skorned 's review for:

Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace by Jessica Bennett

4.0

---

First of all, let me say that I really appreciated so much of what's in this book. It does a really good job breaking down so many of the unseen barriers women and female-identifying/presenting people face in the workplace, and I appreciate it. However, reading it was really depressing to me, for the simple fact that so many of these barriers and challenges just aren't observed/accepted/realized by many people, men and women alike, and it just seems insurmountable to fix it all. All the double standards and ways women are penalized for being women and for trying to not fall into those gender stereotypes, all the ways in which men are valued more for their inherent male-ness...really deeply depressing to me. BUT that's not the point of this book. This is a guide to how to navigate those tricky double standards, how to use your femaleness and the lessons we can learn from men to succeed, and the more women who succeed in every field, the better off we'll be.

I don't work in an office, so many of the situations didn't directly apply to me, but the general discussion was really interesting, and also really useful. I think this is good food for thought for all people, and I hope the Feminist Fight Club flourishes.