Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace

by Jessica Bennett

Part manual, part manifesto, a humorous yet incisive guide to navigating subtle sexism at work—a pocketbook Lean In for the Buzzfeed generation that provides real-life career advice and humorous reinforcement for a new generation of professional women.

It was a fight club—but without the fighting and without the men. Every month, the women would huddle in a friend’s apartment to share sexist job frustrations and trade tips for how best to tackle them. Once upon a time, you might have called them a consciousness-raising group. But the problems of today’s working world are more subtle, less pronounced, harder to identify—and, if Ellen Pao is any indication, harder to prove—than those of their foremothers. These women weren’t just there to vent. They needed battle tactics. And so the fight club was born.

Hard-hitting and entertaining, Feminist Fight Club blends personal stories with research, statistics, infographics, and no-bullsh*t expert advice. Bennett offers a new vocabulary for the sexist workplace archetypes women encounter everyday—such as the Manterrupter who talks over female colleagues in meetings or the Himitator who appropriates their ideas—and provides practical hacks for navigating other gender landmines in today’s working world. With original illustrations, Feminist Mad Libs, a Negotiation Cheat Sheet, as well as fascinating historical research and a kit for “How to Start Your Own Club,” Feminist Fight Club tackles both the external (sexist) and internal (self-sabotaging) behaviors that plague today’s women—as well as the system that perpetuates them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Business, Self Help, Womens, Audiobook, Gender

336 pages, ebook

First published May 24, 2016

About the author

Jessica Bennett is an award-winning journalist and author who writes on gender, sexuality and culture. She is a contributing writer for the New York Times, where she has covered sexual assault on campus, profiled female pot entrepreneurs, and was the first journalist to profile Monica Lewinsky in a decade. She also writes a column on digital language called Command Z.

A former staff writer at Newsweek and columnist at Time, Jessica is the author of Feminist Fight Club: A Survival Manual for a Sexist Workplace (HarperCollins, 2016), which has been translated into seven languages. She was a founding editor of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In foundation, where she cofounded the Lean In Photography Collection, an initiative with Getty Images to change the depiction of women in stock imagery. Jessica has spoken at Harvard, Facebook, Google, Cannes Lions, Reuters, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and frequently to her dog Charlie, who serves as her speech coach.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am so conflicted right now. I really don’t want to be, but I am kind of hating this book. Not because the content wasn’t good or legitimate, but because whoever designed the physical layout of the thing decided to sprinkle girly fucking glitter dust all over everything. The whole GD book is smothered in pink, frilly doodles and mindless diagrams that don’t actually make any sense. Empowerment? Please! It used to be empowerment until the girls’ toy aisle threw up all over it and turned it into #GRRRLPW3R!

This is all so disappointing because the content of the book was actually pretty good. Bennett made all kinds of valid points and observations about sexism in the workplace (yes, it still exists), but by packaging her ideas in the literary equivalent of a pink princess dress she pretty much lost me.

FEMINIST AUTHORS: It is not necessary and is, in fact, generally off-putting when you market your work as though it were being sold to a Lisa Frank-loving fifth grader. Let’s just collectively stop this, okay? Thanks.

[Nikki Reads A Lot · Rating 2 out of 5]

3.5/5 - A humourous and handy guidebook, easy to read but refreshingly no-nonsense approach to the patriarchy & everyday sexism women face. Biggest criticism is - you need to cut down on the genital references!!! Not all women have vaginas!!! Equating women to their parts, even with the intention of being light-hearted, alienates the shit out of trans women (who are most discriminated against in the workplace, by far!!!)

[Cat · Rating 3 out of 5]

although the repetitive format bored me to death, this book has a lot of useful and interesting information, specially since I'm just entering the work world myself. but it's a shame this is very America centred and it tells again and again that women are people with vaginas, when it doesn't take a lot of common sense to know that's not really true...

full review here: https://catshelf.wordpress.com/2016/0...

