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Caryl Rivers

Rosalind C. Barnett

The New Soft War on Women: How the Myth of Female Ascendance Is Hurting Women, Men--and Our Economy Hardcover – October 17, 2013

by Caryl Rivers (Author), Rosalind C. Barnett (Author)

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For the first time in history, women make up half the educated labor force and are earning the majority of advanced degrees. It should be the best time ever for women, and yet... it’s not. Storm clouds are gathering, and the worst thing is that most women don’t have a clue what could be coming. In large part this is because the message they’re being fed is that they now have it made. But do they?

In The New Soft War on Women, respected experts on gender issues and the psychology of women Caryl Rivers and Rosalind C. Barnett argue that an insidious war of subtle biases and barriers is being waged that continues to marginalize women. Although women have made huge strides in recent years, these gains have not translated into money and influence. Consider the following:

- Women with MBAs earn, on average, $4,600 less than their male counterparts in their first job out of business school.

- Female physicians earn, on average, 39 percent less than male physicians.

- Female financial analysts take in 35 percent less, and female chief executives one quarter less than men in similar positions.

In this eye-opening book, Rivers and Barnett offer women the real facts as well as tools for combating the “soft war” tactics that prevent them from advancing in their careers. With women now central to the economy, determining to a large degree whether it thrives or stagnates, this is one war no one can afford for them to lose.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

TarcherPerigee
Publication date

October 17, 2013
Dimensions

6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0399163336
ISBN-13

978-0399163333
See all details

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Are women finally breaking through the glass ceiling and achieving promotions and pay equity, free from the gender discrimination of the past? In this well-researched book, the authors cite numerous current statistics demonstrating that women with similar qualifications as their male counterparts still earn less for comparable positions. Bias is more subtle than previously and wages a soft war on working women. Female executives such as Melissa Mayer and Hilary Clinton who do achieve top jobs face scrutiny and more criticism than males and risk falling off the glass cliff with one small misstep. Most gender-diversity programs are ineffective. Furthermore, men are gaining ground in traditionally female occupations, like nursing. The authors reassure working mothers with mommy guilt that evidence shows children’s development is not adversely affected by working moms. To win the competition for promotions, women are encouraged to network and claim credit for their accomplishments despite the risk of being disliked for it. If there’s anything encouraging, it’s that competence can trump gender stereotypes, and there’s hope if women continue to fight for equality. --Cindy Kryszak

Review

"[A] vital study of the state of women in the labor force... It's hard to ignore overwhelming evidence that shows the undesirable and unsustainable conditions women face in the 21st century. This book will move readers."
—Publishers Weekly

"In page after page, these authors catalog the barriers that women still confront…[and] support their argument with solid data and illuminating anecdotes."
—Library Journal

“This is the book you have been waiting for. In meticulous and maddening detail, the authors lay out the studies and statistics that show how women are getting overlooked and underpaid in the workplace. And by showing that the gender wage gap typically begins right out of school, they blow a million sorry excuses for the pay differential right out of the water. It’s not business. It’s bias.”
—Carolyn Maloney, U.S. Representative for New York’s 12th Congressional District

“The New Soft War on Women is myth-shattering, disturbing, persuasive, and hopeful all at once. The authors argue that discrimination isn’t gone, it’s gone underground, and they show what to do about it to ensure that women’s talent isn’t lost. Anyone who cares about a thriving economy—and her own career—should grab this powerful book.”
—Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School professor and bestselling author of Confidence and SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good

“While the rest of the punditocracy either proclaims or bemoans the ‘end of men,’ veteran observers Caryl Rivers and Rosalind Barnett say ‘not so fast.’ This bracing, clear-sighted, and well-researched book cautions against such premature self-congratulation and reminds us of the startling inequalities yet to be righted.”
—Michael Kimmel, author of Guyland and SUNY Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies

“Finally, finally, finally—a book that pulls together and makes sense of the most credible research on women in the workforce. If you have been confused by the media hype, if you are a woman, if you manage women, or if you are a business decision maker, this is a must-have book for you!”
—Ellen Galinsky, President, Families and Work Institute

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ TarcherPerigee; First Edition (October 17, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0399163336
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0399163333
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 0.035 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,939,863 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,635 in Feminist Theory (Books)
- #8,386 in General Gender Studies

Customer Reviews:
15 ratings

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5 star		68%
4 star		6%
3 star		13%
2 star		13%
1 star 0% (0%)		0%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Rabid Reader

Quixotic Quest for the Corner Office

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2015

Verified Purchase

I like this book. I'm an old-style, 'bra-burning' feminist from way back, and sometimes it bothers me a lot that today (younger) women seem to think that the war for our rights and simple decent treatment is over. Not true.

My daughter is told: hey, you can do anything. Nice thought, but not true, and this book explains why the myth of 'women now have it all and do and be anything' is a bit of a blow-back not based on facts and figures but on anecdote. Try walking down a deserted street. Has that changed in 30 years? Neither has the workplace.

If it were up to me, I'd make this required reading in every university business school.

