March 19, 2006

Why Do So Few Women Reach the Top of Big Law Firms?

Link: Why Do So Few Women Reach the Top of Big Law Firms? - New York Times.

Some possible explanations cited by the story, though it is difficult to hazard a clear explanation in these matters:

Some of this give-and-take enters gray areas that may have as much to do with caution as it does with biases. Is a male boss reluctant to invite a younger female lawyer out for a drink because water cooler chatter might spark rumors of an affair or give rise to a sexual harassment suit? Is a female associate hesitant to address a male partner informally in a hallway because it will be derided as flirting?

... the unstated assumption among male partners that women who return to firms after having children will automatically be less willing to work hard or will be less capable than they were prior to that — resulting in less-choice assignments or less-senior postings.

..."Saying these two words, 'I want,' is not something many women are used to doing," she adds. "They are not saying, 'I want the top bonus,' or 'I want that position.' They have a different style of self-promotion. But women need to learn how to be comfortable saying, 'I want,' and how to say it effectively."

... an inflexible, billable-hours regime as an obstacle to job satisfaction for both sexes, a trend that is more pronounced among the most recent crop of law school graduates. Some veteran lawyers witness this dissatisfaction firsthand and say that it tugs more powerfully at women than men because of social expectations about household roles and child-rearing.

Remarkably absent from the story is discrimination based on the partners' perceptions of relative ability.

Posted by Anupam Chander on March 19, 2006 at 06:22 AM in Law School | Permalink