What A Woman Wants

There has been lot’s of play on the book written by Sheryl Sandberg and her view on why women are not making more progress in top positions in the corporate world.  I have my ideas, but I came across this today via Mark Perry:

Isn’t it odd that people who exhort us to increase the numbers of women in powerful, high-paying jobs on the speculative grounds that this will be good for the world, discount the roles of women as mothers, which are (usually) of undeniable benefit to their kids? Many women have figured this out. One put it this way: “The world will not be affected one way or another if it has one more accountant during the next decade. But my kids will be profoundly affected by having me raise them.”

Many women also find that devoting their time to raising happy, ethical, and responsible children is more rewarding than spending 60 hours a week at the office. Why should they be made to feel that they are letting down the team?

 

8 responses to “What A Woman Wants

  1. Why are those who would like to see more women in higher paying and powerful jobs necessarily discounting the roles of women as mothers? It’s not an either/or situation. Does a system where men work and women stay at home discount the roles of men as fathers? I think what we are really talking about is equal opportunity – or a world where women are free to pursue such jobs, not where they are in all circumstances expected to do so.

    • It’s not an either/or situation.

      I think that it is.

      Does a system where men work and women stay at home discount the roles of men as fathers?

      I think the roles that men play and that women play in the family, in general, have the man sacrificing family time for the sake of a career with the mother either staying home or seeking more flexible jobs.

      The demands and sacrifices of an AVP, VP, SVP or officer in large corporation are mind blowing. I’m sure that men and women are equally capable of succeeding at those challenges, I just think that more women than men choose to avoid those sacrifices.

      a world where women are free to pursue such jobs

      I think women are free to pursue those jobs. I think that they just don’t.

      • You think it is an either/or situation? How about women who don’t want to have kids? How about families that can afford to hire someone to help out with the kids during the day? How about families that need two working parents to get by? How about women who want to make a difference in the world beyond the scope of their own family?

        And is it really your position that women, in general, don’t pursue the high paying high powered jobs?

        • And is it really your position that women, in general, don’t pursue the high paying high powered jobs?

          I can’t find it now, I’ve looked both here at over at your place, but I swear I was discussing gender inequality in regards to college degrees; bachelors through PhD. Nickgb, I think, made a comment that this disparity was simply a result of women making different life decisions and was not an example of a systemic problem that required federal councils on gender inequality. However, I did find this:

          http://www.poisonyourmind.com/2012/09/the-nature-of-things-is-constant-change/#comments

          For example, it may simply just be a product of more women seeking these degrees than men, in which case there’s no discrimination.

          If it is reasonable that women simply seek more degrees than men, and different ones, and more advanced ones, why isn’t it just as likely that they seek different types of:

          A – Jobs
          B – Compensation
          C – Life/work balances

          I simply am becoming more convinced that corporations are not going to forgo the opportunity to retain a skilled executive at a 25% savings just because she is a girl.

  2. Pino, why don’t you just face up to the fact that you just want your home-cooked meal?

    • Pino, why don’t you just face up to the fact that you just want your home-cooked meal?

      HA! Except in our home, I’m the cook.

      I know that anecdotal evidence does not a proof make, contrary to liberal’s beliefs, but I see this playing out in my own home.

      My wife was on the fast track at work. She was to do a “customer facing role” tour here in Carolina for a year – year and a half and then move back the the North East. She was short listed for VP material and was given assignments to develop her background.

      Then she had the unfortunate luck of meeting me. I plied her with tequila and presto, she was Mrs. Pino.

      Now, she is in the same role she was when she moved. She’s been offered 3-4 promotions into very lucrative, and demanding, jobs. She passed them all over because, while the money would have been great, the amount of time in the office wasn’t appealing to her; our 2 young children are very fun to hang out with.

      Additionally, she’s been offered to move to corporate HQ in a very away city. Again, no go. The trade-off for her simply isn’t worth the cash.

      Now, I don’t know if I personally know any man that would have done the same thing.

      I find it ironic, and Machiavellian in my darkest hours, that a group of people will at the same time clamor that there are things vastly more important than money – quality of life – and then turn around and bash the system that simultaneously rewards people who value money and equally rewards people who value family. People at the very highest margins of salaries choose to make that money or they CHOOSE not to make that money.

      Now, if we wanna talk about WHY women feel they have to love their family to the point of retarding their career while men don’t, well, that’s a different conversation than saying that somehow corporate America punishes women.

  3. Your wife is fortunate; Mr. Kells can make rice and beans. Fortunately, Mr. Kells plied me with sangrias, and so I cook. 😉

    I agree with everything you say. It seems we must make sacrifices in order to accommodate family time. It is noble when one can discern the differences in success.

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