UNIT D - Blog 39

There are organization initiatives that need to occur before work/life balance can be obtained and equity among men and women is gained in the legal profession. These organization initiatives that should happen are providing a workplace that values it's employees and promoting and showing examples of equity. Employees need to come into the workplace being treated equally and fairly because this is most important. Nobody should feel shunned or shut out because they have a home life or have children to take care of. Also, the workplace needs to provide proper training and mentoring for their employees so everyone can have the same learning tools available to them so they can grow within the company. When people have to work part time schedules in order to take care of their families they feel they lose out on alot from being away from the office more than others, therefore if they are provided training and mentoring they might feel less out of the loop and might feel a little more appreciated by the company. Also, if these employees are offered mentoring and such then maybe the other employees wont talk down to them and will feel like they really are a good asset to the company and are worthy employees. I also think that fellow employees and higher management or staff need to learn about flexible schedules and how this will help the company instead of bringing it down and making it lose money. I don't think firms and such are educated on this and they choose to see the negative instead of the positive. I also think communication is key because without it everyone is left in the dark so to speak. Employees need to express their concerns and management needs to express their concerns as well so everyone can be on the same page and understand what is needed on both sides in order to make the company a whole and succeed as necessary.

UNIT D - Blog 38

From the women of judiciary section I chose to talk about Jane M. Bolin. This woman was the first black woman who was a judge in the United States. I think she broke down a huge wall in history because she was not only a woman but also a minority and she was able to take on a leadership role which was judge. This all happened in 1937 which back then women weren't really treated with much respect and neither were minorities. She had to overcome so many obstacles and criticisms by being where she was at that time but she served for over 40 years and the fact that she served for so long was amazing.

From the women in practice of law I chose to talk about Dorothy Frooks. This woman was a lawyer and judge in the U.S. army during World War II and she was the army's first full time lawyer. She was able to do many things which made her versatile and she was able to open up free legal clinics in the city and lobbied to set up small claims courts. Jane discovered alot during her time and definitely was appreciated since she accomplished so much. She fought for a sixteen year old girl who had killed a man because he had raped her at the age of twelve, Jane was able to suspend a sentence for this young woman. I think Jane's accomplishments showed that women were capable of doing things on their own and she set high standards for women during this time.

UNIT D - Blog 37

When comparing English's findings and the findings in the report I noticed that in the report it talked about women being too aggressive, having too much attitude and ill equipped to do business. In English's findings in Gender on Trial she talked about how people saw women as being sympathetic and kind and clients were more likely to trust their lawyers more when they felt a positive attitude come from the lawyer. She talked about how women gain long term relationships with clients because of their great attitudes and sympathetic natures so this obviously has a great advantage on females when they show their nurturing side. The report made it seem like women are mean angry females who aren't worth anything to companies and can't produce anything that will help the company move forward. A contrast that was in the report and English's findings was on the work/life balance program. The report talked about women being afraid to take on part time schedules in fear of losing their job or being seen as incapable of being a successful lawyer. "Gender on Trial" talked about work/life balance programs and how this can put huge pressure on females because they have a home life they need to take care of but when they come back from maternity leave or work part time schedules they are seen as less serious and not good lawyers because they can't stay longer hours and do more work like the other lawyers are able to do. These women fear they might be let go because they aren't seen as useful for the law firm.

UNIT D - Blog 36

In the Talk of the Nation story, a question was presented which was "can corporate America lure the women back into the workplace?" I think women might be lured back into the workplace but only if certain things were to be changed within the workplace. The glass ceiling factor is still a problem even though it's gone down quite a bit but these women out there are experienced and good at what they do but yet they are still put on a lower pedestal than men. The really top jobs require an on call system which means the people who hold these top jobs are constantly busy and always have to be ready to travel and do whatever the company wants whenever they need you which means you need to make your job more important than your own personal life. Many woman aren't as willing to do this because they have families to take care of and they can't put their children on hold just so they can be on call when the need arises. It's hard to be utterly dedicated to a job when you have a home life, it's nice to make a nice paycheck and to hold high positions within the company but you can't put your life on hold so you can obsess over your job and be there at all hours of the day. This seems like a hostile environment and very unhealthy. I think women can be lured back into the workplace if the workplace becomes more lenient to their needs and doesn't just offer higher roles at work for people who have no life and are willing to shed blood and tears just to get the job done. Dedication is of course a plus but jobs need to understand that jobs shouldn't control a persons life and they definitely shouldn't be the only thing that matters to a person. Families to exist and children need their mothers and fathers and people shouldn't be judged or looked down upon just because they have a home life.

