The No Club

THE NO CLUB by Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund and Laurie Weingart is subtitled “Putting a Stop to Women's Dead-End Work.” The authors, experienced professionals and professors at Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh, have done an excellent job of identifying and researching a barrier to women’s advancement. Basically, they chose to focus on those tasks (e.g., arranging a holiday party or onboarding interns) which help the company, but not the individual doing the work and which women are often asked to do because of their gender. This book could promote a shift in thinking, not only for women as they reflect upon their careers, but also for organizations, as the authors advocate. THE NO CLUB received positive reviews from numerous business publications and includes a Glossary of Terms, an extremely helpful list of references and many, many notes. Intrigued? Babcock, Peyser, Vesterlund, and Weingart even include an appendix on “How to Start a No Club,” describing purpose, members, meetings, norms and suggesting best practices. Containing numerous recommendations for action, THE NO CLUB is a valuable resource for women at all stages, particularly young professionals.