Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: Damned if She Does, Damned If She Doesn't

By Sandy Amazeen Jul 27, 2010, 21:15 GMT

Forty-five years after Betty Friedan\'s The Feminine Mystique, women have yet to achieve parity with men in the workplace. Men continue to make more money than women, and women\'s representation in the higher management ranks continues to lag behind men\'s. Damned if She Does, Damned if She Doesn\'t asserts that certain respected rules of business actually work against gender equality. The rules inadvertently create paradoxes that put women in no-win ...more

Through personal experience coauthors Cronin and Fine realized the gender gap was not only alive but also thriving within the American workplace. Despite reaching equality in other facets of society, women are still consistently paid less money and promoted less often then their male counterparts doing the same work. By examining traditional, often paradoxical rules of the workplace including the importance of being a team player, demonstrating job loyalty, attracting mentors and bonding with coworkers, the authors show how these same rules work against women. Sexism remains a sad part of corporate America and fortunately, this book provides sound advice and illustrative examples of how to develop better work relationships that can assist women trying to advance their careers. This should be a mandatory read for any young woman about to enter the workplace and will prove invaluable to those trying to move up the corporate ladder.