English
The role of a woman in the society and the problem of equality between men and women has been discussed in lots of articles and gender studies books. An article “Why I Want Women To Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg discusses a burning problem of women leadership and social role as well. Nowadays Sheryl Sandberg is one of the most successful female CEOs in the United States and an excellent organizer, activist and author. Sheryl is the Chief Operating Officer at Facebook, who works in the company mostly led by men. Before working for Facebook, Sherylheld a position of Vice President of Global Online Sales and Operations department at Google.
Being concerned about the role of women and the women leadership issues, she wrote a book named “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead” to inspire women to take more responsibilities for their lives and to change the world for better from the perspective of her own vision. The article “Why I Want Women To Lean In” is a revolutionary message to the society. But whether it is a real problem that women give the leadership positions to men? What evidence is given in the article in favour of this statement? Whether the arguments are rather convincing and what else could be said to persuade the readers. Whether the Sandberg`s strategies of leaning in are really effective?
First of all it is important to say that women are really afraid of taking responsibilities because they should always balance between their private life and career perspectives. According to Sandberg, “women hold around 14% of Fortune 500 executive-officer positions and about 17% of board seats”. And this means that women are not often involved in the decision-making and have little power in the society. However, if a woman is rather talented in management, why should she spend her time on bringing up the children. However, according to the social surveys given to prove the discrimination of women in the society 46% of men want their partner to sacrifice their job in favour of the family. Most men see the mission of woman in providing the support to their husbands, cooking, shopping and teaching. Because of this women are rather hesitant while getting a beneficial job offer as they are expected to trade off without even analyses of all the pros and cons. Thus, Sendbergs developed her personal strategies to overcome the discrimination and to achieve equality between men and women such as to make a break only for a period when kids arrive. Sandbergs states that only 40 percent return to work on a full-time basis after their maternity leave. Thus, they reduce their job opportunity drastically and are less competitive in the labour market. However, it is clear that children demand a lot of time and attention, so men are not an equal alternative in bringing up children as they are usually careless to the details and less sympathetic to childrens` needs. Men often can not find a proper approach to their kids as they tend rather indulge than to teach. Secondly, we should acknowledge that successful women are not liked in the society and are often accused of being ““too aggressive,” “not a team player,” “a bit political”; she “can’t be trusted” or is “difficult””. Sandbergs provides the fact from her own experience at Facebook. After conducting a survey, Sandberg found out that people do not accept the idea of the successful woman and try to humiliate her by means of criticism. No one pays attention to the price that women pay for their success. However, by ensuring people the price is rather high, the level of discrimination could be lower.
Thirdly, the issue of excellence is rather controversial nowadays. Modern society is continually developing, and every woman face with the problem of perfectionism. Women tend to be the best mothers and successful workers. However, the point is that it is impossible to be at the top in everything. Sandbergs proved today business women spend the same time on children and household chores as the average housewife in 1975. So, this fact confirms the possibility of combining family and work. Otherwise, there is no denial that sooner or later women realize they can not be excellent in everything. Sandbergs point about proper priorities ensures that women can keep a proper balance between their parental responsibilities and the fulfillment of their career objectives. The crucial point is to manage the time properly.
In conclusion, it is important to say that women can change the world for better by being leaders. While it is true that women should not neglect their family, it is still important for them to play a social role and to achieve their career objectives. While reducing the level of perfectionism, having personal priorities and setting up personal purposes women can prove they deserve to be successful.
References
Sandberg, Sheryl. 'Why I Want Women To Lean In'. Time 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.
Staff, TIME. 'Video On TIME Cover Story: Sheryl Sandberg Leans Forward | TIME.Com'. TIME.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014.