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get what this book was trying to do and I do believe it has a some good points, suggestions and resources for women in the workforce
BUT
this was SO TERF-Y. There was so much vagina-centric rhetoric (and puns! oh god all the puns!) which is insanely unnecessary for workforce advice. Overall, the advice for women of color, LGBT women or women with disabilities felt secondary to the main narrative (if present at all!). \
If its not intersectional its not feminism.
This book got old REAL quick.

[kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not certain how Feminist Fight Club got on my to-read list, but when my hold came in at the library, I settled down for what I thought would be an instructive and in-depth look at the casual sexism that continues to exist in the modern work place.

I did not get that.

Feminist Fight Club is instead the "highlights" version: it lists some of the various forms of sexism; it mentions some of the stereotypes women can be labeled with; it briefs over the 'trap' scenarios women might fall prey to. And while it makes a point of the data—there's always data—it doesn't take anything past surface level. Most of the scenarios suggested to alleviate the situations raised are specific to a very specific type of office environment, completely disregarding the breadth and width of office life in America today.

This book also fails at taking into account the breadth and width of femininity in America today, too. Rife with vagina-tastic language, and blazing by the fact that women of color face multiple -isms in the work place with only a brief mention, Bennett neglects to engage with the very worrying problem of white feminism. Dedicating one chapter in this naval-gazing book to the fact that black women struggle with the stereotype of "the angry black woman" does not suddenly erase the whitewashing of this problem.

Overall, a disappointing read.

[Samantha Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book is going to get panned in the media. Either that or it will be a big hit. It's very "buzzfeed"; it tries to engage through quizzes and humour and lists. I understand where they're coming from and what they're trying to do. Business books can be dry and they're trying to appeal to the 20-30 something female that may not have been enticed by Lean In. To me it felt immature though. I legitimately cringed at parts. Then again, I don't like The Office, 30 Rock or most shows people find funny so maybe I just didn't get it. As a note, I was sent a copy of this by Glamour to review!

[Diana Suddreth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've struggled more with writing a review for this book than any other I've ever read. I did not like this book on so many levels. As an upper-management professional, I was completely offended by the portrayal of the workplace as hostile to women, and can't help but wonder how much of the hostility is self-perpetuated even within the stories in the FFC. Millennials, your mothers worked hard to break into business, get maternity leaves and other friendly practices, and climb higher than women have before. My colleagues are women, my superiors are women, and we have always spoken our minds, shared our ideas, and been recognized for our expertise. Bennett's picture makes it sound like we are back in 1965. If that is your office place, don't whine, get out!

Besides just hating the pessimistic tone of the entire thesis I was annoyed by the genderfication of language throughout the book which other reviewers have documented and do not think the liberal peppering of profanity helps make the authors arguments. Profanity isn't necessary, it isn't scholarly or academic, it isn't pleasant, and it certainly doesn't prove anything positive. Don't do it!

[Mehrsa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't want to use the word "abrasive" because I think it's the most sexist word in the English language, but I'll say it here--the advice here is too abrasive. I am older than the intended audience for the book so perhaps I am wrong here, but I think this is not sound advice. It's basically a book of come backs and call outs for all the crap sexist men say to women. And sometimes men need to be called out, but I think it's rare that being called out actually changes someone's behavior or the systems of sexism. My mantra is to be soft on people and hard on systems and this book is filled with a lot of rage against people (which I completely understand). I do appreciate that there must be solidarity among women in the work place so I would gladly join a feminist club, but would probably prefer one that was less fight-y.

[Jin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friend recommended this to me and I wanted to like it. The problem is the whole book design and the setup. Even though the general theme and the motivation for writing such a book is good, the layout was too childish. The cartoons, various "young" memos and notes made me think that I'm not the right target group for this one. So, I could not concentrate on the content because of everything else. It's such a pity because I can imagine that this book provides some useful tips to people who are struggling in a masculine, sexist workplace.

