The Third Shift: Managing Hard Choices in Our Careers, Homes, and Lives as Women (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) [Paperback]

Michele Bolton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Jossey-Bass Business & Management | Publication Date: July 3, 2000

Today's women work not one but three shifts: the first from nine to five, the second at home, and the third in their minds as they review the decisions and actions of the day. While the first and second shifts may be physically exhausting, the third shift can be psychologically rending because many women use it to second-guess their motives, doubt their choices, and question their trade-offs. Michele Bolton shows women how to turn the third shift into a source of self-awareness and self-confidence instead. Drawing from a three-year study of women in Silicon Valley and her own experiences as a working mother, Bolton explores the three most important dilemmas all women face, whether they're corporate executives, entrepreneurs, or full-time moms. She then presents women with a practical plan for facing these dilemmas, making the hard choices, and embracing their decisions.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"A first shift at work and a second shift at home can be physically tiring, but the third shift is psychologically relentless." According to Bolton, the "third shift" consists of the self-doubt and anxiety a woman can feel about the way she handles her conflicting obligations. By analyzing the experiences of more than 100 Silicon Valley women, BoltonAfounder of the Center to Develop Women EntrepreneursAaims to help women reclaim their serenity and find a healthy balance in their lives. She begins by summarizing three common conflicts: the "identity challenge," expressing oneself as one wants rather than as others expect; the "task challenge," fulfilling obligations while worrying over what other people think; and, finally, the "balance challenge," spending time on oneself while meeting the demands of others. Though Bolton's conclusions may be obvious, they are still intriguing: some stay-at-home mothers overschedule themselves and their children with activities, perhaps to counter the perception that homemakers have a lot of free time. Throughout the chapters, the author slots the women's comments into "self-doubt" and "self-awareness" categories; unfortunately, these summaries are too brief. On the other hand, the final chapter, "Defining Personal Achievement," is quite strong because it focuses on identifying and solving problems. Bolton offers some concrete advice, such as teaching children to work as a team to complete household tasks; more of these practical strategies would have made this volume more valuable. Still, it offers an engaging look at the work-family conflicts faced by many professional women today. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

" I should be around more so my daughter turns to me when she's upset." Sound familiar? It's all part of the female self-doubting head games played in the attempt to balance work and personal lifestyles. In a three-year study of 117 Silicon Valley women, ex-professor, now-consultant Bolton examines what she terms the "Hope Diamond" challenges of identity, task, and balance--and offers some answers. The third shift is not simply the tension between both parts of life; many of her remedies have to do with eradicating the self-created glass ceiling. The solutions include getting rid of at least part of the load--and sharing it--and developing your own persona and investing in it. To be sure, all is easier said than done, but through real-life success stories and inner ruminations, Bolton offers some solace to the working wounded. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (July 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787948543
• ISBN-13: 978-0787948542
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,537 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Third Shift: Create Maximum Power for Self-Actualization, January 5, 2001

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Third Shift: Managing Hard Choices in Our Careers, Homes, and Lives as Women (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Paperback)

In this single volume, women are provided with excellent advice on how to manage hard choices in their career, their home, and (in fact) their entire life. The title refers to the "self-destructive and exhausting ritual" to which so many women become hostage. For many of them, this shift seems endless. Bolton observes: "Rather than deriving joy from their choices as women -- to work, to stay at home, to help out in the community -- many women are half-crazed by the constant demands, options, and trade-offs." She organizes her material within three Parts:

The Identity Challenge: Who Are We?

The Task Challenge: What Do We Do?

The Balance Challenge: Who Comes First?

Bolton draws upon a wealth of research (hers and others') which guides and informs her observations, recommendations, and conclusions. In the Afterword, she suggests that "In many ways, women today live in a surreal world, floating back and forth between an outdated cultural mirror that prescribes certain genderized roles, and then careening suddenly toward the possibility of an entirely new image, with as-yet-unknown life scripts and patterns for its many actors and actresses." Although written for women, this book should also be be read by men who also have "hard choices" to make. If they make the correct choices, perhaps many of the decisions made by women will be less difficult.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Third Shift, October 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Third Shift: Managing Hard Choices in Our Careers, Homes, and Lives as Women (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Paperback)

This book is great! I am 45, a highly driven person with two school age children. I left a corporate management carreer after 15+ years feeling completely burned out and confused. Even though I knew it was not possible to be a Superwoman, I still tried to do it all. This book explains my feelings about my corporate experience and is a good guide to me for my current at home experience. I have gone back to reread it many times. I am now aware of my Third Shift, always have had it, just never gave it a name.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Third Shift=Practical and Thoughtful Advice!, October 14, 2000

By 

"boyacigi" (Atherton, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Third Shift: Managing Hard Choices in Our Careers, Homes, and Lives as Women (Jossey-Bass Business & Management) (Paperback)

Choices are always tough, and Michele Bolton's THE THIRD SHIFT makes them so much easier to make. I am a professional woman who, like many other readers of this book, am a mother, wife and involved community member as well. The societal infrastructure for women hasn't yet caught up with our aspirations as women -- to be the best at work, to be the best at home, to change the world -- and it is because we live in this transitional era that Bolton's book is so important for women like me to read. Instead of chastizing ourselves for trying to take on so much, Bolton's study shows that questioning oneself and others is the very essence of being a successful woman. In addition to providing useful suggestions for professional women in the corporate workplace to be (and feel) more successful, Bolton also turns her attention to entrepreneurial women launching their own businesses, a move she says that is so much more than a job change, but that involves a more profound change in one's very identity. Finally, Bolton even offers several chapters of suggestions for "stay-at-home" moms, so that no matter what your life choices are, you can find out how to feel better about them by reading this book! Best of all in this book is the personal voice of the author. She writes as a researcher, academic and executive coach, but also as a woman and mother. As you read each chapter (even the ones that don't seem to relate to you directly), you often feel as though you are reading about yourself or someone you know. Take time to buy this book and then sit down and browse through it. This book won't change the world, but it will change how you look at the world, and how you feel about your place in it.