Episode 19: Women, work, and sex

May 28, 2013

"Women are absolutely captivated by their professional success, at the expense of their marriages." - Evelyn Resh, sexuality counselor and author

I never thought I'd be doing a show about sex. It didn't seem, at first blush, to factor into the topic of women and the workplace. But then I found out about sexuality counselor Evelyn Resh and her book Women, Sex, Power and Pleasure, and I thought again. Before I came across the book I was reading a few biographies and memoirs of and by powerful women. Often, by the time I got to the end of a book or article about someone's whirlwind existence, I would have one niggling thought: "I wonder if they ever have the time or energy for sex? If not, what kind of relationship do they have with their spouse?" According to Resh, many professional women's sexuality has gone into retreat and they're in all but sexless partnerships. She wants to change that. Tune in for an enlightening show not just about sexuality but women's difficult relationship with pleasure and enjoyment in general. How many of us regularly tell ourselves, "I don't deserve it?" 23 minutes.

Show notes: This piece about women's sexuality came out in the New York Times Magazine recently. As you can see from the comments, it's generating a lot of interest. Everlyn Resh (below), like many of the commenters, is against using drugs to get women to feel sexy again. Her book is Women, Sex, Power and Pleasure.  

This study doesn't focus on conservative women and sexuality - though I too have heard about said elusive study - rather it focuses on 'housework and sexual frequency in marriage.' I guess you could link the two things (traditional housework roles and more conservative women, that is).

Your thoughts on this show are welcome - post a comment below.

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Episode 18: The power of image

May 13, 2013

"I have people that come to me saying, 'I haven’t made partner in my law firm.'  And I have to say to them, 'Do you wear that much cleavage at work? Because if you wear that much cleavage at work, I'm not surprised you haven't made partner.'"

- Mrs. Moneypenny

Our appearance has an affect on the way others see us, whether we like it or not. Most successful women spend a significant amount of time thinking about the image they present to the outside world. Some even dare to flout expectations occasionally (see Hillary Clinton, below). And while there may be endless emphasis on women's appearance, it's not as if men don't have to worry about this too. The power of image runs deep.

This episode features Financial Times columnist Mrs. Monepenny (alias the impeccably turned-out Heather McGregor) and chemical company engineer Amy Johnson (right - forget the hairdo and makeup), with a fleeting appearance from McKinsey and Company's Joanna Barsh. 12 minutes.

Show notes: You can find the US version of Heather McGregor's book, Mrs. Moneypenny's Career Advice for Ambitious Women, here.

This is the column by Financial Times fashion editor Vanessa Friedman that got me thinking about this whole topic of appearance, and wondering why Sheryl Sandberg didn't touch on it in Lean In. It's called 'Sheryl Sandberg's Mistake'. 

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