How women can master the art of office politics

'What Works for Women at Work'
'What Works for Women at Work' by Joan C. Williams and Rachel Dempsey
Book cover courtesy of publisher

Mastering the art of office politics — particularly in an office dominated by males — can prove challenging for many women. In their new book, "What Works for Women At Work," Joan C. Williams and her daughter Rachel Dempsey offer a multi-generational approach to the realities of today's workplace.

"Ninety-six percent of the women I talked to reported to us about one or more patterns of gender bias," Williams told Next Avenue. "When I started out, gender bias shaped my career pretty profoundly. I was astonished it was still out there."

Williams and Dempsey talked with professional women to hear perspectives on the subtle — and not so subtle — barriers that get in the way of getting ahead.

Susan Adams reviewed the book for Forbes.

"It's a good thing that the authors have a sense of humor," she wrote. "Otherwise the book's meticulous accounting of the many, often subtle forms of sexism in the workplace would be hard to take. But ultimately the tone of this book is quite hopeful. Despite its lengthy discussion of a tug of war between women in the workplace, it carries a unifying message."

Williams and Dempsey join The Daily Circuit to discuss the findings of their research and offer advice for women in the workplace.

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