If the personal essays we've been receiving are any indication, Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In" has inspired numerous women to approach their careers differently. But a new survey suggests that for over half of female small business owners, Sandberg's message doesn't resonate.
Manta, an online community for small businesses, polled over 1,000 female small business owners. Ninety-five percent of respondents were mothers -- and 52 percent were indifferent to, or disagreed with, Sheryl Sandberg's "mission statement" that women need to take more responsibility for their careers.
Meghan Casserly at Forbes wrote that the results make sense to her, given that small business owners face different challenges from women in traditional corporate workplaces.
"Sandberg never claims to be speaking for all women. She herself was never a founder, so in that arena it’s no surprise her advice might be limited," Casserly wrote.
According to the survey, one issue Sandberg emphasized in "Lean In" that isn't as problematic for female small business owners is the challenge of creating supportive partnerships within their relationships or marriages. Sixty-eight percent of the women polled by Manta consider their families or significant other their primary source of support.
The Manta poll also found that female small business owners did not feel like other women in the business community supported them. Only 4 percent agreed that women were their biggest champions.
Madeleine Albright is disappointed, we're sure.
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