Why Are Career Self-Help Books So Popular for Women?

Listen to this episode!

With an uprising of women-specific books for business and leadership, you have to wonder— where did this come from? Unsurprisingly, it’s been around for some time, and I’m taking us back through time to understand the trends and how they've been shifting. 

I find questions like this fascinating. 

For example, why are there so many female-specific self-help books but then a gap in the market for male-specific self-help books?

Of course, some will say that it's because women have specific barriers and obstacles to overcome in their career journeys. Sure, that may be true. 

But what if there are unintended consequences that come along with focusing on the differences of women and men? 

One that particularly concerns me is the possibility that all of these books could be putting more emphasis on the lack, insecurity or barriers women face than their competence to overcome them. 

In this episode, we dive into some research to learn how the conversation around female leadership and potential has been shifting over the last several decades. 

I think you'll find the patterns and consequences extremely interesting and insightful, as I did. 

We have a responsibility for the picture we paint of women and our potential. Let's make sure we're taking that responsibility seriously!  

In this episode:

• Looking to history for an answer (2:40)

• How society changes the perception of women (5:33)

• Addressing gender roles (6:20)

• The big three movements in women’s research (8:41)

• Why to be wary of “fix the woman” rhetoric (9:38)

For a more thorough write-up of the conversation, read the blog post. Or, catch me in the video version!

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