[Hannah Pieterse · Rating 2 out of 5]

The advice and information in this book is good, but to me, not very novel. It felt like a sparkly, cartoon-filed version of Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In." I also felt disappointed that it gave only lip service to issues facing women of color, people of diverse genders and sexualities, and really anyone outside of certain white collar creative fields.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Today's sexism is insidious, casual, politically correct, even friendly'

This is a book I wish I'd been able to read when I was 21 and in those first jobs after graduating: although based on US experience, it still identifies those office perennials (the guy who talks over you in meetings, who assumes that you'll always make the coffee for visitors, that you'll always be happy to take the notes, and that your role is to be nice, kind, maternal and nurturing 'cos that's what being female means, right?). But rather than just identifying those problems that still irk women in the workplace, Bennett offers solutions - funny, sharp and politically aware. Best of all, she alerts us to the ways in which we can reel in allies to balance things with some subtlety: allies who are both male and female.

So, yes, a book I wish I'd read, and one I'd recommend strongly to anyone, male or female, about toenter the messy terrain of office politics.

[Jude St. Francis · Rating 3 out of 5]

امتحان فردامو که دادم میام ریویو می‌نویسم🧘🏾‍♀️🕯
***
خب هنوز امتحانمو ندادم ولی بذارید ریویو اینو بنویسم(چون امتحان بعدازظهره و الان دست و دلم به درس نمیره)
👇🏾
کتاب همونجور که از عنوانش پیداست یک کتاب راهنماست برای زنان به جهت بقا و بهبود عملکرد (و حتی خودشناسی) در محیط های شغلی یا دانشگاه‌ها.
نویسنده‌ جنسیت‌زدگی‌های پنهان در محیط‌های مختلط-که در قرن‌های پیش فقط مردونه بودند- رو نشون میده و بعدش یک سری راهکار بهتون میده تا بتونید اون موقعیت‌ها رو هندل کنید.
شاید موقعی که سرفصل‌های کتاب رو میخونید با خودتون بگید وای چقدر نویسنده‌ش ضدمرده ولی واقعیت اینکه که نویسنده در طول بخش‌ها آمار مختلف رو مطرح میکنه و اگر به عنوان یک زن در محیطهای شغلی/دانشگاه نبوده‌ باشید نمیتونید با کتاب موافقت کنید چون این مسائل شاید هیچ‌وقت به چشمتون نیومده باشه.
خود من سابقاً خیلی از این جنسیت‌زدگی‌های پنهان رو شخصی می‌کردم یعنی می‌گفتم اِی بابا مشکل از منه و شاید توانمندی‌‌ها و ارزش من کمتر باشه ولی این کتاب با گزارش‌های آماریش بهتون میگه که خیر! خیلی از زنان در این محیط‌ها همچین رفتاری رو میبینن و با همچین شرایطی روبه‌رو میشن و حتی اونا هم قضیه رو شخصی می‌کنن. 😑
مقدمه‌ی نویسنده‌ و فصل اول و دوم کتاب بهترین بخش‌های کتاب هستند و توی سایر بخش‌ها نویسنده یا مسائل قبلیش رو تکرار کرده یا انقدری ترجمه‌ش (فاطمه باغستانی/نشر کوله‌پشتی) چرت و پرت شده که آدم از نوشته‌ها خیلی سر در نمیاره.
خلاصه اگر میخواید ترجمه‌شو بخونید همون سه بخش ابتدایی کتاب رو بخونید.


یه ایرادی که به کتاب وارده اینه که نویسنده از تمام اقشار زنهای‌ حاضر در جامعه‌ی آمریکا حرف میزنه (سفید پوست، سیاه‌پوست، لاتین و آسیایی) اما هیچ‌وقت به آسیب‌پذیر ترین و مظلوم‌ترین قشر زنان حاضر در محیط‌کارهای آمریکایی حرف نمیزنه: زنان ترنس.

