What would happen if women ruled the world?
Everything could change, according to former White House press
secretary Dee Dee Myers. Politics would be more collegial.
Businesses would be more productive. And communities would be
healthier. Empowering women would make the world a better place-not
because women are the same as men, but precisely because they are
different.
Blending memoir, social history, and a call to action, Dee Dee
Myers challenges us to imagine a not-too-distant future in which
increasing numbers of women reach the top ranks of politics,
business, science, and academia.
Reflecting on her own tenure in the Clinton administration and
her work as a political analyst, media commentator, and former
consultant to NBC's The West Wing, Myers assesses the
crucial but long-ignored strengths that female leaders bring to the
table. "Women tend to be better communicators, better listeners,
better at forming consensus," Myers argues. In a highly competitive
and increasingly fractious world, women possess the kind of
critical problem-solving skills that are urgently needed to break
down barriers, build understanding, and create the best conditions
for peace.
Myers knows firsthand the responsibilities and rewards of taking
on leadership roles traditionally occupied by men. At thirty-one,
she was appointed White House press secretary to President Bill
Clinton-the first woman ever to hold the job. In a candid look at
her years in Washington's political spotlight, she recalls the
day-to-day challenge of confronting a press corps obsessed with
more than just the president's policies. "Virtually every story
written about me included observations about my earrings, my
makeup, my clothes, my shoes. And then there was my hair."
Recalling the pressures-both invited and imposed-of her West
Wing years, Myers offers a hard-hitting look at the challenges
women must overcome and the traps they must avoid as they travel
the path toward success. From pioneering research in the
laboratory, to innovations in business, entertainment, and media,
to friendships that transcend partisanship in the U.S. Senate, she
describes how female participation in public life has already
transformed the world in which we live.