Women-Space Book Recommendations:For women who want to flourish

In so many ways we are swamped with information.  Simply google ‘advice for women who want to progress their careers’ and you will get slew of responses. 

Forbes – always a go-to – has “20 Fearless Ways Women Can Advance Their Careers” .  Tip number one is to let go of your overriding sense of loyalty to a job.  Tricky for many who work in universities and can stay in the same institution for a long time; whose values are so attuned to the life changing impacts of education and research and who have a strong sense of connection with their colleagues.  So much so that often our whole identities are wrapped up in our work.   But wise advice, nonetheless.  As someone once said to me – when it comes to work “date don’t marry.”

Another go-to, the Harvard Business School, has “3 Tips for Women Who Want to Advance Their Career”.  Tip number 3 is “network, network, network”.  Also great advice.  Our networks provide information, knowledge, support and opportunities – all of which help us progress our careers.

But if you are looking for something that is a bit more in-depth, something that has an underpinning standpoint and is often based in research, then books come into their own. 

But which to choose?  There are so many out there.

Here at Women-Space we have done the work for you. 

We have already published our top three “best ever” career books for women who work in universities and want to accelerate their careers.  But don’t take our word for it.  As our post shows, our subscribers agree with us.

For this post, we have selected five books that explore the underlying discriminations – and their impact - that women experience daily.  These texts certainly give advice and guidance.  But importantly they are also useful if you are interested in making systemic change.  

Invisible Women:  Caroline Criado Perez

If you have not read this book then you are in for a treat.  Caroline explores how science and research are so biased toward men that it is a wonder that we survive at all.  Examples include:

·       Car seat belts tested on male crash test dummies. 

·       Drugs that are tested on men but reported in journals in gender neutral terms. 

·       Following the standard male model for heart attacks and missing the symptoms in women. 

Invisible Women highlights how the gender data gap is at the root of perpetual, systemic discrimination against women, that has an incredible – detrimental - effect on women’s lives. 

Fix the System, Not the Women: Laura Bates

A common critique of women’s leadership and professional development programmes is that we are focussing on fixing the women and not fixing the system that creates discrimination in the first place.   Whilst there is some truth in this, I also believe that women’s programmes can raise our consciousness of how discrimination operates and that is always a prelude to structural, not just personal, change.  Laura Bates’ set up the Everyday Sexism Project – an online forum where she simply asked women to send in examples of sexism and misogyny.  She has had over 200,000 stories!   In this book, Laura wants to draw our attention to how there is a spectrum of gender inequality – with sexist jokes for example at one end and rape at the other. 

The Authority Gap:  Why Women are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It:  Mary-Ann Sieghart

I was gifted this book by the wonderful Lisa Akesson.  And what a gift.  The core question Mary-Ann Sieghart asks is “Why are we so averse to powerful women?”  She explores this question through the concept of the authority gap -  ie that men are seen to automatically carry authority whereas women have to prove it again and again (see also Joan Williams below).  This book is about how women are underestimated, ignored and patronized at work and what to do about it. 

Bias Interrupted:  Creating Inclusion for Real and for Good: Joan C Williams

Based on extensive research, Joan Williams sets out the five main bias patterns that women and minority groups experience.  The book has clear steps to create more inclusive work cultures and builds on her previous work What Works for Women at Work.  A great book if you are wanting to deepen your knowledge of how bias works in systemic ways and certainly for those working in EDI roles.

The No Club:  Putting a Stop to Women’s Dead-End Work – Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund and Laurie Weingart

I know so many women who really rate this book and who can blame them.  Of all the difficulties that women face, time demands are well up there.  Women are, though, often blamed for their own time poverty.  Take the fact that so many women spend a lot of time on ‘non-promotable’ tasks.   That is, all the work of looking out for, taking time with, being available for our students and our colleagues that don’t count toward promotion.  And, of course, whilst we are doing all this work, we can’t get to the work that does actually count for progressio.

We are blamed, frankly, because we often have a strong sense of responsibility for the wellbeing of others.  And, as there is no extra resource for the demands of this work, we fill the need. 

I want to say, thank goodness we do.  Because what kind of world would we be living in if everyone only acted in transactional “what’s in it for me” terms?  But the fact is it is women who take the bulk of this work and that is unfair.

The strength of the No Club is collective change.  Forming a club with colleagues helps to keep you on track as you have peer support.  It also provides a mechanism for lobbying to change reward structures in universities.  Sharing and documenting the work you are doing that is not recognised, for example through promotion and reward systems, provides a powerful evidence base for transformation. 

Enjoy your reading!

With best wishes

Christina

Professor Christina Hughes is Founder and CEO of Women-Space Leadership.