Blog 27 The Competancy Gap

According to Gender on Trial, The competency gap still remains between male and female lawyers; Mary B Cranston, CEO and Chair of Pillsbury Winthrop in San Francisco states, “Women have to be objectively better to be perceived as equal” (2003: 77). The gap also accounts for how women are treated, 70% of women stated that the feel they are treated condescendingly by their male colleges (2003:77). Women sense that thehttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2652550032560350388&postID=4491746401813259051ir presence is less threatening and less important than males. This false stereotype will prevail until lawyers, male and female, decide to take a stand against sexism now rather than wait for the older generation to retire who are perceived to be the ones to blame.

Thee consequences that women face because of the competency gap can range from underestimation from peers to demotion. This is what happened to a high ranking female executive Maureen Shaffer who was expecting to be promoted but was demoted instead. Apparently all the men of the council decided that she should be taken out of the general council role and replaced. They said it was “based on her merits” but her record was good for over 10 years. She believes that any GE executives don’t want to see women in executive positions so she filed a class action suit on behalf of 1,500 female employees in the company who witnessed events like this all across the country in the executive ranks. GE says they work hard to promote and encourage diversity, but they are doing the opposite.

When males attempt to win a case against women lawyers they assume they have the upper hand and they believe that they will easily triumph over her. This is a consequence of the stereotype that women are less competent than men. Women see this as a weapon in the arsenal of their femaleness because it actually gives them the upper had in the court room. When male lawyers show up with their guard down, the women “deliver a punch” (pg 82) because they show up with their guard up and fully prepared to counter anything the man has in store for them.
English, H. (2003). Gender on Trial: Sexual Stereotypes and Work/Life Balance in
the Legal Workplace. New York: ALM Publishing.