I’m skeptical about the book, Lean In, by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg and its affiliated women’s power movement. Let me explain.

I completely support the concept that girls and women should “lean in” and actively participate in “the conversation.” To be actively engaged in your life and not a passive bystander while others make decisions. To realize your full potential as a person…being as smart as you can be, exploring, developing ideas and initiating action, and so on. I believe in equal rights for all people, I just don’t think the world (not even the supposedly more “progressive” US) allows for fair and equal treatment and opportunities for women.  In fact, my direct experience is that if you are female and “lean in” you’ll have your head chopped off.  In some countries, literally.

In America, only 23 of the Fortune 500 companies have a female CEO; women only make 77 cents for the same job as a man who makes a dollar; and women have always held significantly fewer seats in Congress, and that number is declining.

When the economic crisis of 2008 was in affect, there was not a week when an experienced professional working woman didn’t contact me to say she had been “downsized out” of her company.  I didn’t know one man with similar circumstances.  When a man lost his job it was when the entire company went under.

While I have been fortunate to be a high ranking executive in my current and previous institutions, in both cases I am “training” my (male) boss. In both jobs, the man was placed in his position with the CEO knowing he was not skilled or prepared. I accepted my current job knowing this and taking the chance that my boss was going to become the next CEO and I’d move up into his slot.  (That didn’t happen) In my previous job, however, the CEO actually asked me to train a male “peer” who was later promoted to a level higher than me.

It’s not just me.  I know women all over the world who regardless of profession or age are “moved over or moved out” when they become more visible and more successful in their organizations. A good friend of mine from London, was the international director for an organization based in the US when the CEO began an obvious campaign to “improve the international presence.” She was allowed to save face and resign.  Rather than replace this very successful executive with an internationally experienced professional, the American CEO hired another American, a male with an “exotic sounding” name.

While I continue to hope that all people can have fair and equal treatment based on skills, experience and personal characteristics, I don’t see it happening.