Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In Book/Movement

[westwoodmom04]

I don't know if anyone has heard about Sheryl Sandberg's new book, Lean In, and her plan to create Lean In Circles, there is a good overview in this article from the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/22/us/sheryl-sandberg-lean-in-author-hopes-to-spur-movement.html?pagewanted%253Dall&_r=0 I read her TED talk, and thought she made some good points, especially about the differences between the way men and women project themselves. I also applaud her for wanting to help promote other women. However, as someone who has cycled between working professional mom and SAHM (currently in a SAHM cycle but hoping to cycle back in in some capacity in the next year or so), I am really put off about the part of her message that says if you slow down to spend time with your children, you are not trying hard enough. The message just seems off coming from a woman who was so wealthy by the time she had children, she can easily hire people to care for, shop for, cook for her family, and handle all the housework. It's all these little things, plus things like sick children, that make life so difficult for working moms (all moms really). I'm curious as to what others think.

[alootikki]

I also don't fully buy into the "Lean In" message. I have two Ivy League degrees, and was on the "high potential" fast track before having kids. I'm still working full-time, but have been very fortunate to be working from home most of the time these days - although my current role is not as exciting or challenging as the roles I had pre-kids. But it gives me the flexibility to take my toddler to his music class, do school pick-ups/drop-offs, read to them before naps, and volunteer at school regularly. There's a lot more that happens in their days than just dinner time (which is Sheryl's big point - she tries to have dinner with her kids every night).

[LizLemon]

I don't really know much about Lean In other than reading a little about it in news articles. But in terms of SS's philosophy, wouldn't you just have chosen a different path? Clearly if you are not working or have chosen a less demanding job in order to balance work and family, you have different priorities than Sheryl Sandberg. To me it doesn't seem like not trying hard enough but wanting different things. I work full-time and outside the home, but in medicine so I doubt she would be too thrilled with me, either. I probably wouldn't have too much of interest to contribute to the "lean-in circles." :p

[westwoodmom04]

I don't really know much about Lean In other than reading a little about it in news articles. But in terms of SS's philosophy, wouldn't you just have chosen a different path? Clearly if you are not working or have chosen a less demanding job in order to balance work and family, you have different priorities than Sheryl Sandberg. To me it doesn't seem like not trying hard enough but wanting different things. I work full-time and outside the home, but in medicine so I doubt she would be too thrilled with me, either. I probably wouldn't have too much of interest to contribute to the "lean-in circles." :p

My reading of her theory is that not "leaning in" is basically failure because it takes women off the ladder to partnership, C-level status, etc. . So, there really doesn't seem to be room for alternative paths, which irks me because that seems to be the way most women prefer to go. Hard to lead the herd if their determined to take a different path. But, I may be injecting my own biases into my interpretation of what she's saying.

[buttercup]

I think that I am too busy working/raising children to read books about how I am to do it the proper way ;)