I have mixed reactions about this book. On the good side, the book is thoroughly researched with original work. The authors interviewed dozens of women in dozens of work settings about their workplace experiences. It covers the field comprehensively and leaves no important issue untouched. Topics include things like marital work-sharing, being a mother in the workplace, generational changes, and working with other women. It even has a summary of twenty action points in a chapter near the end.
I especially appreciated the chapter about women of color. This topic is often neglected in business books and in society at large. Their experiences should receive more exploration so that we can all learn to treat those from these subgroups better. Black women receive a prominent place, but the different types of Asian women are not neglected. Women’s issues are not just white women’s issues. Each group – and indeed, each person – has their own reactions to biased experiences, and it’s helpful to filter through all the noise in this special category.
As for weaknesses, I’m still not sure what the “four patterns” that I should have learned. Maybe it’s because I listened to the audiobook, and these patterns are more obvious in print. Second, the book seemed to rely on data collection heavily from the legal field. I wanted to observe that a broader, more rigorous framework might have been used to gather the data. I don’t work in legal settings, but rather in biomedical research, so making constant reference to power struggles over policy seems somewhat weird to me. Perhaps generalizing about “women at work” is an impossible task in today’s workplace.
Although male, I work with female-heavy teams. I read this book to appreciate each of their challenges in a better, more supportive way. I believe that aim was accomplished. As younger generations arise with an increased appreciation of gender-fluidity, I’m curious how these dynamics will change and how some will persist. For true progress to be made, more men like me need to learn to appreciate the challenges women face in the workplace. Gender affects us all, and awareness can only help businesses – and individual careers – take advantage of dealing with these dynamics in healthy ways. Reading this book would be a good first step.
What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know
By Joan C. Williams & Rachel Dempsey
Narrated by Nan McNamara
Text copyright (c) 2014
NYU Press
Audio copyright (c) 2015
Audible Studios
ASIN B00TABZSDE
Length: 10:38
Genre: Business, Workplace
www.amazon.com