As candidate for Associate Pastor at my first church out of seminary, I stood throughout the evening question and answer hour. After about twenty minutes, the chair of the church apologized, but said he had to ask for the church’s sake (over the microphone): “What were our plans about having children?” We had rehearsed the answer, but were surprised it came in a large official group and not someone driving us to a meeting. My husband stood and we both responded, saying “We have worked long and hard to get through seminary and medical school and look forward to finally being able to work in those professions!” Amidst some light chuckling a question was yelled out from the back row; “Well, but are you ever going to have children?”
As candidate for Interim at my most recent church, a 5 or 6 year old girl stood, took the microphone and asked, “Do you like animals?”
Lean In – Book Review
Filed under: Book & Commentary
Sandberg, from her own experience, puts forth that while women experience the realities of the many external barriers that have historically and continually kept women from advancing up the leadership ladder there is also the important factor of one’s own internal barriers. (Oh, by the way, she also suggests that advancement in today’s world is not up a ladder, but up a jungle gym, with many routes to higher rungs of leadership.) In this book, she explores some of the life experiences that may contribute to what she calls the “leadership ambition gap.” Continue Reading »
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