Blog #37

In the report, Charting Our Progress, by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession outlines several difficulties for women within the profession. Some of these hurtles include gender stereotypes where women report having been referred to as “honey” or “baby” which they fear disadvantage them. English differs in the belief that this is being dealt with more in “chatting up the Wives”. Here she states that “All the talk about sexual harassment, along with widespread fear of lawsuits and story making, causes second-guessing and worry. As a result, many people take affirmative steps such as making strategic alliances so that rumors don’t swirl.” (English, 63) Referrals to law firms that are dominated by male workers are also a problem that still exists. The networks of law firms that are dominated by or equally employ women are not as tight-knit as compare to the male counterparts.
“Schedule creep” is developing into several different problems such as the amount of billable hours asked of lawyers. English considers this “Death by Part Time”. (English, 201) The technology trap now allows lawyers to work at home but also may take time away from home activated such as childrearing and the “Sandwich Generation” is a term used to describe that need of women to care for children and elderly family members. English also talks about these problems of conflicting roles. (English, 228)
This is considered a female obligation. Also the report tells of how “Current data indicate that more and more firms are allowing part time schedules, but women testifying in the 2003 hearings still reported that choosing the part-time option posed professional risks”. Some of the major problems are the simple fact that the barriers faced include the need to repeatedly establish female competence. English uses this as an example in “Getting Beyond Nice”. (English, 128) And now there has developed a “generation gap” in which senior women in the firm had become a part of the “good-old-boy network, rather than railing against it.”