What is "activism"? I define activism as the movement that advocates for an issue or a change by encouraging both internal and external changes.
When we think of activism, there is always a vivid image in mind -- a group of people making efforts to lobby government and public for the support of an issue. I believe this is the most common understanding of activism. In the business field, there are many activism groups for women.They lobby government for funds, educate the public, and provide career opportunities for women. However, there are also some people that empowers women by providing suggestions for internal changes rather than external support. In my opinion, activism is not only about asking for external supports of helping the target group. More importantly, it helps the target group itself improve internally.
In the book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg provided both external and internal supports for women. On one hand, she proposed that women could have both family and careers if their husbands would love to assume their responsibilities by splitting the family work 50-50. She also suggested that the society needs a great number of women leaders so that more women's voices can be heard. On the other hand, she encouraged women to support themselves internally. It is true that only if are women becoming more confident in themselves and more courageous to embrace new opportunities without doubting their abilities, women can be more successful in their careers. And it is important to note that mental suggestion sometimes plays an extremely significant role in determining one's decisions. When one doubts herself, her ability is thus underestimated. I believe that both external and internal factors have a great impact on women's career success. A successful activism movement should not ignore either of them.
In the book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg provided both external and internal supports for women. On one hand, she proposed that women could have both family and careers if their husbands would love to assume their responsibilities by splitting the family work 50-50. She also suggested that the society needs a great number of women leaders so that more women's voices can be heard. On the other hand, she encouraged women to support themselves internally. It is true that only if are women becoming more confident in themselves and more courageous to embrace new opportunities without doubting their abilities, women can be more successful in their careers. And it is important to note that mental suggestion sometimes plays an extremely significant role in determining one's decisions. When one doubts herself, her ability is thus underestimated. I believe that both external and internal factors have a great impact on women's career success. A successful activism movement should not ignore either of them.