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoyed that much this one, I don’t know if it was the way it was written or everything about it? The idea is nice but perhaps it would have worked better differently?

[Niekoniecznie Papierowe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Takie 2.5. Napisane w bardzo luźnym tonie, czasem wręcz łopatologicznie i czasem nie do końca feministycznie. Jednak jak z każdej takiej książki, wynotowałam kilka pożytecznych „chwytów”.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. There was some interesting research cited in this and I did enjoy the pictures and some of the humour however.....

The big problem with this was I felt that it was verging on 'man hating', which is an image I think feminists should ideally be trying to distance themselves from. It was a very 'us vs. them' mentality rather than a 'what we can all do to help'. The vagina puns also ground me down by the end, one or two would have been funny but, it was every other word (also can we stop defining gender by our anatomy please?) It also assumed all women fall into the 'traditional' ideal of 'woman' e.g. what to do when your male colleagues all want to go watch football etc.... What about the women that are okay with going to watch football and 'hang out with the lads'? It felt at times a bit like women who enjoyed traditionally male things were overlooked.

It was a nice idea; a quick bites Buzzfeed style book with cute pictures and puns. It's just lacking a bit in the execution.

[Rachel Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed. I was so looking forward to reading this book for a womens' organization book club and am actually appalled by the content. This book pushed feminism back more than it moved it forward. Sure, there is good advice and excellent points throughout the book but you have to sift through jargon and mockery to elicit any useful information. Is this supposed to be a satire? Im confused. As helpful as the negotiation chapter was, the page devoted to getting "sports talk" out of the office and the "this book is 21% more expensive for men" confused the whole message of the book. Feminism is about gender EQUALITY, not man bashing or further splitting genders into their stereotypes... Women like sports too, so why is there a page in this book devoted to getting "sports talk" out of the office? Sports just aren't for men...
This book could have been great, but it ended up seeming like a joke

[Korinne Vanderroest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this book four to five stars, but I can't. The book is chock full of snappy one liners and interpersonal business strategies for dealing with a sexist workplace. It explains the importance of building up and encouraging your female coworkers and fostering a support system for other women in your field. It also touched on racial issues within the feminist movement which I feel takes a backseat in many feminist circles. However, this book comes off as TERFish. Vagaffirm and various references to anatomy as indisputable proof of feminity along with idolizationof transphobes like Amy Schumer soured the book. This book had alt of potential to be a great piece of feminist literature but sadly fell short of excellence. Thus I could only award 3 stars on the basis of good advice but without inclusivity.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like reading something which make me shock because I have just knew that there are many sexist workplaces around us. But in other hand, it just got quite boring for me.

[Read full review]

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a three star read for me at my stage of my career, but I can see giving this to people who are just starting out in their careers and it being a four star read for them. Bonus points for giving practical advice for dealing with different situations. Would have been great to have given a "Further Reading" list at the end for people to take a deeper look into some of the issues.

[Bryony Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brill, hilarious and so insightful. It's full of SO many useful ideas for the workplace and life and will even help with self confidence and friendships. I really enjoyed reading this!

[Aurora Fitzrovia · Rating 2 out of 5]

nicht mein Humor und leider ganz, ganz weit von intersektionalem Feminismus entfernt :/

[Malihe63 · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب خیلی خوبی بود البته من ترجمه فارسی رو خوندم اما پیدا نکردمش اینجا ترجمه به نام باشگاه مشت زنی فمینیستی هست و به نظر من کتاب فوق العاده مفیدی برای خانم های شاغل می تونه باشه

[Deniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, this book is suffering from cisgenderism and I'm really sick of hearing vagina when you mean is woman. It also continues the sexist approach that attributes a behavior to a gender.

However, I found it also strengthening. I am a person who suffers from sexism at any place and I can pick up some strategies. It also contributes me to check myself e.g. my attitude towards women bosses and coworkers.

Lastly, I took inspiration to form my own feminist fight club from this book.

