Professions dominated by females, ranging from teaching to nursing, tended and continue to suffer from low earnings, low prestige and low influence. No fools, the movers and shakers in professions which are high-earning and high status fear what's now called "feminization." Could BigLaw be among them? And is that why females find it more difficult to rise or even survive in the big time?
The term "feminization," when applied to a professional controversy usually has little to do with concerns or hopes that the values, policies and procedures will be changed by the presence of females. The context is more often framed by agitation about money and power. Will more women more visible in a profession decrease its ranking in the food chain? Note that Conde Nast, the House that S.I. Newhouse built, although filled with tons of female worker bees, has males at the top. The buzz-generating article in the current NEW YORK Magazine "The Last Old-Media Tycoon" focuses primarily on the males. The one female Anna Wintour seems to have built her career on an asexual persona. We tend to perceive Wintour not as a woman but as a player.
The reality is that even in demanding professions, there's no reason why advancement and motherhood should be mutually exclusive. Yet, the latter is still a weapon used, especially through sins of omission such as not having onsite daycare or sick-child arrangements, against females. Most females cave when pummeled with this weapon.
This gestalt popped into my head as I was reading Elizabeth Edwards's "Resilience." What shouts out from the book is how much Edwards values being a mother. Had her husband not been so successful bringing home the bacon, she might have been forced or even wanted to be a mother and practice law. A smart woman - some say smarter than her husband - she could have probably done both and on her terms. During her husband's presidential campaign, I spoke with her on the phone. She exudes the ability to manage any situation.
Instead of focusing on how to accommodate or promote females in law, perhaps the conversation should deal with the fear of feminization. Believe me, that fear pervades every field in which decent money can be made and influence had. In public relations, many women are employed. But somehow it's the males who have the high profiles. In the media are the Richard Edelemans, Richard Levicks, Jack O'Dwyers, and Bob Dilenschneiders. That's how new business is developed, clients entertained, and brandnames enhanced.
Ma'am,
Women aren't found in large numbers at the top of any enterprise (legal or otherwise) due to any "old boys' network" or some grand, patriarchal conspiracy to 'keep women down'. No, the reason one finds men at the top is because men make the choices, and they perform the actions that help get one to the top. They're willing to work more hours. For example, men work, on average, 200 hours MORE per year than women do; that equates to five extra 40 hour work weeks per year!! What employer won't appreciate that, especially if said employee is on salary?
Women make choices to work jobs that allow them greater flexibility; indeed, it's amongst women that we hear the phrase, 'work/life balance'. There's nothing wrong with that, and I try to live a balanced lifestyle myself. However, when we make choices, those choices have consequences; if one wants to have more of a life outside the office, then one must be ready to accept the fact that, come promotion time, they won't get the nod.
My brother is a VP at a Fortune 500 company. If I were to tell you the company, you'd recognize their name; in fact, you probably have done business with them. Anyway, my brother works so many hours (55-60 is the norm, though he sometimes does more) that he would consider a 40 hour week a vacation! He has a nice, six figure salary, money in the bank, stuff like that. He's reaped the material rewards from his hard work.
However, he's also reaped other rewards. He's reaped enough stress to kill him; he's on his way to a nervous breakdown, or an early death. He has no time to relax or enjoy life. When the weekend comes, he's doing stuff around the house that he can't do during the week. I wouldn't trade places with him if you paid me!
I've made my choice to live a lower stress, more balanced life, and I don't regret it. However, my choice has had the consequence that I won't reap the same material success that my brother has. For me, that's acceptable; for others, that's not. In any case, my choices mean that I probably won't be a VP any time soon.
In closing, women make choices that allow them to spend more time with family & friends; they opt for a life outside the office. That's fine, but it has consequences. One of those consequences is that they won't be promoted has high as a man will be, since men are more willing to put in the extra time and effort to achieve success.
MarkyMark
Posted by: MarkyMark | November 04, 2009 at 08:16 PM