Women in Leadership: A Discussion on Lean In and Beyond

The article discusses the challenges faced by women in leadership roles and presents the perspectives of Sheryl Sandberg and Bell Hooks on feminism and gender equality. Sandberg advocates for women to aim for leadership roles and provides statistics to support her argument, while Hooks believes in a broader definition of feminism that aims to end sexist exploitation and oppression based on gender. The article also includes responses from Brooke Allison and Tyler Washington on work-life balance and the importance of being bold and standing up for oneself.

First article
In the "Lean in: What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" Sheryl Sandberg suggests that
women should be motivated to aim for leadership roles since they have been traditionally raised
and viewed as being less ambitious as compared to their male counterparts. She gives a strong
thesis and goes ahead to provide statics to support the same. Sandberg argues that research points
to the fact that women are indeed better in leadership compared to men. A study conducted by
scholars of the Harvard Business Review showed that women achieved higher scores than men
in various categories that included takes the initiative and the ability to communicate effectively
(Sandberg). The two also posit that the pressure in society push women to success in an attempt
to prove to the men that it is possible. I agree with Sandberg’s opinion since I have grown up in a
predominantly patriarch society but have seen great women ascend to leadership roles especially
in business owing to their great skill and charismatic nature. Women are also better
communicators for they exhibit high emotional intelligence levels that make it easier to identify
with others. According to DuBrin and Andrew (2013), the ability to communicate is a key
ingredient for effective leadership.
Second article
In the article "Dig Deep: Beyond Lean In," Bell Hooks is of the opinion that Sandberg employed
feminist rhetoric to cover her advocacy for western cultural imperialism especially to white-
supremacist capitalist patriarchy. Hooks disagree with Sandberg’s definition of feminism which
she holds starts and ends at gender equality which in essence challenges the view of white men
being more superior to their females in any aspect. Hooks thinks of feminism from a broader
perspective and defines it as a movement that does not necessarily bring up a fight or struggle
between the sexes by pitying one against the other (Female against Male and Vice Versa). Bell
Hooks views feminism as a movement that should have its goals aimed at ending sexist
exploitation, sexism, and oppression based on gender (Hooks). I do agree with Hooks opinion
regarding women and feminism. We should go beyond fighting implicit gender barriers and also
address the challenges that women face from other sources on their journey up the corporate
ladder. Women, who naturally care givers, have to struggle to find a balance between family and
career which makes it difficult for them to grow at the same rate as their male colleagues
(Karsten and Foegen).
Responses
Brooke Allison
I hold a similar opinion to Allison who identified that work-life flexibility is a great challenge for
women who seek to advance their careers. It is indeed hard for a woman to achieve much at the
workplace when she has to juggle between taking care of her family and the pressure at work. As
natural caregivers, women find themselves giving more attention to family hence

underperforming at the workplace. Men should help their women in care giving to accord them a
chance to progress at the same pace.
Tyler Washington
I agree with Washington’s sentiments that leadership involves being bold and aggressive for it
gives one the platform to be hard. When a woman is looked down upon in whichever forum, she
needs to stand up for what she believes in and voice her concerns. I also strongly support
Washington’s idea that Sandberg had a narrow view of the challenges faced by women for she
did not consider other factors such as race and sexual orientation which are also major
contributors to discrimination at the workplace.

Work Cited
Hooks, Bell. "Dig deep: Beyond lean in." The Feminist Wire (2013).
Sandberg, Sheryl. Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. Random House, 2013.
Karsten, Margaret Foegen, ed. Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in the Workplace: Emerging Issues
and Enduring Challenges: Emerging Issues and Enduring Challenges. ABC-CLIO, 2016.
DuBrin, Andrew J. Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Nelson Education, 2015.