Should we Lean In?

Writing is something I am quite passionate about. However, many  times I find myself struggling to find the right words to express what I feel exactly. Therefore, to sharpen my writing and analytical skills I have decided to read more. To be more precise, one book a week. Recently I completed reading Lean In by Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sheryl Sandberg.

“Women, work and the will to lead,” is the tag-line of this book. Sandberg describes her international bestseller as, “feminist manifesto that inspires men as much as it inspires women.”  

I  did my research for Summer Project Work in undergrad level on the topic, ‘Challenges faced by working women in Kathmandu’. The goal of my project work was to find out why there are so few women leaders in Nepal and the world. After interviewing around 30 women in various levels and sectors I realised that there are several obstacles both internal and external for a woman to succeed in her career. The problems were verbal abuse, sexual assaults, lack of confidence and gender roles. This work opened myself up more questions rather than giving me one definite answer. Lean In did try to answer some of my queries. 

When I was doing profile reporting for a national daily, and interview for Youth in Entrepreneurship, I realised that the situation is worse than I had expected it to be. When I approached young women entrepreneurs to interview them, they said they were not ‘interview’ ready even though they had worked for years. On the contrary, men would themselves approach me to be interviewed for the radio show as well as national daily, even if they had not yet started their business! Yes, they only had an idea and they were ready to be featured in the media so that they would get investors who would be willing to invest in their business.   Women are underestimated because in a way we ourselves underestimate our capacities and this is also something that the book talks about. In many ways I could deeply connect to what the author was trying to convey the readers.

Once, my closest male friend said to me, “Men and women should do what they are meant to do. Women are the ‘weaker’ sex, they should stay at home and look after their babies. There is unbalance in this world because women want to do everything.” Well, I don’t blame him for thinking this way, gender roles and society’s expectations have a significant impact in our thoughts, words and actions. But I disagree with what he said. How can a woman who brought you into this world from her womb be ‘weaker’ than you? What is the role of a man in this world? What is the job of a woman?   

I watched Sandberg’s TED talk on why we have too few women leaders. Her speech was an eye opener and her book has given me some insights not just about work but also managing personal life. So here are some of the things that I have taken from this book:

1. More women in the decision making positions and power lead to better working conditions for other women and men.
2. “Opportunities are rarely offered they are seized.” Keep moving and do your best work.
3. Finding the right partner will not only make your personal lives easier but also help you in your career.                                                                                                                                        

The book misses to address is how can men learn to cope up with the changing dynamics and traditional roles? How can women truly internalise the revolution? Moreover, the book is 232 pages long but it ends at 173. Almost 60 pages of acknowledgements and references! 

 However, I recommend ‘Lean In’ to each and every girl and woman who is willing to work and lead. I also want more men to read this book and understand the challenges a woman faces and be a true partner in every way possible.The author beautifully presents personal stories that are quite relevant. Provides data and analyses and interprets them perfectly. The writing style is quite simple yet powerful.

Enjoy leaning in!

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