Based on a landmark survey of 300 women on the leading edge of change, Women Breaking Through tells of women who didn't quit when faced with gender inequity but rather chose to start making changes themselves.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
The facts about women in the workplace are clear and well known: They earn less than their male counterparts and do not have the same opportunities to advance to upper management. Consultant Swiss surveyed 325 women in business to find organizations that have made efforts to clear roadblocks faced by women at work. What Swiss learned is not what companies are doing to advance women but what women are doing to advance themselves. The women she interviewed after her initial survey look at gender bias in one way: "It's real. It can damage my career. So what am I going to do to ensure my own equal opportunity?" The reader will meet women who have found success in male-dominated work cultures by taking risks, working to change the structure of the organization, insisting on recognition for their accomplishments, and learning to balance home and work without damaging their careers. Swiss offers a well-written book about the real-world women face on the job today. Highly recommended.?Joel Jones, Kansas City P.L., Mo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Women Breaking Through documents the stories of more than 300 women who have taken their careers and created success for themselves and for their organizations -- not in a hostile, adversarial way, but with strategies that benefit women, men, and the bottom line. Women Breaking Through shares the hard-won knowledge of some of the nation's most successful women executives -- women found in workplaces as diverse as Pitney Bowes, Wall Street investment firms, the Goddard Space Flight Center, Pacific Bell, and Stanford University. The demographics studied by Deborah Swiss were representative of the U. S. workplace. For example, 26% were in middle management, 29% in upper management, 25% in senior management, 20% in other positions. Educational backgrounds included M. B. A. , M. A. , M. S. , J. D. , M. D. , and Ph. D. degrees. As a result of her surveys, Swiss recommends as practical strategies for clearing the path for equal opportunity on the job the following: Take responsibility for overturning the gender barriers placed in your path; Focus on a strategy for making a difference in your organization; Make it impossible for your organization to turn you down when you want to do something contrary to long-standing business practice; Keep your eye on your ultimate goal; Trust your business instincts; Choose your battles carefully; Go after the business problem that everyone wants solved but that no one dares assume; Invest in yourself and invest in other women; Behave as though you've already won. Women Breaking Through presents examples of how gender barriers were changed into opportunities for mutual understanding and personal success. For women who want to take charge of their careers with fresh and realistic advice, Women Breaking Through is a "must read". -- Midwest Book Review
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's Time,
By
This review is from: Women Breaking Through: Overcoming the Final 10 Obstacles at Work (Hardcover)
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.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for every woman that wants to move up!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Women Breaking Through: Overcoming the Final 10 Obstacles at Work (Hardcover)
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.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
