Women at Work

They are calling it “The Great Resignation”, the post pandemic phenomenon where a large proportion of employees are looking at their work situation and thinking of moving on. A recent survey in Ireland showed 41% of respondents fitted that profile.

The Great Resignation - will people leave their jobs? (rte.ie)

If you are examining your options, libraries have books, eBooks and audio books that can help you hone the skills you need to make a change.  The books I am discussing today are written from a female perspective, and look at the particular barriers women face in their careers. All are available to reserve now from our library catalogue. 

They are all also available as audiobooks, so you can listen to them as you go about your busy day, imagining a better kind of busy day.

The Skills, How to Win At Work by Mishal Husain

Mishal Husain is a journalist and BBC presenter. She admits that when she started writing this book she was focussing on how an individual can achieve her mission of career improvement by adopting practical strategies around preparation and presentation. While she was writing, growing awareness around the gender pay gap and the “me too” movement made her realise she couldn’t ignore the contextual issues for women in the workforce. So the book reads as a self-help guide but also as a thoughtful examination of the state of the world of work. 

Comeback Careers, Rethink, Refresh, Reinvent Your Success- At 40, 50 and Beyond by Mika Brzezinski and Ginny Brzezinski

This book is written by a well know American TV presenter, so a lot of the examples and insights relate to the US. But there is plenty of useful advice for the women she describes as “returners” and “reinventors”. The author wants to remind anyone changing or resuming their career mid-life that they should value their own experience and maturity. And then she shows them the knack of making potential employers value that too. 

Outspoken, Why Women’s Voices Get Silenced and How to Set Them Free by Veronica Rueckert

The author is a trained singer and a successful radio host, so she is adept at explaining how to physically use your voice to its full power. But she also looks at the reasons why women may be reluctant to take up their rightful space in a meeting or conversation. It’s an engaging book full of studies and examples. There is an interesting chapter on the female attributed vocal mannerisms that are most often criticised (vocal fry, sexy baby voice, uptalk, hedging and over apologising) and she outlines each complaint and the counter argument. She encourages the reader to examine her own relationship with her voice but she also stresses the need for women to take every opportunity to speak – if only to provide an example for the next generation. She finishes the book with the simple exhortation “Keep Talking” .