Millionaire Women Next door
Haley Wiedenman
Gender 380 Book Review
Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Successful American Businesswomen
10/28/13
At first, it was hard to address the question “why I chose this book.” I chose it simply because we were giving a list of books and I had to pick one of them, simple as that. When I looked closer at the reasoning I realized there was more to it than that. The title made me think about everything we have discussed in class. How a woman, despite the gender inequalities in the work world, could strive in the business world and become a millionaire seemed to be a puzzle I wanted to figure out. So I put my name next to the title, bought the book on eBay, and got to reading. Thomas Stanley uncovered how many women across the nation were able to become millionaire single handedly. He did this by sharing both analysis and case studies. Stanley covered the average millionaire woman’s personality, everyday life, generosity, values, and motivations. Although men and women had many similarities in a frugal and simple lifestyle, women, according to Stanley (2005), donated more and had to work “longer and harder to achieve financial success” (p. 36). He demonstrated who millionaire women in America are and what habits and characteristic they obtain that got them there. When it comes to “ah-ha” moments, it seems I had one on almost every page. Therefore, I will cover just a few of my favorites. One of these moments was a recurring theme throughout the book. Millionaire women donate so much of their income, much more then men. They give (on average) “three times the percentage of their incomes to their relative than do men” (Stanley, 2005, p. 5). That was interesting to me because, in my experience, women often volunteer much more than men as well. Although it was not particularly surprising to me, it was extremely thought provoking. An unanswered question that came
Gender 380 Book Review
Millionaire Women Next Door: The Many Successful American Businesswomen
10/28/13
At first, it was hard to address the question “why I chose this book.” I chose it simply because we were giving a list of books and I had to pick one of them, simple as that. When I looked closer at the reasoning I realized there was more to it than that. The title made me think about everything we have discussed in class. How a woman, despite the gender inequalities in the work world, could strive in the business world and become a millionaire seemed to be a puzzle I wanted to figure out. So I put my name next to the title, bought the book on eBay, and got to reading. Thomas Stanley uncovered how many women across the nation were able to become millionaire single handedly. He did this by sharing both analysis and case studies. Stanley covered the average millionaire woman’s personality, everyday life, generosity, values, and motivations. Although men and women had many similarities in a frugal and simple lifestyle, women, according to Stanley (2005), donated more and had to work “longer and harder to achieve financial success” (p. 36). He demonstrated who millionaire women in America are and what habits and characteristic they obtain that got them there. When it comes to “ah-ha” moments, it seems I had one on almost every page. Therefore, I will cover just a few of my favorites. One of these moments was a recurring theme throughout the book. Millionaire women donate so much of their income, much more then men. They give (on average) “three times the percentage of their incomes to their relative than do men” (Stanley, 2005, p. 5). That was interesting to me because, in my experience, women often volunteer much more than men as well. Although it was not particularly surprising to me, it was extremely thought provoking. An unanswered question that came