Lean In Panel Summary

The Lean In Panel discussed how women can succeed and overcome the adversities of sexism in the workplace. The Lean in Panel consisted of four women who have found success in the workplace as a woman. This discussion relates to both chapter 3 and chapter 9, which discusses human resources management, workplace diversity, and employee development. One topic that I found to be very interesting was in regards to compensation. Dean McTiernan discussed the issue of wage inequality, stating that statistically women make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. Chapter 9 mentions federal laws related to human resources management, in which one law specifically relates to this issue. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was enacted that required men and women to be paid the same for equal work, so this law must not be that effective if women are making 77 cents per dollar a man makes. Another topic in regards to compensation is about salary negotiations. Erin McCarthy, an alumna of RWU, discussed the importance of salary negotiations, as employers will typically offer a potential employee a lower salary. Women are typically less vocal and less confrontational, so potential women employees may fear to negotiate their salary with their employer. This topic relates to chapter 9 because there is an entire section on compensation.
Another topic that I found to be interesting was about diversity within the workplace, which is discussed in chapter 3.
Michelle Hughes discussed this issue by sharing that she was the first woman accountant at the accounting firm that she previously worked at. As she was the only woman at the firm during that time, the diversity within that firm seems to be lacking. Michelle Hughes also brought up that when she moved to another firm, which was located in Boston, that the workplace seemed to be far more diverse than a suburban firm. Chapter 3 mentions how diversity is a very important aspect to the workplace and how it can make a company more
successful. The topic that I found to be the most interesting and informative was in regards to moving up in the workplace. This was a topic that evoked all four panel members to talk about, however, I believe that Dean McTiernan went into far greater detail. Dean McTiernan brought up that more than 50 percent of business students are women, however, only 20 percent of business school deans are women. Chapter 3 discusses how women face the glass ceiling, which is an invisible barrier that prevents both women and minorities from being able to advance to upper-level positions in an organization. Many women are unable to advance due to negative stereotypes. Dean McTiernan recalled an occasion in which she was at a meeting and someone asked if she was an assistant because she is a woman. Many organizations are also hesitant to advance women due to the fear that she will start a family and leave the organization. This is another misconception, as not all women want children or want to leave their job after starting a family. There were many other important topics discussed in regards to how gender plays a role in the workplace, however, the topics discussed above were the ones that related best to what we have learned in class thus far. Gender inequality is something that needs to be addressed and resolved, as it is not fair for a woman to make 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. I believe that women should be able to advance in the workplace and not be stereotyped by others. The glass ceiling may be invisible, however, it is very prevalent in our society, which is something that needs to be addressed as women are equally capable as men to be in upper-level positions.