Is there something about the Wal-Mart culture that is particularly attractive to female employees?
Wal-Mart promises that even if you don’t have a college education, you can advance. For many women with no education and little work experience outside the home, that is very appealing. The Wal-Mart promises are so compelling to people because they map so well onto the promises of American culture. People really want to believe them. Another thing that appeals to these women is that Wal-Mart also sells themselves as a family-oriented company with strong “values” — which is often understood to mean Christian values. Yet in the book you cite several discrepancies between the way Wal-Mart talks about family values and the way the company actually serves the families of its employees. The way that Wal-Mart underpays women and doesn’t promote them, despite the fact that so many women who work there are supporting their families, is shockingly hostile. As one of the plaintiffs pointed out, “They don’t even pay you enough to pay a babysitter.” In their company culture, they’ve always had the
