From Time Magazine to Meet the Press to Entertainment Tonight...everybody seemed to be talking about Sheryl Sandberg this week.  I, unlike many, didn't take offense to Sheryl's "Lean In" movement.  Leaning in, as she calls it, has to do with the current generation of women entering the workforce having the ambition to run the world.   She wants women's voices to be heard and heeded, not overlooked and ignored.  The advice she gives is 1) think big 2) believe in yourself  3) If you choose a life partner, choose someone who is willing to share the burdens and joys of your personal life.  She goes on to say that a world where men run half our homes, and women run half our institutions would be a much better place.  Sandberg reminds us that the majority of housework and childcare still falls to women.   If a heterosexual couple works full-time, the woman will do 2x the amount of housework and 3x the amount of childcare.  Therefore, she says that the most important career decision you make will be who you choose as a life partner.  It is with this statement that the shine comes off the apple a bit for me.  What about the 10 million single mothers in the U.S. with children under 18?  What about the 27% of custodial single mothers who live in poverty?   What about spouse caregivers like me who are raising children? Do those women not deserve to have a voice at the table?  I love Sandberg's passion as she encourages millennials to claim their stake. However, I think that we also have a responsibility to encourage, support and advocate for employees who do a great job regardless of their choice of life partner or other factors that aren't any of our business.  

That is precisely why I am much more incensed over Marissa Mayer's reign as CEO of Yahoo.  She took the helm when she was five months pregnant. One or two weeks after the birth of her son, she returned to work. She proceeded to do interviews and talk about how motherhood is much easier than everyone made it out to be.  She neglected to share the following facts when she was talking about the walk in the park that is motherhood: She has a million dollar salary, and received a $1.1 million bonus after six months on the job. She had a nursery built in her office at Yahoo so she could be close to her child, yet she recently demanded that all remote workers report back to the office by June.  

Bottom line - both women should be applauded for their intelligence and success. However, for those of us who likely won't be riding golden rockets out of Silicon Valley at the end of our careers, we need to be the change we want to see, back in reality. To read the articles and listen to the interviews, visit me at www.grlpwr.info. I would love to hear your thoughts!