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Rating: 
Summary: Great book for every woman that wants to move up!
Review: I loved this book, I wish I had it when I started my career 12 years ago. The advice in the book can be used as your little "female executive mentor" guide. Men executives should also read this to better understand how some of their behavior or comments are taken by their female employees.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Time
Review: This important book examines the "stories" of 300 women who have somehow overcome all manner of barriers in a work environment to achieve success in their career. Swiss duly acknowledges that many of these barriers are unintentional. In this instance, the problem presumably is one of ignorance. OK, but we all know that there are many in the work environment (intimidated females as well as self-serving males) who are well aware of these barriers and either tolerate them or defend them. In this instance, the problem is one of attitude. Whatever, many barriers are illegal; the remaining barriers are dumb (because precious human assets are underutilized) and/or punitive (because someone feels threatened). The 300 women who are "on the leading edge of change" are to be commended for their achievement. But let's not lose sight of a key point: Most (if not all) of them should not have had to experience the resistance, at times the hostility and perhaps even the abuse, they did. This book (published in 1996) is based on the results of a survey in which 300 women participated. When "Taking Stock", Swiss shares several facts about women at work, at least in 1996: • The salary gap mirrors the gender gap. • Moving women into the managerial pipeline has done little to advance deserving ones into senior management. • Gender, not talent, is often the deciding factor in who is offered committee leadership or the golden client. • Progressive policies on paper are meaningless in the absence of support from top management and line supervisors. • Sexual harassment continues to be a silent partner in maintaining an unsupportive work enviroment for women. • Gender bias, not parenting responsibilities, is the factor most likely to slow a woman's advancement. Granted, since 1996, there has been substantial improvement in at least some of these areas and men in the workplace deserve at least a portion of the credit. However, there should be zero tolerance of any illegal or inappropriate behavior in the work environment. Period. During the course of Women Breaking Through, Swiss focuses on "10 obstacles at work." Based on the results from the survey, she offers equally specific suggestions as to how to eliminate those barriers. At some point, hopefully very soon, there will no longer be a need for a book such as this. But our society is nowhere near that point yet. There have been so many important technological "break-throughs" in the business world just within the past few years, most notably the WWW. If we can develop highly sophisticated machines, why can't we also develop highly sophisticated people for whom the behavior Swiss and others have cited is unconscionable? It's time.
Rating:
Summary: It's Time
Review: This important book examines the "stories" of 300 women who have somehow overcome all manner of barriers in a work environment to achieve success in their career. Swiss duly acknowledges that many of these barriers are unintentional. In this instance, the problem presumably is one of ignorance. OK, but we all know that there are many in the work environment (intimidated females as well as self-serving males) who are well aware of these barriers and either tolerate them or defend them. In this instance, the problem is one of attitude. Whatever, many barriers are illegal; the remaining barriers are dumb (because precious human assets are underutilized) and/or punitive (because someone feels threatened). The 300 women who are "on the leading edge of change" are to be commended for their achievement. But let's not lose sight of a key point: Most (if not all) of them should not have had to experience the resistance, at times the hostility and perhaps even the abuse, they did. This book (published in 1996) is based on the results of a survey in which 300 women participated. When "Taking Stock", Swiss shares several facts about women at work, at least in 1996: * The salary gap mirrors the gender gap. * Moving women into the managerial pipeline has done little to advance deserving ones into senior management. * Gender, not talent, is often the deciding factor in who is offered committee leadership or the golden client. * Progressive policies on paper are meaningless in the absence of support from top management and line supervisors. * Sexual harassment continues to be a silent partner in maintaining an unsupportive work enviroment for women. * Gender bias, not parenting responsibilities, is the factor most likely to slow a woman's advancement. Granted, since 1996, there has been substantial improvement in at least some of these areas and men in the workplace deserve at least a portion of the credit. However, there should be zero tolerance of any illegal or inappropriate behavior in the work environment. Period. During the course of Women Breaking Through, Swiss focuses on "10 obstacles at work." Based on the results from the survey, she offers equally specific suggestions as to how to eliminate those barriers. At some point, hopefully very soon, there will no longer be a need for a book such as this. But our society is nowhere near that point yet. There have been so many important technological "break-throughs" in the business world just within the past few years, most notably the WWW. If we can develop highly sophisticated machines, why can't we also develop highly sophisticated people for whom the behavior Swiss and others have cited is unconscionable? It's time.
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