Despite their best efforts, women still face obstacles pursuing a career and being a mother. Unconscious to the many limitations placed on their choices, women still believe that they face a stark choice of either their careers or a happy home.
Aspiring women deserve a solid "heads up."
Women who ascend the corporate ladder are expected to give up, to go up. This is a critical consideration for women with children.
Countless mothers of young children have surprised themselves by creating professional opportunities while they've been home with children. Others have impressed themselves and others when they demonstrate how their organizational abilities at work translate well on the home front, in locating the right support network and helpers to make both work and home function smoothly.
It was Gloria Steinem who said, "I've yet to hear a man ask for advice about how to combine marriage and a career."
“Women and False Choice: The Truth about Sexism,” by Muna Jawhary extends the logical conclusion of gender bias in society to the workplace, and shows how our unconscious sexist beliefs translate into a sexist behavioral reality. Throughout her book, Jawhary suggests powerful ways of creating a healthy work environment that is equally supportive for both sexes.
Leader stereotype leads to two forms of prejudice:
First, women’s potential for being endorsed as leaders is less than men’s, because the male stereotype is closer to the leader stereotype.
Second, women’s actual leadership is evaluated less favourably than men’s, because women’s assertive behavior is perceived as undesirable or threatening, particularly to men.
Women tend to employ democratic leadership styles that allow subordinates to participate in decision making. Generally speaking, women leaders more than men leaders tend to be inclusive and aim for consensus-building. Research also shows that women are more interpersonally oriented than men – more concerned with the welfare of the people they work with and with maintaining good professional relationships.
Compared with men’s directive style, therefore, women’s leadership style can be described as collaborative.
Source: “Women and False Choice: The Truth about Sexism” by Muna Jawhary
Other Self-Coaching Guides for Career Women:
Women, Know Thyself: The most important knowledge is self-knowledge. (ebook and paperback editions)
Women and Time (ebook and paperback editions)
When Doing It All Won't Do: A self-coaching guide for career women. (ebook and Workbook Edition in paperback at $13.41)
