Blog #36

The “glass ceiling” is the idea that women are unlikely to make it to the top. The glass ceiling is still a problem, even though it is significantly less of a problem. Women are more experienced than in the past and are perfectly talented and capable of keeping up and competing with males colleagues. Women are still not in top leadership spots because they still want to have control over their lives and balance the other aspects of work. The top jobs mean that you have to be on call 24/7 and make the company the top priority over their own life. Differences between men and women in the workplace tend to get men promotions while women’s differences tend to be geared to their family life. Corporations often assume that women are not ambitious and they are not as willing to listen to their goals and needs. Many of the listeners on “Talk of the Nation” said that it is up to the woman’s personal choice whether or not they want to climb the cooperate ladder. One woman said that she has had the opportunity to climb that ladder but does not want that top position because she wants to be able to have time with her family. Other women decided to work more when their kids were younger so they could spend time with them when they are older. It was suggested that cooperation’s look at the different patterns that women choose and acknowledge those differences. I think that many of the opinions expressed on the issue were insightful and mostly correct. I do believe that ultimately it is the woman’s choice to spend more time with her family that ultimately causes the lack of leadership positions for women. If women made their work their top priority, like men, then there would definitely be more women in professional careers and in top positions. However, I think that corporate America can lure women back into the workforce if they offer more flexible opportunities to balancing their family lives so that they can also get top leadership positions in their firms.

Blog #35

The “Best Practices” article to promote work/family balance focuses on the additional responsibilities of employees who are additionally caregivers. Caregivers face many challenges when balancing the work and family life because they are not evenly distributed among the working population. This article points out that women are more dominant as caregivers and that minority women are the most dominant caregivers. The involvement of women in the workforce has increased dramatically and most layoffs have been those of men. As a result, women’s jobs are becoming more and more important to the family. The article stresses to employers that they should acknowledge these challenges and work with and understand a caregivers situation in order to create a better and more productive working environment for all. This article touches on the issues that we have covered in the readings and other course materials that discuss the hardships of balancing work and family life. It is important that articles like this continue to circulate in places of employment so that people who cannot easily relate to caregivers are provided with insight and will be more helpful and innovational in their business practices. This document does not require employers to take any action, but strongly suggests it, which is a huge benefit to caregivers. This article supports the issue that women are faced with more pressures than men in their careers because they also have to raise their families. While women have increased in the workforce, the pressures for them to raise children are still heavy in society.

Blog #33

Based on the readings and the materials provided, women attorneys have made large advancements in the legal field. Females make up half of law school graduates and are closing the gender gap in the male dominated field. Women have more freedom to express themselves through their style and femininity and are gradually becoming more and more equal. Women have gone through many steps to gain leadership in professional careers, such as completing a college education. Women still face a wide variety of challenges in the legal profession. They are criticized more by their colleagues because of gender stereotypes and biases. Women have a difficult time balancing work and family life. Another obstacle for women attorneys is having the same access to promotional opportunities as men. Men are still much more likely to become partners over women due to various reasons discussed in a previous blog. Minority women lawyers are the least commonly seen in the career field because of the discrimination and neglect that they feel in their firms. Diversity needs to be implemented into more firms because it will offer more profitability and creativity for the firm as a whole. Women have so much to bring to the table that goes overlooked, and it is our job to make sure that we strive to more equal work environments. Just because we think that work life is now equal between men and women, does not mean that it actually is, and the discrepancies should not be ignored. The “old boys network” that still exists needs to be exposed and done away with so that diversity can grow. While women have made astonishing progress in the legal career, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome.

