Oprah began by going through some of the things that she found important our of Sheryl Sandberg's new book "Lean In", which Oprah calls the "new manifesto for women in the workplace". They discuss how women need to get into the higher positions just like men, and to do this women have to change. She feels women have to go for it and that women should believe in themselves. Not only does she believe women have something to say but they have things to offer too. Sheryl gave an example of a corporate dinner she held where the women didn't sit in the table, but sat on the sideline, even though she personally invited them to sit at the table. She feels that in situations like this, women should be firm and sit at that table and voice themselves.
Sandberg remembered her high school years and realizes that society has socialized females in a way that steers them from excelling in math and science.Girls are more focused on that upcoming school dance, rather than scoring that highest grade. Even in the household, the dynamics of women have changed. Most women work, and children have either one or two parents who work. She is proud to say that her work day ends at 5:30pm, without fearring the reprocussion of saying she has a life outside of work. Women are often afraid of a lot of things so she came up with a personal mantra that she even has in her office," What would you do if your weren't afraid?" This leaves us with a lot to think about. What would you guys do if you weren't afraid? Think about how this applies in your lives, at work or school, even at home.
Following this interview, Oprah presents her interview with Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor. This personally was a bit more touching to me. Coming from a Hispanic background and a poor family, she says she has always had to prove herself to others. Even after being appointed to the Supreme Court, her intelligence was questioned and doubted. She faces both the stigmas with being female as well as being a minority. Her marriage suffered and interestingly enough one of the reasons for this was that her former husband felt uncomfortable with the fact that she made more money that him. This goes to show the embedded social norms of society, where the men are the bread winners in the family, not the women. These socially defined gender roles are still relevant today. The most exciting thing about this documentary is that Sonia has stayed in touch with her origins. She visits her former high school and embraces her past life. It doesn't define her it enhances her. This is a very interesting show and they both talk about a lot. What do you feel about some of the things I mentioned above that they spoke about. Do you agree with Sandberg and her fight for women? How many of you can relate with these two women?
Below I added a brief clip of the show, but you can go to http://www.oprah.com/own-oprahs-next-chapter/First-Look-Sheryl-Sandberg-and-Sonia-Sotomayor-Video to see the whole thing.
I do agree with Sandberg. So much has changed, yet there's so much that still needs to change. Women are more prevalent in the workforce now, but at the same time we don't make as much money as men do and sometimes don't even receive the same benefits. This post made me think of when Professor Pok mentioned that Silicon Valley is one of the richest areas in the country and the female representation there is sucfh a small perecentage. Even when we think about the major companies in the U.S., so few of them are run by female CEOs. Sandberg's mantra is one that women should live by; maybe some more progress would be made.
ReplyDeleteI love this. I have always though women should stand up for themselves and they should make their life run how they want it to. I think these three women, (Oprah, Sonia, and Sheryl) are the perfect examples and they are great people. They have worked hard for the things they have accomplished and they have made their voices heard. Thanks to them, we are all talking about how women can be powerful and do great things, and not have to be at home suffering because of the things in their life they are unhappy with. These women have showed society that women can work hard and get to a high position and earn good money. They have showed that they don't have to go with what society tells them to do such as stay home with their kids, or put their female roles before their wants. It really got me thinking when you mentioned that Sandberg says, "What would you do if you weren't afraid?" I know there are many thins that I would do if I were not afraid, such as go skydiving and take more risks. I think it is nice to ask yourself this question sometimes because I am sure there are many things that you would do and accomplish, possibly things that you have been wanting to do for a long time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sandberg in her fight for women. I know a lot of women that would take the seat at the table rather than on the sideline, so I don't really know why those women did not, even when they were invited to. I think it is important for women to voice their opinions and needs because otherwise they are staying unhappy and needy of things that they could have if they spoke up and stepped up, like these women did.