Blog 37

The report, Charting Our Progress, by the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, had similar findings and recommendations as English showed in her study Gender on Trial. First of all both studies found that men and women lawyers experience stereotypes about woman lawyers being overly aggressive or overly emotional. As we know this is called the double bind, which English describes the dilemma that women lawyers face in taking on leadership styles than are either too feminine or too masculine and this causes their perceptions to be aggressive or emotional.
Both studies discussed the issues women lawyers face with the competency bias. In the book several clients and opposing attorneys showed overt and subtle discrimination against women who they viewed as too soft or “ill-equipped” to practice law, as The ABA commission states. This chart described to competency biases occurring for not only females but also minority females, who may join the workforce at a disadvantage because they lack “the social and professional contacts needed to develop a client base.”
These works both discussed the difficulties in balancing work and life. The chart discusses the repercussions that lawyers have of being part time worker in order to try to balance their work and family life. In the text these repercussions can be that their coworkers will view them as not committed and that they will feel guilty for not being there 100%. The recommendations that English makes for this issue in particular is to change the expectations of required what is required in order to make a good lawyer. This can be achieved by perhaps allowing for more flexible schedules or reduced hours, across the board. She also recommends that people should be more open to new ideas to step outside of gender roles and stereotypes.

Britton, D. M. (2003). At Waork in the Iron Cage: The Prison as Gendered
Organization . New York and London: The New York University Press.

http://www.abanet.org/women/ChartingOurProgress.pdf