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Summary: Important Perspectives on New Realities
Review: In the Foreword, Rosabeth Moss Kanter observes that today, "women must rely on themselves rather than on institutions to create careers. They must be entrepreneurs who make their own opportunities -- either within or outside of a major corporation -- or professionals with portable career assets -- skills and reputations that can be applied anywhere.....While the message of this book -- that women are caught in the midst of unprecedented social and economic changes -- will not come as a surprise to women who cope with these upheavals daily, the advice and solutions within can help women grapple with vast changes in their organizations." Then in the Introduction, Nancy A. Nichols asserts that "the very first thing that a woman must learn to manage is her femininity. From the moment she enters the work force until the day she leaves the corporate arena, she is judged not just as a manager on the job, but as a woman in the job." For that reason, women find themselves in a "double bind": those who act like a man are forced to act like a man are forced to act in a "sexually dissonant way"; those who act in a "feminine" manner risk being perceived as ineffective, "or worse yet, getting trampled on the way to the top." The material is carefully organized within four Parts: Breaking the Double Bind, Fitting In or Fighting Back, The Balancing Act, and Tales from the Front. To her great credit, Nichols has selected a diversity of perspectives. One of the book's greatest strengths is the variety of real-world situations ("tales from the front" case studies) which illustrate key points. One of the most informative sections is Eliza G.C. Collins' interview with Lore Heap who (literally) launched Vector Graphics on her kitchen table with a $6,000 investment and built it into a $25-million company. As Heap explains, "I'm not a feminist....I feel that most women gain acceptance from peers, male or female, by proving integrity and intelligence -- not by talking about job discrimination and all sorts of other complaints. I just don't have time for that." I highly recommend this book to women either in business now or preparing for a business career. Also to the men with whom they will associate. Finally, to the parents, grandparents and other older relatives of young men and young women (especially those now enrolled in colleges and university degree programs) who also need to understand "the changing facts of work life." Hopefully, those who read and then re-read this important book will help to ensure that changes yet to occur are of substantial benefit to everyone, regardless of age or gender.
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