The Authority Gap cover art

The Authority Gap

Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously than Men, and What We Can Do About It

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The Authority Gap

By: Mary Ann Sieghart
Narrated by: Mary Ann Sieghart
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Imagine living in a world in which you were routinely patronised by women.

Imagine having your views ignored or your expertise frequently challenged by them.

Imagine trying to speak up in a meeting, only to be talked over by female colleagues.

Imagine subordinates resisting you as a boss, merely because you're a man.

Imagine being trolled by women on social media for daring to express an opinion.

Imagine people always addressing the woman you are with before you.

Now imagine a world in which the reverse of this is true.

The Authority Gap provides a startling perspective on the unseen bias at work in our everyday lives, to reveal the scale of the gap that still persists between men and women. Marshalling a wealth of data with precision and insight, and including interviews with pioneering women such as Baroness Hale, Mary Beard and Bernadine Evaristo, this is a fresh feminist take on how to address and counteract systemic sexism in ways that benefit us all.

©2021 Mary Ann Sieghart (P)2021 Penguin Audio Gender Studies History & Culture Social Sciences Technology & Society Technology Discrimination

Critic Reviews

"A brilliant manifesto explaining why women are still so underestimated and overlooked in today's world, but how we can also be hopeful for change." (Philippa Perry)

"Hugely exciting." (Emily Maitlis)
All stars
Most relevant  
I have had this feeling all my life that I was one down from men.
I couldn’t put it in to words though as to why I felt this way.
Sometimes a book comes along that verbalises and validates my feeling so accurately and lifts the shame I have felt being born a women.
It’s written in a way that’s not about men bashing it’s about respectful education of what’s really going on out there consciously and unconsciously.
Thank you from my heart for taking the time to research and write this incredible book.

Clarity.

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A wonderfully infuriating book. Even having read so much literature about discrimination based on gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, and their intersections, this book really brings everything together into a truly horrifying big picture. Though I was thrumming with outrage at times, the author’s soothing voice and ‘chatting with a friend’ style of narration was so enjoyable I just wanted the book to go on and on. I’m feeling really inspired to interrogate and work on my unconscious bias and I can’t recommend this book enough.

A must listen for everyone

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Sieghart gives example after exhaustive example showing how much harder it is for women to break the glass ceiling in the upper echelons of management and it starts at school. She provides ample ways in which this imbalance can be improved and redressed. Once seen you cant unsee it.

A startling insight into the cultural norm

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Undeniable proof of the Authority Gap on a global scale. Well written & concise. I will be using this book as a reference for my research. There are so many examples of injustice that it is infuriating however they can be used to create cultural change.

5 Stars

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Totally essential reading/listening for every human. This is a once in a decade book. Highly recommend.

An absolute must!

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Love this book. Challenged me to think about my unconscious and implicit bias. Especially loved the advice on parenting as well as what we can do to make a bigger difference at work.

Eye opening

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