Blog #32

Parenthood differs between men and women attorneys. One major example provided in “Gender on Trial” tells of an ideal that when a man has a child, he is pressured to earn more money and become more work harder. When a woman has a child she is expected to be a nurturing mother. A high-powered female attorney is viewed as a suspect parent because other people in the firm automatically assume that she must not be a good parent if she is so dedicated to her career. This type of woman faces hostility from both her male and female coworkers. Tradition values of motherhood impact women and the choices they make immensely because women are more likely to balance the family life than men. Not only does a working woman have to prove herself in her career, but she has to go home and prove herself as an “ideal” mother as well. Many women make choices to work part-time or stop working for an amount of time in order to meet their childrearing societal expectations. Some women prefer this lifestyle and others find it simply too difficult and stressful to balance both successfully. When women leave the workforce to raise their children, it affirms the long held stereotype that the proper place for women is at home. Employers are careful and wary when hiring women for these reasons. Colleagues also have different expectations of women attorneys with kids than those without kids or men. As younger people are entering the legal career, they have a difficult time with the realities of the difficulties in balancing both lives. Young women leave high pressure law firms for the sole reason that they look ahead and already do not see how they could possibly manage life. It is difficult for the female attorney to establish a rewarding balance between their career and life, but hopefully with the issue becoming more aware in law firms, it will change the situation and stereotypes for lawyers.

Blog #31

There is a huge problem of balancing work/home life in the legal profession. The legal profession is very demanding and time-consuming, and this negatively affects the relationships that lawyers have with their families. Many people feel that this issue is impossible to solve because it is so difficult to balance to two aspects. People who are the sole breadwinner of their families do not stress the issues that bother their children because they are too busy stressing about the financial issues. Many attorneys believe that having a family life negatively affects their work success. Women attorneys face these issues with much more force than male attorneys because they are traditionally viewed as the nurturing parent and homemaker. Women attorneys must make many sacrifices to balance their work/family lives and both suffer because of the struggle to stay on top of it all. Part-time schedules are one suggested solution that assists women in being attorneys and mothers. With a part-time schedule they can do their work on their own time and still fill the needs of their children. Women also need to be more upfront about their motherhood so that it is not seen as a negative in the law office. Younger attorneys are also more proudly announcing that they will take time off to be mothers and return to work as soon as they are ready and willing. Stereotypes that suggest that the man is the career parent while the woman is the homemaker should not be encouraged. Males get far less leeway to parent and men are typically less inclined to move to part-time positions to care for their families because of the stereotypes and the responsibilities of being the breadwinner. Reduced hours schedules should be available to both men and women who want to spend more time with their families. In the law career parenting is negative for both men and women which makes it extremely difficult for solutions geared toward balancing work/family life a possibility.

Blog #30

Conventional views of leadership styles disadvantage women and advantage men because most companies do not view women as leaders. More men are promoted into leadership positions due solely to their gender. In the video, “Shared Leadership: The Value Women Leaders Bring” mentions the fact that often the people who run corporations or politics are males and they feel more comfortable hiring people who look like them. In “Gender on Trial”, English writes that the default image of the lawyer as the leader is profoundly male and women are simply overlooked at times. Some women are also resistant to be the lone woman at the top of the ladder and are not interested in joining leadership ranks.

Gender expectations frame leadership behavior for men and women because men are expected to be the natural leaders. Men are always portrayed as leaders with women assisting them. Gender expectations lead men to be less empathetic leaders and less creative. Women bring different experiences to the table. In the “Shared Leadership” video, the woman talks about how women politicians bring an agenda of issues that have been neglected to the forefront and not necessarily just women’s rights issues. Women are also very successful in politics because they work well with other people and offer more support than their male colleagues. Gender expectations also affect women because one reason is that they feel it is difficult to establish informal relationships with their male peers and want to sidestep sexual overtones.

These expectations relate to stereotypes because men are the default leader in American society which automatically puts women in the more passive position next to them. Women worry about how they will be judged if they act or dress a certain way, and this effects their leadership opportunities because it limits those opportunities by not holding men to those same biases. Men face much less criticism and scrutiny in the law office because they are dominant which feeds into the stereotype that they make better leaders. In the videos it was proven that women are given less leadership positions despite their growth in certain fields such as law and politics. Half of law school graduates are women, yet only 5 percent of law firm partners are women, and even less than that are minority women. The stereotypes are a constant obstacle for women despite the advances and hard work they have put forth to achieve gender equality.

Both men and women have negative and positive leadership qualities, and a diverse group of leaders is the ideal situation for businesses. In the “Shared Leadership” video, we are told that corporations that had women in top leadership positions in Fortune 500 companies have a 34 percent higher profit than those corporations with no female leaders. Women bring different experiences and skills to the table through managing people, developing teams, and many other leadership roles. Women notice issues that men may overlook. A woman’s experiences also benefit her leadership responsibilities. While many men make great charismatic and confident leaders, they sometimes lack the insight that women provide. A diverse leadership team creates a creative, productive, and profitable work environment.

