Sheryl Sandberg has stirred up quite a bit of controversy with her book “Lean In,” in which she advises women to assert themselves in the workplace and beyond. Sandberg calls women out for creating invisible, self-imposed barriers when considering how far they want to go in their respective careers. She notes, “we hold ourselves back in ways both big and small by lacking self confidence, by not raising our hands, and by pulling back when we should be leaning in.” With the ongoing dialogue sparked from this book, I can’t help but wonder about the women who have real-life barriers that impede their professional growth.
While I applaud Sheryl Sandberg for tackling this complex issue and bringing it (once again) to the forefront of national discourse, I think for most women this issue is bigger than simply asking more questions at the weekly staff meeting. Currently in Washington D.C., one in five women live in poverty and women are 35 percent more likely to be in poverty than men. In Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s 2010 Portrait of Women & Girls in the Washington Metropolitan Area, we shared that female-headed households in the District had the lowest median incomes in the region, earning $29,000 annually. For these economically disadvantaged women, leaning in can be tough to do when there are so many other mitigating factors surrounding their survival. Issues like the cost of childcare, unemployment/underemployment, lack of educational attainment, transportation, and securing affordable housing continue to stifle women within this region.
With all that being said, I do feel that Sandberg is definitely on to something! By choosing to launch a nonprofit in conjunction with her book, she’s demonstrating that her words alone are not enough. LeanIn.org is geared towards empowering and encouraging women to create their own Lean In Circles, which will serve as a space for women to come together and strategize on how to push their careers to the next level. My suggestion would be to add an advocacy packet to the Lean In Circle kit that would educate women on how to become spokeswomen for those who can’t advocate for themselves. The message that action must accompany words is invaluable and perhaps the most meaningful piece in this whole debate. Of course, we all want equal pay and a well-deserved promotion, but imagine the power that we could collectively posses if we not only leaned in for ourselves, but also for the women that aren’t afforded the same opportunity. Now that would be powerful!
What would you add to Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In Circles? Share below.
