the book, I was far more impressed than the brouhaha suggested. "Blaming the victim" and "elitist" criticisms ignore the fact that Sandberg tackles them right from the beginning. The handicaps women face in the workplace, she argues, reflect BOTH external patterns of discrimination, and internal patterns that women bring to the workplace. She calls this a "the ultimate chicken-and-egg situation", and continues "The chicken: women will tear down the external barriers once we achieve leadership roles. .... The egg: we need to eliminate external barriers to get women into those roles in the first place". Both sides, she says, are right. Her book is mostly about the chicken, but she clearly thinks the egg is just as important, saying that "men still run the world" and demonstrating that with lots and lots of statistics. As to elitism, she address that head on as well, saying that parts of this book "will be most relevant to women fortunate enough to have choices". BUT, she adds, other parts "apply to situations that women face in every work place", and she is trying to offer opinions that will "resonate with women in a broad range of circumstances".
So much for the criticisms: what about the book? It demonstrates convincingly that women as a group have plateaued in the American workplace for years now, after rapid gains in the 1970's and 1980's -- in terms of earnings, in terms of advancement, and in terms of home/work balance. It demonstrates that this has happened despite the fact that women are on average better educated than men, all the way up the ladder, and that women make up a growing share of the labor force. So what's the problem? Much of it, Ms. Sandberg shows, reflects workplace practices that disadvantage women, particularly women with children. And much of it reflects attitudes held (often unconsciously) by men AND by women in the workplace. Most notably, she cites studies showing that men tend to be better liked as they become more successful at work, while women become less liked as they become more successful. When you consider that success at work has something to do with how well liked you are, that's a great big Catch-22.
But the key arguments in the book, I think, focus on the limitations women put on themselves. As a veteran (female) of almost 40 years in Wall Street, Ms. Sandberg's discussion of this made me think Right, Right, RIGHT again and again. She cites the same behaviors and attitudes I noticed over and over in myself, and in other women at work: Work hard and you'll do well! Don't make waves! Don't blow your own horn! Don't take on more than you can chew! Why do we women believe this? Largely, because we are conditioned from babyhood to do so. Yes, there are probably some modest innate emotional differences between the bell curve women and the bell curve man. Piled on top of that, however (as Ms. Sandberg makes clear), is an extraordinary weight of social assumptions. And Ms Sandberg has practical suggestions for dealing with these internal constraints. It took me a couple of decades to understand that waiting to be crowned Queen of the May was not a good career strategies, but I never really worked what to do instead. Ms Sandberg has, and it adds up to "lean in" -- don't step back, don't underestimate yourself (or if you do, act as if you didn't), don't refuse to speak up for yourself, and a whole lot more.
All in all, this is an enlightening book, and is well worth reading. It's also a feminist manifesto, and that's nice to see after all these years during which no one seemed to want to admit to being a feminist.
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Purchased new and received Used
The book it’s self was supposed to arrive new and I paid for a new book. However I a book that you can clearly see it was used. The book spine was torn and the dust jacket was scuffed. Other than that the book is in readable condition. I just expected to receive what I paid for.