It is difficult for me to decide which leadership style I prefer more, that of a man or a woman. I have had many jobs and I have worked in a law firm directly under a male partner’s supervision as well as a female paralegal who was my “mentor” since I was a beginning paralegal. The paralegal was a great resource for me and she was usually always willing to help me but sometimes she would compete with me for absolutely no reason or throw me under the bus over a trivial mistake during an office meeting. She like to criticize my clothes and tell me what I could and could not wear. When I talked with an attorney about weekend activities briefly in the morning, she accused me of people getting the wrong impression about me and told me I had to stop talking to him. She made my work environment extremely awkward for me at times. The lawyer however treated me the same as anyone else in the office even though I did sometimes feel the uncomfortable pressures of his attempts at flirting. I prefer male leadership because they tend to treat you with a certain amount of expectation that you should fulfill and even if they are bossy or sometimes seem mean they do not purposely criticize the way you look as much as women leaders. I like women leaders though because they are usually more understanding of personal stresses outside of work and more willing to listen and understand if you cannot be in right on time or something like that. I think women are good leaders because they understand the work/life balance that people face and have an easier time relating to people. I also think women are more creative in their positions. My female professors usually give more interesting assignments with more room for creativity. I think it mostly depends on the person and how well-rounded they are. I have experienced good and bad leaders of both genders.

Blog #29

So few minority women stay with law firms because they face discrimination in the office. Fewer than one percent of partners are minority women. Minority women are exposed daily to harassment, discrimination, and exclusion. The NPR report involves the stories of black women who have tried to work in a law firm with no success because of the constant biases and stereotypes that they face. With the stress of the job and the added stress of being a minority in sex and skin color, it is often not worth it for these women to stay in their careers and sacrifice their times and morals to a career that does not fully respect or appreciate their work. The “good old boy” network that exists in most law firms prevents minority women from progressing in the law field. Most people are shocked when they see minority women come into a courtroom and have the power, and it takes a toll on these women. Minority women are also denied the same social and informational resources as other attorneys in the firm. The NPR reports and other course material is consistent with what is said in the book about minority women as attorneys. Women leave law firms for so many reasons and adding the minority race factor makes it even more of a struggle to survive among the white male majority of the partners and other associates that dominate the majority of firms. The culture of the firm is hugely important when it comes to minority employees and if the firm is committed to a diverse environment they will likely treat their minority employees with equal respect as the rest. It is truly awful and damaging to American society that minority women are not more prominent in the legal field because the stereotypes and inequalities discourage minority women to pursue this career path, reinforces these stereotypes, and prevents more diverse professional law firm environments.

Blog # 28

“Proving Yourself in a Man’s World” is an excellent title for this blog because it is exactly what Justice Sonia Sotomayor had to do when she was nominated for the Supreme Court. Because she was a woman, and a minority at that, she faced extremely harsh criticisms which included accusations of stupidity, a poor temperament, and vanity. She was negatively portrayed in the media by many men and opposers who did not like or respect her. These are attributes that are often associated with females in the legal field and it comes as no surprise that Justice Sotomayor was heavily criticized for these characteristics. If it had been a man running for Supreme Court he would likely be scrutinized for different attributes and probably not as harshly at that. Just like we have seen in the examples provided in “Gender on Trial”, Justice Sotomayor had to prove herself as worthy at a much more difficult level that a white male. Men talk about her in a disrespectful and condescending way that goes to prove that they think she is unable to do her job as good as a man. Competency is treated significantly differently between men and women in the law career and Justice Sotomayor’s case is a prime example. Since when was it such a big deal electing a Supreme Court Justice, and has this much controversy ever risen from a male nominee choice? Personally I cannot recall a time that such a commotion was caused over a Supreme Court Justice and some of them are arguably very extreme. The articles that were published about her character were largely biased and viewed her in a negative light with no actual credibility to the accusations they made. The election of Sonia Sotomayor into the Supreme Court is monumental for women and minorities because it shows it can be done despite the obstacles and biases against women.

