Lean In in Poland: Psychological Determinants of Women's Labor Market Success

Abstract

In 2013, Sheryl Sandberg, published her book  Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Her goal was to empower women to be assertive and ambitious in the workplace regardless of institutional and psychological barriers. There are few studies featuring panel data that examine the psychological factors of occupational attainment. The purpose of this study is to determine if belief in ambition and self-esteem determine women’s success in higher level occupational positions. There is a panel survey called POLPAN which looks at various aspects of people’s lives that provides a wide perspective about social mobility and psychological factors. I found that when comparing women who have a high belief in ambition versus women who do not, there is a higher chance for women who do believe to be in higher level occupations. When the regression is repeated with men, the level of ambition is not statistically significant when it comes to reaching a higher occupation. But, self-esteem is not an indicator for a higher status occupation. I was able to support part of Sandberg’s theory, women who believe ambition is important when it comes to success are more likely to become successful versus women who do not. ​