ELLE.COM.AU / @ELLEAUS 87
Francisco, praises her for
saying that women must
ę
intheverymachotech
environment. “Sheryl took
theriskofusingher
notoriety to speak of what
many of us were living,”
says Pinto. “It’s not just
beautifulspeeches–she
proposes concrete solutions.
Sheliveswhatshetalks
DZ Ĝ¢
reconciling family life and
professional life.”
Now, her new book,
Option B: Facing Adversity,
Building Resilience, And
FindingJoy,isevokingamore
intimate subject: the
accidental death of her
husband and father of her
two children, David
Goldberg. Here, she talks
about her slow rebuilding
afterthistragedy,andonce
againprovidesarouteto
help those who are going through hardships –
avoluntaristtotheend.
ELLE:Lean In, your bestselling book
that encouraged women to break
the glass ceiling, was released in
- Have you noticed an
improvement since?
SHERYL SANDBERG: Lookingatthe
ęǰ¢ǰ
ǯ¢ę
of CEOs are women in the United
States. They’re the ones who continue
to take care of the majority of
household chores, they’re still too
Ĵ
responsibility, especially in technical
domains...Nevertheless,Ifeelthat
womentaketheirdestinyintheir
hands. Thanks to my LeanIn.org
foundation, 31,000 Lean In women’s
networks have been created all over the world. And
weknowthat80percentofthewomenwhoparticipate
in these circles take action within six months: they
askfora[pay]increase,changejobs,embarkonanew
project... The idea of “leaning in” is that women
become directors of their professional life.
“ALWAYSBELIEVE
INONESELF,
INYOURIDEAS...
DO NOT BE
AFRAID TO
SPEAK,TO
SAYWHAT
ONE THINKS”ELLE:Ĵǯ¡ǰ
Anne-Marie Slaughter, author ofę ,
argues that “women still can’t have it all”.
SS:It seems to mean that it’s impossible to have
everything,thatis,childrenandajob.Buttoday’s
womenarealreadyworkingwhileraisingtheir
children! This is the social, economic reality of many
countries.Everythingisnotrosy,thatispreciselywhy
ę
¢ǯ ǰěŘŖ
cent between women and men [in Australia, the pay
gaphoversaround16percent]–it’sintolerable.
ELLE:Companies in Silicon Valley employ few women- what about Facebook?
SS:AtFacebook,atthelevelofseniormanagement,
we have only 27 per cent women, and together with
[CEO] Susan Desmond-Hellmann of the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, we are the only women on
ǯ Ĝǯ Ȃ
doing a lot to change these numbers: by encouraging
high-school students to go to computer schools,
fundingCode.org,anassociationthatprovidesfree
computer courses. As soon as they’re in the company,
ě
ě Ȃ
the birth of their child. They can take it [at any time
uptoayearafterthebirth],atthetimetheywantit,
which for American standards is unique.
ELLE:Whatadvicedoyougiveyoungwomenwho
want to break into Silicon Valley?
SS:I would ask them, as always,
“Whatwouldyoudoifyouwerenot
afraid?”ThisisthesentenceIposted
near my desk. Always believe in
oneself,inyourideas,donothesitate
to“sitatthetable”ofthedecision
makers,donotbeafraidtospeak,to
saywhatonethinks.Ievenwrote
aLeanInfor young women [LeanIn:For
Graduates]. In this version for students,
¡ ęǰ
ę¢ǯ Ȃ
tooearlytobeawareofwhat
lies ahead in the labour market.
ELLE: ę
who have helped you advance in
your career?
SS: My mother, a professor of
French,letgoofeverythingtoraiseus.Andyetshe
isarolemodelforme!
ELLE:YouhavejustpublishedOptionB:FacingAdversity,
Building Resilience, and Finding Joy,aboutmourningand
resilienceafterthedeathofyourhusband. Why did you
decide to write so personal a book?@