Post #33

The glass ceiling is still there, even though women have advanced as much as they have. As Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney argues in a recent book, “rumors of women’s progress have been greatly exaggerated.” Even with women finding great leadership roles in government, like Condoleeza Rice serving as Secretary of State, and Hillary Clinton being a major player in the 2008 Presidential race as well as Sarah Palin being nominated for Vice President, women still are not represented or advancing as quickly as they have been represented in the workforce.

A lot can be attributed to the balance women must find between work and family lives. But even disregarding family, there are other factors that contribute to the lack of advancement of women in legal careers.

Despite the fact women are getting more college degrees and PhDs than men, they’re still only making about 78 cents on the dollar than men make.

“There is a wage gap in every profession, in every job,” Sheila Wellington, a professor at NYU's Stern School of Business says. “We're talking about everything; factory workers, business people, lawyers, teachers, it’s just there.” Wellington argues that, “Women negotiate less than men. Women are offered less than men, they don't bargain; that's one of the theories. Women take time out of the workforce and they're penalized for it. But there are also studies when women who do not time out of the workforce, and they still earn less.”

Women are starting their own business, like the female lawyers shown who left highly competitive firms to begin their own practice. Even with starting their own practice they’re not making a lot, taking huge pay deductions after going off on their own. The interesting thing I found was that one of the partners talked about how many lawyers who either have been laid off or who are seeking employment elsewhere are asking them, women, for advice in beginning their own firms.

Women are more than 50% of the population, however, they are not represented as such in Congress and especially, when it comes to the legal profession, on the Supreme Court. Only 17% of Congress is female, and only 2 of the 9 Justices of the Supreme Court are female.