I’ve recently been very drawn to books giving advice about the varying challenges women face. I read How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran a couple of years ago and it sparked an interest in books about women’s life experiences.
Be Awesome: Modern Life for Modern Ladies | Hadley Freeman
Hadley’s most recent book is a brilliant and funny collection of essays written especially for women. She treats serious problems women face everyday with great wit and totally rips the idiots that present such challenges (i.e. the Daily Mail and their sidebar of shame). Speaking of my mum’s favourite newspaper (oh, the arguements we’ve had) the funniest bit of the book is the chapter called A day in your life in Daily Mail headlines which, whilst very funny, also highlights the depressing crap women in the spotlight have to deal with all the time. Headlines included “Lunch or baby bump? That is quite a tummy bulge – will there be a little Hadley soon?” Whilst a lot of the daily annoyances (such as the card reader at the restuarant being automatically pointed at your husband EVEN THOUGH YOU’RE PAYING) make you want to scream “FML ARGHHH” Hadley’s advice is, yes stand up for women but focus on how awesome you are and ignore all the crap you’re told you can’t or shouldn’t do.
Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead | Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg is the chief operating officer at Facebook which she joined in 2010 after a very successful career at Google during their early stages of world domination. She became well known after her Ted talk Why we have too few women leaders which raises the issue that women lack confidence and tend to check out from their careers when they become mothers. Lean In has become a movement on the back of her book which you can read more about here. It’s all about leaning in to your career and ‘sitting at the table’ – you don’t have to sit in the background and be passive in your career (Easier said than done sometimes though, right?). Sheryl shares her experiences and advice on how to juggle an ambitious career and your homelife. Granted, she has had a very privledged life attending Harvard Business School, but she still has plenty of wisdom, particularly around having kids. “Don’t leave before your leave” is one of the strongest themes in the book. She talks about the amount of educated women destined for big things that drop out of the workforce when they become mothers. Don’t leave before you leave refers to checking out mentally when you become pregnant. It really struck a chord with me as I’ve always worried about my beloved career and what would happen if I had kids. Would I have to settle for a more junior role if I become a mother? Would it set me back? Would I be judged as unsuitable for a promotion if I became a mother? Some of these thoughts are probably over-thinking on my part, but if you’ve had similar thoughts this book has some great advice. I also would recommend this book to anyone who leads women regardless of whether they are male or female.
Financial Advice for Independent Women | Mrs. Moneypenny
I haven’t actually finished this book yet as there is lots of ‘homework for independent women’ in it that I need to work through. Women are typically less likely than men to take charge of their finances so this book is a great guide to giving women more confidence on financial matters. Getting a good job that pays well isn’t enough; you need to think about the future and making your money work hard. The bottom line is that knowing every penny you have in debt, in income, in your pension pot and in your bank account is the key to being empowered financially.
Image Credit: flickr.com/photos/x1brett
Annie MQ 