Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In has held the top of the nonfiction bestseller list for eight consecutive weeks. Her treatise on modern feminism is being read and discussed everywhere.
Through personal anecdotes and scientific research, Sandberg supports her argument for increased female engagement in the workforce. While her stories and research enlighten, her arguments can feel a bit cliché, a bit vague. Her titular recommendation to “lean in” is the vaguest recommendation of all.
Despite its focus on corporate culture, Sandberg offers some discussion of gender inequality in the classroom. She cites research that shows teachers are more likely to call on boys and allow them to speak without raising their hands.
Also, while success and likeability are positively correlated for men, the opposite is true for women; the more successful she is, the less she is liked by her peers—men and women. Research shows that women frequently downplay their accomplishments and attribute failure to inherent lack of ability. In contrast, men more often attribute failure to factors like not studying enough or lack of interest.
Sandberg’s personal stories both provide comic relief and reinforce the ideas research validates. She resented her high school superlative nomination “Most Likely to Succeed,” always felt like a fraud and refused to admit that she was at the top of her Harvard Business School class.
While reading Lean In over spring break, I started noticing small gender-related differences. I noticed how all the women, myself included, clustered in the kitchen at Easter dinner, offering to help. I noticed how between a couple, the man always sits in the front seat of the minivan, and I noticed my reticence to “own my success,” as Sandberg says, while discussing college decisions.
Recently, I was surprised by a male classmate’s plan to major in engineering, despite the fact he has taken neither HL Math nor HL Physics. Upon reflection, I realized I was surprised because I only know of five girls who will enter engineering in the fall. Only one is in SL math, and the four others are in HL math, Multivariable Calculus, or higher. Three go to TJHSST.
Now that I’ve finished Lean In, I want to launch a discussion here at Marshall. Is feminism passé, all necessary achievements made? Or do girls still have a ways to go? I encourage all students, male and female, to take a closer look at high school gender equality.