Blog #27

On page 77 of “Gender on Trial”, Holly English uses an example from the American Bar Association to demonstrate the competency gap between men and women lawyers. The American Bar Association poll taken in 1983 revealed that 38 percent of women lawyers said they believed they had to work harder to prove themselves. In 2000, the percentage increased to 60 percent. Similar surveys were conducted that demonstrate similar results. The same survey also showed that there was a perception of less respect for female attorneys. Seventy percent of women attorneys in the survey said that their male colleagues were condescending towards them. These studies show that there are obvious gender inequalities inside the law firm today and that these are not issues of the past that should be ignored. Women attorneys are less likely to get promotions because they are not typically seen as leaders. In the NPR report in the course materials, one woman was demoted for absolutely no valid reason other than her gender. It is also a struggle for women attorneys because they have to work much harder to prove themselves and juggle more stresses and obstacles. Men attempt to win a case against women attorneys through bullying them, because there is a preconception that women attorneys are much easier to intimidate and can knock them off their stride. Some men lawyers act like women lawyers are not competent in their case and attempt to call them out and make them look stupid in the courtroom. Male attorneys will interrupt female attorneys or try to provoke them for no logical reason. Minority women lawyers experience more scrutiny than while women lawyers or sometimes they feel that they get complimented more because of their race. When women respond to the skepticism, it reinforces the questions of competence and effectiveness that they face daily.

Blog #26

In Chapter four of English’s book, she discusses the roles males have in assisting female lawyers. Some women explain that they need a male voice to “seal a deal” with a client or to get some reinforcement. Some women believe that their clients do not listen to them as attentively as they would to a male attorney, and to ensure that the client hears their advice, they have a male relay the information to the client as well. Other female attorneys use their male coworkers to validate their advice and input to clients. Many clients do not seem to trust or respect the work done by female attorneys over male ones. In other instances, male attorneys also treat female attorneys with more aggression than they would another male attorney. If there is a message that needs to be given to a client or opposing party that is particularly a difficult one, a male is most often chosen to do it. When people act out these certain roles inside of the law firm, it reinforces the law firm as a gendered organization. When women attorneys take on separate responsibilities from men attorneys, it is creating stereotypes and boundaries between the sexes. It exposes the law firm as a place that is not gender neutral. When skeptical clients or aggressive opposing counsel require a man to back the woman, it leads the woman to believe that this is the proper way to respond. Personally, I think that women need to be able to assertively and professionally approach these opposing counsel and skeptical clients and call them out in a way that will not get anyone angry. If women just continue to assume the passive role then these gendered roles will always exist and more men than women will be seen as the people who actually get things done, even though the women are perfectly capable of handling the same situation themselves. Hopefully any client or attorney would realize how badly they had acted once they were reasonably called attention to their disrespect.

Blog #25

Using sexualized behavior as “a weapon in the arsenal” can have negative and positive effects on women lawyers. Women have more room to express their sexuality positively without automatically being labeled as incompetent. A con is that sexual harassment keeps negative sexual stereotypes about women alive and it remains an issue for younger women who have to constantly fend off advances. Men are more prone to leave women out for this reason; they do not want to be accused of harassment. Some women flirt to advance their careers. Many women do this instead of using their academic and professional credibility to get a job advance, which negatively affects the whole of women attorneys. Some women even dress in “riskier” clothing in order to get what they want from a judge or boss. However, at the same time, some women dress attractively to simply project confidence and professionalism. This strategy is presented in the media through law films. In most law films that star females as attorneys, they are typically always romantically or strictly sexually involved with a make colleague. Even when the women are credible, they often are second to the male attorney. In “Erin Brockovich”, Julia Roberts plays a strong, independent paralegal who uses her sexuality to get what she wants. She is able to obtain records that she would not have been able to access had she been male. She also does not let male colleagues push her around. In “Sex and the City”, one episode shows how Miranda, the attorney, has to pretend that she is a lesbian in order to fit in with the partners of her firm in hopes for a promotion because the firm wants to add a female couple to their group. Instead of earning the promotion on her own merit, Miranda is convinced this fake relationship will help her, until she decides it is not worth it and she does not care. For the most part, women are not necessarily viewed as incompetent attorneys in media, but they do often come second to male actors or end up being devious in some way, which ultimately negatively contributes to stereotypes of women lawyers.

