Anne-Marie Slaughter’s 2012 article “Women Still Can’t Have it All” launched a zeitgeist for American culture and propelled me into a world of realizations about feminism, work-life balance and gender inequality. The topic was recently re-introduced into public consciousness with discussion and criticism of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s new book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.”
If there is anything I’ve learned from Slaughter and Sandberg, it’s that we still have far to go in the realm of equality. I don’t necessarily consider myself a feminist, and I don’t necessarily think every word that Slaughter and Sandberg write is true; however, I care about the necessity of family life and the necessity of women in the workforce. It’s time we reconcile the two and realize the steps we need to get there.
First, companies need to adopt more flexible policies about time-off and work. Novartis, a health care company, is among many top corporations that are on the cutting-edge of the idea of “reason-neutral flexible work” (as Slaughter terms it). Employees must show that any time spent away from the office would be good for them and good for the business; however, the reason is not important. This allows mothers and fathers to take time off for their children, for a sick family member, for working at home or for any other applicable reason. Several European countries also implement similar policies. In France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, for example, “employers cannot unreasonably refuse an employer’s request for a part-time or nonstandard schedule,” according to a January New York Times article. Family-friendly work-hours policies and more vacation time would also improve morale about gender equality, giving both mothers and fathers more time to focus on their families and their lives.
With that in mind, let’s now consider the idea that powerful women are less likable than powerful men. Consider this study highlighted in “Lean In” on how people reacted to two different hypothetical bosses, one named Heidi and the other named Howard: Researchers told a group of 2003 business students the story of a successful entrepreneur. With no difference in the stories except for the names, the students said that, though they thought both employees would be competent, “Howard came across as a more appealing colleague. Heidi, on the other hand, was seen as selfish and not ‘the type of person you would want to hire or work for.'” However, a further study showed that people who had at one point worked under a female manager did not have those same biases. So, family-friendly and gender-equal policies are not just important for helping empower women now; they are also crucial in making sure that people trust and respect future powerful women. It’s a cycle that needs to happen in order to ensure that women can continue forging ahead.
Moral of the story: We still have far to go. Slaughter, Sandberg and countless other dedicated and passionate men and women have tuned Americans in to the problems in policy and mindset. I sincerely hope those things change and that equality is encouraged through legislation and forward-thinking company policies. But, until then, we have plenty to work on. Girls still need to believe they can be successful in the business world while also being good mothers. We need to encourage our friends, sisters and daughters to realize that they don’t need to choose one or the other. While the world may not be conducive to work-life balance now, we have to hope that things will be different and encourage the development of this confident, capable new mindset. In addition, we need to be accepting of both men and women breaking out of any “traditional” roles. Researcher Liza Mundy in her book published last year noted that 40 percent of wives in the U.S. now earn more than their husbands. Men should feel comfortable working from home or adopting schedules that allow for more family time. While traditional gender roles may be beneficial in some cases for pragmatic reasons, women need to realize that the age of feminism did not end after the initial responses to “The Feminine Mystique,” that they have the right to choose to have children and a job and that they should fight for American corporations making this choice easier for them and their families.
