There's a lot to be done for us to "Lean In"

I read Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" within the first week it came out. I watched her TED talk a few more times, I read the New York magazine article on the "Retro Wife", and I've listened to other successful women speak about their versions of "Lean In". I am happy that this topic has entered the public arena again, that various parties are giving their opinons, that people are arguing about it. But, what do we all want and how do we get there?

We can do anything we want to, within reason. Okay, anyone who knows me knows I won't be on Broadway any time soon, but I did grow up believing that there is no difference between what women and men can achieve. I was encouraged to behave as me, not as a protype of what a girl should be. I didn't see lines between men and women, I saw opportunity. Sheryl Sandberg brings this up often: women are beholden to certain roles that we seemingly can't break, and when we do, we're reprimanded for forgetting to be the perfect housewife. Part of our job is encouraging everyone to act and do as they feel, not what a society believes our gender roles are.

Feminism is about choice, without judgement. Women judge each other; I judge other women. The truth is, changing this can only happen when we're all happy with the choices and opportunities we have. While this can be interpreted as naive, I believe it can happen. It's because we feel we need to cut each other down to rise up , that we've been unable to. Men should be able to put their families before work without judgement just a women should be able to hate cooking.

What about leaning in, everywhere? The conversation has touched on the workplace (more flexible materning & paternity leave) and the home (having a partnership), but there are other sections of our society that haven't evolved. Specifically, the family court system. While this topic could become a diatrabe of its own, in short - how can we expect equality when we have a system in place that allows women to play the victim and expect men to be the provider?

In speaking with my Grandmother, we need to be proud about the progress we've made. The opportunities in front of me are so very different from what she had. But, that also leaves us with a great responsibility to continue this trend that will hopefully dismantle the lines society has drawn. I expect that there will be a lot more to come from me on this topic.

Share your comments below so I can incorporate into my next blog.