Master narratives embedded in women corporate advice

In this article, I analyze authors’ personal narratives in the self-help literature and how these narratives are embedded in and activate master narratives within which advice makes sense. I examine how personal narratives index and reconstruct master narratives related to women’s leadership, gender differences, and gender expectations. Some of the experiences recounted relate to motherhood and the challenges professional women face in the corporate realm, such as time management and work-life balance. Other experiences focus on the importance of being heard and valued in the decision-making process. I employ narrative analysis and discourse analysis approach to explore how authors of advice books present their narratives as advice. I conclude that these age-old master narratives are consciously or unconsciously embedded in women’s roles in society, professional women’s lives, and their career decisions, and advice narratives ratify fitting into master narratives.