[Sarah W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago, I was lucky to hear Jessica Bennett speak at a conference I was attending. She's as compelling a speaker as writer and this book is just as relevant today as when it was published some years ago now. That being said, the ground covered in this book is not unfamiliar to readers who follow feminism and sometimes I felt Bennett's approach was a little too heavy-handed. Overall, a good, engaging read.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and informative read that unfortunately employed an almost cutesy tongue-in-cheek tone that didn’t really work for me.

I think the real stories included were reassuring - other women have been in this situation, you are not alone! - and some of the tips were helpful - provided you work in a traditional white collar office job - and I appreciated Bennett’s clear effort make the book intersectional - lots of reminders that inequities are always worse for women of color, though none of the stories from her friends she included gave any indication that they happened to women of color.

Not a bad book for women entering a traditional office workplace for the first time, but probably more for your favorite baby feminist vs your well established bad ass best friend.

[Tita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ser feminista é, nada mais, nada menos, do que lutar pela igualdade de direitos entre homens e mulheres e, em pleno século XXI, infelizmente, ainda verificamos que existem diferenças, nomeadamente no mundo do trabalho, entre homens e mulheres.
Este livro aborda várias situações, que as mulheres se deparam. Numa mesma função, ainda temos os homens a ganhar mais do que as mulheres. Temos menos mulheres em lugares de chefia. Além de abordar várias situações discriminatórias, ainda nos dá algumas soluções, num tom mais leve, para tentarmos combater o preconceito associado às mulheres.
É centrado no ambiente norte-americano mas vai tendo algumas pequenas estatísticas de Portugal. E, confesso, gostaria muito de conhecer melhor este tipo de diferenças em Portugal.
Um livro que toda a gente, mulheres e homens, deveriam ler.

Vejam a minha opinião mais detalhada em vídeo, AQUI.

[Magda Ostrowska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Infantylna. Nieśmieszna. Źle napisana i/lub przetłumaczona. Po prostu słaaaabo.

[Helen Praspro · Rating 4 out of 5]

این کتاب بیشتر از جنبه فمنیستی و دفاع از حقوق، جنبه توسعه فردی داشت. خیلی اشتباهات و مشکلات کلی شخصیتی که منو اطرافیان من با هر جنسیتی باهاشون دست و پنجه نرم می کنن رو، به همراه راهکار برای حلشون توضیح داده بود. بعضی دسته بندیهاش برای جامعه و فرهنگ ایران جواب نمی‌داد... ولی بعضیا *به شدت* جواب میداد. خوندنش برای رشد اعتماد به نفس و پیدا کردن مشکلات شخصیتی که جلوی رشدتون رو میگیرن، جدا از جنسیتتون، به همه پیشنهاد میشه.

[Kaili Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished this one, I like my other feminist book better but this one was alright😌😌

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

I have severe mixed feelings about this book. The topic of sexism and inequality in the workplace is a serious one and should be talked about more. Awareness of a problem is one of the first steps to solving the problem.

Bennett touched on some symptoms of sexism in the workplace that I've dealt with personally. Some of the recommended strategies could be helpful, but others... not so much. I agree that women need to be better at standing up for themselves and learning to say no in certain situations, but that is only half the battle. The other half of the battle is the men being aware of the issue and being willing to change. This book is not male-friendly. It was quite hostile and derogatory towards men, especially the chapter written TO men. I don't think this is a helpful approach to take.

There were also elements that she mentioned that I wanted more on, but they only got mentioned in passing. Elaborating on certain areas would have been helpful to understanding the problem.

I think the other problem I have is the presentation of the message. It's pink and full of doodles and cartoons. The only thing that is missing is glitter. Yes, we are women. No, there is nothing inherently wrong with pink and glitter. But a book that is trying to change the perceptions of women in the workplace is not the place for frills. I also didn't love the tone of the writing. Open hostility and irreverence are not going to help change minds.