Great book, lots to think about. Review to come.

I really liked this book for many reason;
1. It was accessible and easy to read on an important subject matter.
2. The book was driven by Gina Martin's experience and her knowledge. She offers helpful advice but by no means claims to be the ultimate expert and offers lots of signposting.
3. She thinks about her privilege and encourages you to do so too.
4. It's been driven by a very real and important experience that Gina underwent.

Having gone to one of Gina Martin's book signings she came across as a a very real, relatable, passionate and caring woman and I hope that we see more of her work (especially the activism) in the future.

Full thoughts to come.

This wasn't quite what I expected it to be, not as useful as I would have liked. An interesting approach to such sad stories though. Also contained poetry which is not usually my thing.

This book had been sat on my shelf unread for over a year before I finally picked it up and I was entirely surprised by how interesting, accessible and enjoyable the book was. Jenni Murray is a journalist who has picked 21 women that she admires or thinks were/are interesting from around the world and throughout history. She makes very clear that this is her own personal selection based on her own experiences which I think is important and relevant. This book therefore isn't intending to be a pinnacle text on women of the world or a full biography of these women. However, I think Murray does a good job of selecting a range of women from different fields, backgrounds, periods and experiences to showcase women's role and lives throughout history.
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Murray's selection of women is diverse and interesting and some of my personal favourites were her biographies of Frida Kahlo, Coco Channel, Hatshepshut, Benazir Bhutto and Hillary Clinton. She offered an interesting introduction into the lives of these women and sought to channel stereotypes that have been associated with them. The book also covered chapters on Joan of Arc, Artemisia Gentileschi, Angela Merkel, Empress Dowager Cixi, Catherine the Great, Clara Schumann, Wangari Maathai, Golda Meir, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Isabella of Castille, Cathy Freeman, Madonna, Anna Politkovskaya, Sirimavo Bandaranaike and Marie Curie. All of them were fascinating and interesting explorations of these women.
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This book reminded me of why I love history and made me buy books on Benazir Bhutto and Frida Khalo to learn more about their lives. I think this is an enjoyable look into the lives of women throughout history. I would only say there are a couple of trigger warning/explicit sections where she talks about a rape that happened to one of the women that could be uncomfortable for readers and unsuitable for younger readers. Besides this I thought the book was really well written and I want to learn more about all of the fascinating women in this book.

Work Like a Woman was an accidental find and one of the best and most relevant books for me in my life right now, as 20-something woman starting in my first 'career' job. This book spoke to me in a way no non-fiction book has captured my attention.

Mary Portas puts together an interesting book that both recounts her person experience - sharing key moments in her life surrounding her sexuality, her family, her background and most importantly her career. She blends this seamlessly with an analysis of the working world from big corporations to small companies and focuses specifically on Britain--although she does draw in comparison to other nations. Mostly to highlight how Britain is failing women on many levels: childcare, pay, leadership opportunities.

I think for me there were several key arguments that really spoke to me.
- Portas highlighted that on average most young women in their 20s earn more than their male counterparts - women are actually more successful in their early careers. Definitely supported by the fact girls at school do better, there are more and more women coming into higher education. However, women once they have children/move later into life actually earn less and men begin to earn more.

- One of the most horrifying facts was that women who have children earn on average less, whilst men generally get paid more. This is because they're seen as reliable, trustworthy, family men who need more hours to support their family. On the other hand, women's careers take a hit because of the time-off to have a child, the pressure or need to work part-time. This is largely because childcare is so expensive. Therefore meaning women are at a huge disadvantage.

- The figures on the expense of childcare and the way in which many families struggle to afford childcare was absolutely astounding. Britain is one of the few leading nations that does not invest significantly into childcare facilities for working families.

- The final point that really spoke to me was the fact that Portas highlighted how many women believe themselves to be underqualified for a job and therefore don't take the punt on an application. On the other hand, many more men whilst still believing they are underqualified will apply for a role. Women just do not put themselves out there enough.

These were some of the most interesting points Portas made in terms of the general gender make-up of the work place.

However, her book also delved into some interesting work-psychology arguments and examined how our personality and 'home-self' can be intertwined with our 'work-self'. These were all very interesting discussions and I think both important and very relevant to our modern day society where working-culture and work-life balance are at the centre of many discussions.

I would recommend this book to men and women alike as I think it has many important lessons. It's also a fabulous story of how one woman (Mary Portas) experienced so much change in her life and how key moments in your life can really change the way you view the world.