Blog #24

For my interview assignment, I interviewed a female attorney who practices probate and estate planning. During my interview with her, I asked her many questions that were gender related. Generally, she felt that she did not feel discriminated against as a female lawyer, but she did have some instances where she felt disrespected by others in her work environment because of her gender. When the lawyer I interviewed practiced in a mid-sized law firm, she was the only female attorney in her office. While she felt that she was part of the group and never left out or discriminated within the office because of her gender, she was denied an opportunity for partner based on her sex. A male attorney was given the partner position even though he had worked there for less time than she and was no better at his job than she. This frustrated her because from the beginning of being employed at the firm, she enthusiastically expressed in interest in becoming partner someday and strived toward that goal. This ultimately led her to leave the firm and start her own practice. The lawyer I interviewed also said that some male attorneys did not have as much respect for her because she was a female, and would make cracks about her sex. She said that you have to put them in their place before they start take advantage. She also said that once a female attorney becomes demanding or confrontational, people might stereotype that she is depressed, going through menopause, etc. The lawyer I interviewed said that one of the best things for a female attorney to do is never cry because that automatically gives the other attorneys the upper hand and makes you look weak. She also said to always put the client first and to never let personal issues or preferences prevent you from properly representing your client. She stressed the importance of remaining balanced in the professional workplace, and not being too emotional or to confrontational. The interview with this respectable female attorney was extremely beneficial because of the insights she provided on what it is like to be a female lawyer.

Blog #23

In Chapter two of “Gender on Trial”, Britton outlines the history, issue, and overall politics of gender and fashion. She reports that fashion is still an issue among professionals because most of them have a sense of what to where when meeting with certain clients or going to certain meetings. One of the most commonly asked questions of a trial attorney named Randi McGinn is the question about what should be worn inside the courtroom. When women first entered the legal profession, they felt out of place among their male coworkers and in order to “blend in” they took on a more masculine look through short haircuts, minimal makeup, navy blue or gray suits, and low-heeled shoes. This was an attempt to make women attorneys as unnoticed as possible and was even called the “power look” to some, according to English. This approach, however, did not keep women and fashion from critics. If a woman did accept certain fashion types, such as revealing the shape of her body, she was seen as nonserious but if she kept her breasts, hips, and legs hidden, she was accused of not being feminine enough. When the late 1980s and 1990s emerged, women started to be more comfortable in expressing themselves through their fashion and wore bright suits, silk dresses, softer hairstyles, and distinctive jewelry and accessories. (English p. 21). This came about as women wanted to increase their self-confidence because they were uncomfortable dressing like men. More and more women wore what made them comfortable when they noticed that other women in the field were “coming out”. How a woman presents herself through her fashion may have a strong, negative impact on her position in the firm, sometimes even being denied partnerships for not having the “right” appearance. Women can use their fashion to their advantage, by showing that they are strong, intelligent, confident, and respectable people no matter how they choose to dress. With advancements like casual dress and the increase in women attorneys, the stereotypes against women have eroded. However, they do still exist and women still are judged more often for their fashion over men.

Blog #22

Sonia Sotomayor, the newly elected Supreme Court Judge, was under much scrutiny when President Obama appointed her to the bench. She is the first Hispanic justice and the third woman justice. Sotomayor’s made a comment, commonly referred to as the “wise Latina” comment, in which she said, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life.” Because of this comment, many people, the majority right-wingers, criticized her for being racist. While I agree that her comment is probably true, (most white men have not had the same enlightening life experiences as any minority or woman), I still have to say that it was unwise of her to say it out loud. I think it is best for people not to give the impression or generalize that they are better than anyone because of their race or gender, and in a way, she does this. A controversial case in which she was involved in was one involving promotions for a certain group of firefighters who were required to study for and take an exam that would measure whether or not they would qualify for the promotion. The fire department then denied everyone the raise and when the other fire fighters who passed the test brought a lawsuit, Justice Sotomayor ruled that because no black people passed the exam, no one could get the raise. Sotomayor faced criticisms for this decision because she was accused of being a racist. The video for this blog shows that other Supreme Court Justices have made controversial statements but because they are white males, they have not been attacked as extremely as Justice Sotomayor was.