Sheryl Sandberg Says Women Aren’t Better Off 4 Years After ‘Lean In’

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said in a new interview that women in leadership roles are “not better off” in the four years since her bestselling book “Lean In” was published.

Sandberg’s book was aimed at professional women and began a discussion on sexism and workplace success. In an interview with USA Today, Sandberg pointed out that the number of female CEOs of Fortune 500 companies is still less than 6%. “There were 19 countries run by women when ‘Lean In’ was published. Today there are 11,” Sandberg said.

The Facebook executive was a prominent supporter of Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful presidential campaign and said she was was “really disappointed that my children did not see a woman sworn in as president”.

“Lean In” has been much criticized at times for its focus on educated, professional women over women who are less wealthy. Sandberg talked in the interview of the struggles faced by single mothers, including black and Latina ones.

“I have thought a lot about what it is to be a single mother because now I am one,” she said. Sandberg’s husband Dave Goldberg died in 2015.