5 people found this helpful

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Brenda Dewitt

Interesting Read

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2014

Verified Purchase

I thought it was a good read. It confirmed many things that happen to me. I feel the war all of the time between men and women in my work place. I just wish we knew how to resolve some of the ego issues that men have and how to break through the glass ceiling.

5 people found this helpful

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Bonnie L. Doolin

A thought-provoking look at workplace biases - and why we need remedy their detrimental effects.

Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

This book lays the groundwork for employers and employees to take a clear-headed look at the biases that are clouding our judgment about women, the workplace, salary and advancement. The statistics are helpful; instead of scare-mongering, the authors challenge us to re-examine the social fabric of the office while assessing the cost of not addressing these biases - for our families, our community and the economy. Very thought-provoking indeed!

5 people found this helpful

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Karen Fraggos

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

A great read on the unequal treatment of women with lots of research to back up the information.

Helpful

Pascale H. Lane

this book made me angry

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

Great summary of what most women already know: the playing field is not level for the genders in this country.

One person found this helpful

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Marvin42

Discussion point

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2014

Verified Purchase

I agree with a previous review stating that the authors introduce to much bias in their study.

While I think the book is interesting, and it certainly should be read by employers to know which situations to avoid, it seemed to quote a lot of women whining. I don't want to say that what these women described wasn't true, in fact I know it to be true by personal experience. Such situations happen. But there is a great difference between single cases and a general trend. The high number of anecdotes distracts from the research also presented.

I suppose the book is easier to read this way, but it makes it harder to believe the authors' claims. It is probably impossible to get hard data for the gender bias the author's describe, and thus we have to believe them that this kind of bias happens often (or not).

I also think that men might encounter similar situations, but maybe react differently, which could have been discussed more. I remember a blog on women experiencing burnout where a male blogger wrote that women work overtime because the work has to be done while men work overtime to get a promotion. This is an obviously subjective comment, but illustrates that the problem is more complex than the authors of this book would like us to think.

I agree with the authors that there are still many problems waiting to be solved, and I think this book is a great contribution to a necessary discussion.

One person found this helpful

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Debbie Casnoff

I have read too much like this

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2014

Verified Purchase

Women need specifics
I would like stories from women who do get ahead
I was disappointed in the book
Yawn

Helpful

ARE SOME STATISTICS OF WOMEN’S PROGRESS MISLEADING?

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2016

Caryl Rivers is a professor of Journalism at Boston University; Rosalind Barnett is a senior scientist at the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University; they have also jointly written The Truth about Girls and Boys: Challenging Toxic Stereotypes about Our Children , Same Difference: How Gender Myths Are Hurting Our Relationships, Our Children, and Our Jobs , and She Works/He Works: How Two-Income Families Are Happy, Healthy, and Thriving . [NOTE: page numbers below refer to the 272-page hardcover edition.]

They wrote in the first chapter of this 2013 book, “Women’s gains in the workplace either have stalled our or are in grave danger of being rolled back. While more women than ever before are studying … in college and professional schools, there is a real question whether they will ever attain leadership positions in the areas in which they have been trained. Women have made dramatic gains in higher education and employment… But these dramatic gains have NOT translated into money and influence… It may be counterintuitive to think that education and employment don’t yield the sort of money and power that they do for men. But that is indeed the case. Despite the fact that the pipeline is getting filled with educated and talented women, their way forward is too often blocked. Under a veneer of success and progress, what we call the New Soft War on Women is growing in strength…

“New barriers and old biases… shackle women as they try to move ahead in the arenas of business, academia, the sciences and politics. Picture, if you will, two people, a man and a woman… Both are equally qualified… But only one of these people, the man, is unencumbered. The other, the woman, carries a fifty-pound pack on her back… The farther along she does on the path, the more formidable the barriers become, and the harder it gets for her…” (Pg. 1-2)

They suggest, “The New Soft War is as bad for the bottom line as it is for women themselves. It threatens the creation of a workplace that’s good for everybody. When we treat women as a marginal group, whose needs are unique to them, we are going down the wrong path. We generate needless tensions and invidious comparisons between men and women. If, however, we avoid the trap of focusing on gender and treat all employees equally, everybody benefits… We must all embrace a new paradigm that places women at the center of twenty-first economic realities, not on the fringe… The burden of discrimination has to disappear. This book offers a roadmap to achieving those goals.” (Pg. 12)

They further explain the “Soft War” concept: “Why do we call it ‘soft’? Because… today’s barriers are more subtle and insidious than the old ones… This isn’t an overt conspiracy to hold women back. Instead, it’s a perfect storm of economic, political and social factors that combine to threaten women’s progress… If you’re a female in a top job and you slip up in a man’s world, you’re most likely out the door. If you’re working on a project with a man, he’ll probably get the credit you deserve… Why do we use the term ‘war’? Because the statistics we’ve just cited about women’s lack of progress are casualty figures… [Women] are blindsided by all the rhetoric about how good they’ve got it. They may even believe it.” (Pg. 5-6)

