Manifesto on women in the workplace?!
22 February 2013
Well count me intrigued. Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, has written a book that seeks to foster a widespread conversation about the problem of the glass ceiling — and thereby develop a grassroots movement to change it.
Her book, Lean In, will be released March 11. Wonder if I can get a review copy?
The NYT article about it is skeptical; it ponders whether Sandberg places too much emphasis on women’s own stutter-steps and self-actualization rather than on the multiple institutional reasons women fall behind in pay and promotions. All the more interesting.
22 February 2013 at 11:01 am
Had no idea. Whichever way the book leans (our own fault vs systemic problems) this should be interesting.
Given her position at Facebook, she must know something about harnessing social media for advertising. If successful, her media campaign could be a lesson to us in how to successfully orchestrate our own around controversial subject matter (aside from the book’s actual significance). Definitely something I’ll be keeping my eye on.
22 February 2013 at 11:06 am
That’s exactly what’s so interesting — even if Sandberg puts her finger on the side of the scale that emphasizes how much women should do something to help themselves, she nevertheless advocates for a grassroots-level feminist organizing of women to talk amongst themselves and help push one another toward more progress in the workplace. Which is actually quite satisfying in a social-movement kind of way … a way I can get behind.
And you’re right, too, about the social media aspect of this campaign. Nice to see you here, Cet!
23 February 2013 at 3:43 pm
How I wish that Cet might be onto something unexpected in Sandberg’s book. Do we have a history of learning from women of privilege how to push ahead on social justice? I think not but am willing to wait to find out more.
“I always thought I would run a social movement,” she said in a recent documentary. A social movement of the HAVES?
25 February 2013 at 9:51 am
Yup: could be exactly that. Yet I’m still curious. Perhaps partly because I fear all these years of anti-feminism has led a number of women-HAVES to pull up the ladder after them; they could use some enlightenment. But I’m also curious to see whether she has some other ideas about grassroots organizing that cuts across class. I mean, I could get behind something like that.