This book by Clinton White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers
sent me into a bit of a spin.
In three sections, it addresses
why women don't rule the world, why they should and (the hardest
bit) how to get there. The first section neatly summarises the
difficulties women face with reference both to women's experience
in general and to Myers' experiences in particular. I'm an American
politics junkie (even Before Obama) and so I enjoyed the details of
White House intrigue under Bill Clinton.
There is no doubt - and no Professionelle reader will doubt -
that Myers has a point. We know women have the nous, guts and often
the will to rule the world, but don't. Myers is honest about how
being a woman both aided her (in getting the role of Press
Secretary) and harmed her (in contributing to that role being
downgraded in responsibility and prestige). Most of us can probably
relate to Myers' experience of being judged on her haircut and
clothes before anyone would listen to her. And then still not being
listened to. She recounts her experience of finding out that she
was paid less than a male colleague, despite outranking him. Her
retelling of how she asked the White House Chief of Staff for a
raise is both funny and depressing.
Diversity and Critical Mass
I also enjoyed Myers' analysis in the second section of the book
on why women can contribute something different to business,
politics and (resolving) wars. The evidence that women have
different priorities and bring different perspectives to men -
especially when working as a group, see below - is compelling.
The last section is the hard part - the "How" to Rule the World.
While there's unfortunately no silver bullet, Myers neatly
synthesizes some recent research indicating the necessity for a
critical mass of women. Galia first introduced me to the idea that
there is a magic number for women to change boardroom dynamics - on
boards it's generally three (one is a token, two is only marginally
better, but three makes it normal). Similar critical mass
requirements have been found in politics and other arenas.
Working Together
However, Myers also acknowledges that just being there is not
everything - it is also critical that women consciously work
together. Myers notes that women have tended to shun working with
other women as a group for fear of self-selecting out of the power
circle. Again, this resonated with me as I recall the senior women
I have come across in my working life (not all of them, I must
emphasise) who think that because they made it in a man's world,
you just need to apply yourself like a man and not mention children
or their doctor's appointments, let alone "women's issues" like
childcare, pay gaps or flexibility.
Myers is also an advocate for positive psychology , noting, for
example, that performance is enhanced when we think about our
strengths before doing a task. This has great potential to help
women who have tendencies to downplay their strengths and admit
their weaknesses much more quickly than men.
...But...
My issue with the book is that it is presented as
"serious-lite". That's my newly-coined term for people who want to
convey a serious idea but think that they need to do so in a
superficial manner - possibly to reach a wider audience or to get
published in the first place. I read a review in The Atlantic
suggesting that Why Women Should Rule the World is one of
those books that people buy but don't read. This book is certainly
pitched to sell. The title itself screams "Go on, pick me, I dare
you". The cover is kinda quirky with Myers resting her arm on the
title, looking assertive but also cute in her pull-on boots. And
then there's her name - I wasn't going to mention it, but really -
"Dee Dee" - it does make life harder (and she was born "Margaret").
I reckon that name explains at least half her salary gap with her
male counterpart.
And there's the "spin" I found myself in - is this book really
not serious - or is it just that I am guilty myself of doing
exactly what Myers rails against and not taking her seriously? The
fact that the book has a tongue-in-cheek title and a cutesy cover
doesn't mean I should judge it by that cover, does it?
...On balance...
Dee Dee Myers takes on some very real issues in a
well-researched and easy to read book. A lot of women (especially
those reading this review) will relate to her - she works partly
from home, she knows her experience as a mother broadens her
perspective and has enriched her ability to contribute to the
world. She acknowledges that the traditional career path has been
made more difficult because she is a woman, but she also
acknowledges the opportunities it has given her to enable her to
create her own career.
And when it comes to my doubts about this book, she can even
read my mind - she notes (and backs it up with references to
relevant research) that when a woman is in a role that role is
taken less seriously (by men and women) than when a man does it. I
was left asking myself if I would have taken this book more
seriously if it had been written by George Stephanopolous.
Acknowledgement
Tanya Thomson is a lawyer specialising in competition, trade
practices and regulation, especially in the utilities and energy
sectors. Tanya was previously with a major New Zealand law firm
before leaving to set up her own practice. As well as an in-depth
knowledge of trade practices legislation, Tanya has simlarly deep
knowledge of, and experience in, managing a career and three young
children (and a husband!). All of these usually become very busy at
the same time. Reading is a compulsory wind-down activity every
night and she reads everything from management books to crime
fiction (no magic realism though) so you can expect some more
reviews from her in this space.
You can contact Tanya by email or on 09 361 5511 and 0274 922
747.
The book was published by Harper Collins in 2008 and is
available in both hardback and paperback, at, of course, at Amazon.