They state, “What’s true in corporate America and in Washington is also true in academia… A similar situation… has been identified at the Harvard Medical School… senior male faculty appropriated their important research findings for internal use while prohibiting them from publishing those findings under their own names. These discriminatory practices severely limited, if not precluded, their opportunities to advance up the tenure ladder at Harvard. Interestingly, these women had no family responsibilities; they either had no children or their children were grown. Thus, the men who created and perpetuated these inequities could not blame the women’s failure to succeed on the familiar excuse that their family demands precluded their total devotion to their jobs, which was key to their success.” (Pg. 30-32)

They point out, “It’s not only men, but women as well, who have an adverse reaction to assertive female managers. Kristen, the vice president of a global public relations agency, said, ‘Surprisingly, I find that both men and women have this response to a female manager… My objective feedback is received as subjective critique---which it is not… Yet somehow, people take it personally and project it back onto me. Women do it to other women as much if not more than men, oddly.’” (Pg. 41)

They also ask, “Why are angry women penalized? Because women simply aren’t supposed to be angry… a woman may be seen as an angry, out-of-control person, no matter what caused her reaction… Her anger may therefore lead those around her to accord her less status. However, when men explode, the picture is very different. Their anger is seen as understandable; they’re just getting mad when … a plan falls apart. They’re OK—their competence isn’t questioned. They don’t lose status.” (Pg. 47)

They observe, “New research shows that kids are affected by stereotypes much earlier than we had once thought, and educators and parents may well be ignoring---and sometimes even inadvertently promoting---the spread of these stereotypes… It is a step forward that many middle school girls are getting the message that ‘of course girls can do math and science.’ Still, these messages are way too late. Research has shown that even when girls say they believe this message, they don’t REALLY believe it. Too often, they just know what parents and teachers want them to say.” (Pg. 95-96)\

They acknowledge, “Even though they have the ability to succeed, women all too frequently avoid the very careers that will reap the most economic rewards in the future. This is a troubling trend, because people with math and science backgrounds will undoubtedly be in high demand and richly rewarded as our knowledge-based economy grows. Even more discouraging is the reality that fewer women than men who earn these degrees will go into these fields… the proportion of men choosing a career in science or engineering was much greater than the proportion of women doing the same. So, girls who are taking and excelling in courses that will supposedly allow them to enter high-paying math and science careers are still not choosing those careers.” (Pg. 100)

They explain, “The media blitz has probably convinced people that young women have fast outpaced young men when it comes to going to college… It turns out that the central tenet of the ‘ascendance of women’ argument is based on bogus statistics. There is not now---and never was---a startling 15 percent gender gap in college enrollments. How did the figure emerge? You can get that number only by factoring in older, nontraditional students… And an enrollment boom among older women is further skewing the numbers.” (Pg. 152-153)

They assert, “it is so difficult that many women get discouraged along the way. Some drop out, some question their own abilities… Also, women---who are just as prone to gender stereotypes as men---may simply take themselves out of the running… these limiting beliefs need to be uprooted. In the New Soft War, it’s often the invisible barbed wire that can tear you up. Powerful men may also fail to recognize the difficult path that their female colleagues have to navigate.” (Pg. 164) Later, they add, “We are seeing the recurrence of an old pattern. Women are just as busy as men in campus activities, but---as in the days before Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique ---more young women are stepping back to let the men take the visible leadership positions.” (Pg. 170)

They observe, “The pressure to increase the chores involved in mothering is enormous… a retired distinguished professor … sees the idea that mothers must live only for their babies’ welfare as a new form of sexism that keeps women---if not exactly barefoot and pregnant---pushed back to home and hearth. Throughout history, women have been kept out of the public sphere because of their duties at home. One argument against women’s getting the vote in the United States was that exposing [them]… to the rough and tumble world of politics would render them less motherly. That same fear, though less bluntly stated, rears its head in today’s overwrought dialogue about the need for intensive, or ‘attachment,’ parenting.” (Pg. 188)

They observe, “Wall Street fathers worked 90 percent as many hours as their childless male colleagues and received MORE money---122 percent as much money as childless men. Why do men get this bonus? Because married men and fathers are seen as being highly productive, motivated and committed, whereas married women and mothers are seen as conflicted, divided in their loyalties and unable to perform at a high level… To the extent that employers share these beliefs, they will, perhaps unwittingly, view mothers as less committed to or less competent in workplace settings. In these ways, employers will subtly discriminate against mothers.” (Pg. 197-198)

They conclude, “Winning the New Soft War has to be an urgent national priority… There is cause for optimism... The United States is losing ground in the global economy, and our competitors have gotten the message and we are acting on it… U.S. men are invested more than ever before in their family lives, and since they are overwhelmingly in two-earner families, they are committed to their wives’ economic success. And women themselves are increasingly unlikely to hang back and forfeit the monetary and personal success they have worked hard for and deserve. At long last, we must move from rhetoric to action… The New Soft War can be won if we can summon the will to battle.” (Pg. 241-242)

This is a thought-provoking book---whether one agrees with it 100% or not on every point---and will be of keen interest to anyone studying the contemporary situation for women, men, and families.

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