-
University of Venus
GenX Women in Higher Ed, Writing from Across the Globe
Title
Why 'Lean In' Should Be Read by Academics
It's not just about the business world.
By
Although at first glance, it appears to be a lecture for women trying to find their own path in the jungle of businesses, Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In offers lessons that go beyond the world of big numbers and big schedules. Even though I only have a quarter of a foot in the academic world – and still enjoy it – I saw a couple of hints that may be helpful for my intellectual experiences as well.
Decades after the first waves of the feminist movement aimed to make equality a reality, the promise of equality is still far from an accomplishment. Of course, women are more present in the public sphere, and in many parts of the world they are also top representatives of the establishment. However,, I agree that “men still run the world.” Somehow, this situation should also be considered as a consequence of the lack of self confidence of many women. From personal employment experience, I can say that I often noticed how some women in positions of authority chose to use their power to discriminate against other women around them instead of supporting team-work. The need for solidarity outlined several times by Sandberg is essential in those gender-related issues. I may add that it is a basic start for any approach that aims to support equality, in the case of either political or social minorities.
Somehow, the academic world may look more protected from the race for good positions and good salaries that we see in the daily reality of the business universe. The utopic projection of the academic is far from the busy schedule, in the quiet ambiance of the library with many, many books around, polishing carefully each and every word of the next book or article. This may be possible for the independent researchers, a category that is getting more and more courage to develop later, far away from the bureaucratic chores of the universities. However, when it comes to the daily work in an academic position, the bureaucracy and the race for good positions may eat a lot of precious time that is not spent in the library. And here too, the surprising reality for many dreamers is a world where the gender balance is far from being achieved.
I am not sure that a positive discrimination may help to close the gap between the dream of equality and the reality of equal chances for men and women academics, as the academic scale and achievements should be always evaluated from the perspective of merits and intellectual quality. But I am not so naive to assume that a positive attitude and more advocacy will empower women academics to get a chance of success and realize their potential. For instance, I don’t think that gender studies should be the exclusive domain of women and the engineering conferences the privileged area of expertise of men. Men and women are equally able to go further to do their jobs and be happy with their career choices. There is no need to be a superwoman; I think is important to never forget that each of us has our own share to contribute to change the world in a better working place.
Berlin, Germany
Ana Dinescu is a regular contributor to University of Venus and a journalist for ten years for Romanian daily newspapers and is currently a communications consultant, living in Berlin.
Read more by
Inside Higher Ed Careers
Browse Faculty Jobs
Browse Administrative Jobs
Browse Executive Administration Jobs
Topics
College Pages
Popular Right Now
Study documents economic gains from liberal arts education
NYU social work school admits to institutional racism in wake of student email
Judge says that U of Texas at Austin can't revoke former student's Ph.D. on its own, outside court o
The far-reaching effects of how campuses treat senior faculty of color (opinion)
Information Literacy’s Third Wave | Library Babel Fish
Opposition hardens against one college seeking to merge and another planning to close
How to write an effective diversity statement (essay)
Advice for students so they don't sound silly in emails (essay)
York College of Pennsylvania illustrates the issues when colleges change photographs to project dive
Opinions on Inside Higher Ed
Inside Higher Ed’s Blog U
Sign Up / Sign In
With your existing account from...
{* loginWidget *}With a traditional account...
{* #signInForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *} {* currentPassword *} {* /signInForm *}Newsletter enrollment
Existing account found
We have found an existing account for the email address.
Please sign in to update your newsletter preferences.
{* /signInForm *}Newsletter opt-out
Edit your newsletter preferences
Account Info
Sign In
Welcome back, {* welcomeName *}!
{* loginWidget *}Sign In
Welcome Back
Account Deactivated
Your account has been deactivated.
Account Reactivation Failed
Sorry, we could not verify that email address.
Email Verification Required
You must verify your email address before signing in. Check your email for your verification email, or enter your email address in the form below to resend the email.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Almost Done
Please confirm the information below before signing in.
{* #socialRegistrationForm *} {* firstName *} {* lastName *} {* displayName *} {* emailAddress *} {* optInIHE *} {* optIn3rdParty *} {* agreeToTerms *}Almost Done
Please confirm the information below before signing in. Already have an account? Sign In.
{* #registrationForm *} {* firstName *} {* lastName *} {* displayName *} {* emailAddress *} {* newPassword *} {* newPasswordConfirm *} {* optInIHE *} {* optIn3rdParty *} {* agreeToTerms *}Thank You for Registering
We have sent a confirmation email to {* emailAddressData *}. Please check your email and click on the link to verify your email address.
Create New Password
We'll send you a link to create a new password.
{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Create New Password
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
Create New Password
This email address was registered with a social account. We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password, which can be used in addition to your linked social providers.
{| current_emailAddress |}
{| foundExistingAccountText |} {| current_emailAddress |}.
{| existing_displayName |} - {| existing_provider |} : {| existing_siteName |} {| existing_createdDate |}
{| existing_provider_emailAddress |}
Sign In to Complete Account Merge
Resend Verification Email
Sorry, we could not verify that email address. Enter your email below, and we'll send you another email.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Change Password
Create New Password
We didn't recognize that password reset code. Enter your email below, and we'll send you another email.
{* #resetPasswordForm *} {* signInEmailAddress *}Create New Password
We've sent you an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
Edit Your Account
Profile Photo
Linked Accounts
Link Your Accounts
This allows you to sign in to your account using that provider in the future.
Password
Deactivate Account
Change Password
Deactivate Your Account
Are you sure you want to deactivate your account? You will no longer have access to your profile.
{* deactivateAccountForm *} {* /deactivateAccountForm *}
Expand commentsHide comments — Join the conversation!