UNIT D - Blog 34

The work/life balance problem is that women often find it difficult to balance work life and family life. Women are under such scrutiny when they are needing to work part time schedules in order to take care of their family, many jobs don't want to give out part time schedules and would much rather fire the woman instead. Also, alot of companies might be hesitant to hire a mother because they see this as a financial loss for their company because it might be possible that the woman will have to take many sick days to take care of their child or if their child needs something they might have to leave work early or take the day off in order to tend to their child. Even if a woman applies for a job and is childless an employer might see her as a future threat if she were to ever decide to have a family. Women are faced with so many issues when they have to deal with family life and work life and it shouldn't have to be so hard but employers make it this way. Women are being discriminated against for being mothers and this is absolutely unfair. It's tough enough having to work a full time job in order to make ends meet and get bills paid but when you have to go home after working forty plus hours and have to attend to housework and taking care of kids, it starts to take a toll on you. These women need some sort of a break and need to be able to expect job security. In the New York Times article the woman left work for a while to have her premature child and was told over the phone not to worry because her job was stable and they understood her situation. But weeks later she found out that her job was given to someone else and she was left jobless with a premature child to provide for. I don't understand how companies can get away with this kind of discrimination against mothers, it is absurd. In "Gender on Trial" part time work is discussed and it talked about how women with part time schedules were given less responsibility and weren't seen as being serious lawyers because they weren't working the same long hours as some of the other lawyers out there. It's not fair that because a woman has to take a part time shift to accommodate her home life she is seen as a less worthy lawyer, this makes no sense to me at all. Chapter seven discusses work life balance and how this has been advancing in the legal field. Clients aren't worrying so much about full time or part time labels because they just want their work to get done and that's all that matters to them instead of a lawyers title. Companies also don't want to deal with any legal matters or law suits presented to them on work discrimination and they are also dealing with high turnover rates when they aren't offering more flexible schedules to their employees. This is a positive advancement because the more flexibility that is offered the more the employees will experience a positive work environment and will be much happier at work.

UNIT D - Blog 33

Woman have had some advances in the legal profession and at greater rates they have accomplished receiving promotions within their company and even made partners or made some other upper level management job. The fact that Sonia has made it on the Supreme Court shows that advancement is possible for women it's just coming forward at a much slower rate than it has for men but this has been apparent for many years now. I think women are starting to receive more respect in the workplace but much more progress is needed so that these women receive fair treatment within their profession. I think some obstacles these women face are discrimination such as lower pay because they are still getting paid much lower than men for doing the same type of work. Women are also starting to see promotions in their future but men are still the ones to receive promotions and raises at a much more frequent rate and I think this needs to be changed. Woman are still staying longer hours to get work done but have yet to see anything good come of it. Schedules are also alot of grief for females because when they are expecting mothers or mothers in general they may require time off or part time scheudles and this is seen as a big inconvenience for the company and many companies don't like to give out part time schedules because they see this as a financial burden and other employees start to complain about women having part time schedules because it puts more work on them instead.

UNIT D - Blog 30

Conventional views about leadership styles disadvantage women and advantage men because throughout history men have been president and men have held high roles in society and have been great leaders for our country. When people look back in history all they see are men holding leadership position and this poses a problem for women because when they want to run for a leadership role they might be looked at as a joke because nobody is used to having a woman hold a powerful role. All the stereotypes can bring women down and lower their self esteem, it also might prevent women from applying for leadership roles because they might feel they don't even have a chance when compared to a man. It was awesome that a woman was up against a man for this recent president election and I think it told all the women out there that if they try hard enough they can make it and they need to be brave and let all those stereotypes and negativity leave their minds so they can do what they want and be successful leaders for our country.

Gender expectations frame leadership behavior for men and women because if society already expects men and women to act a certain way then this might pressure both genders to take on the responsibility of acting the way society wants them to. Society is used to a man running the show, so to speak, and this might give a man a reason to feel like he's more powerful than a woman and should dominate the workplace. For example, most of the people on the Supreme Court are men and these men might have the idea that they are better than women and that being on the Supreme Court is a man's job and can only be done best when performed by a man. Society forms these stereotypes of men and women and it makes us sort of mold into that stereotypes because once a man decides he wants to be a ballerina he might decide against this even though it's his dream because society will look down upon him since it's more acceptable when a woman is a ballerina as opposed to a man. Women might also be a little nervous to apply for jobs that are male dominated because they feel they will be looked down upon or treated differently because of their gender.

Some positive outcomes of leadership qualities in women is they are finally seen as worthy enough to be in leadership roles. For so long women weren't allowed to vote or even run for jobs such as lawyers or judges and I think it's awesome that women are finally putting themselves out there and going against men so they can be seen as worthy opponents. I think some negative outcomes for women is that they tend to be more assertive and might come off as pushy or rude and I think women are just more confident and they feel they need to act this way so they aren't pushed around and stepped on by others. As for men I think positive outcomes of their leadership qualities are they have made it far in most industries and will always have the chance to take on leadership roles and mentor other people for the same position. I think some negative outcomes are that they can come off as jerks, especially when they are talking about women. All the men that judged Sonia for being on the Supreme Court constantly attacked her based on her background of growing up in the Bronx and also said that she was a bad lawyers and didn't know much about the industry. I think this just shows they are scared of a little competition from a woman.

The leadership style I prefer is someone who is assertive and to the point. I think it's nice to have someone who can incorporate emotion into their roles as well because we need to be able to realise they are people too and can related to us and our emotions. I like when people are assertive because they are showing they aren't push overs and are capable of getting the job done without being stepped all over. I wouldn't want a leader who is shy, laid back and timid because to me this shows signs of weakness and I don't want someone weak handling anything important that needs to get done.

UNIT D - Blog 35

The article about the EEOC and promoting work/family balance talks about how the caregivers not only have to take care of people as their job but their job also continues when they go home. When they are done at work they have to go home and tend to their family which means they are continuing to take care of people but at home they aren't getting paid for it. 46% of women are in the workplace and are earning a living along with their spouse but the benefits are unevenly distributed within the care giving field. Many caregivers are female and alot of men that are caregivers get to go home and lounge around while the women caregivers leave their paid job to go home and basically do the same exact thing for free. More rights need to be given to these women because they have to do so much just to support their families. Alot of married women have husbands that are in jobs that have fallen because of the economy therefore these women that are caregivers are the main support of income for the time being. Alot of stress and reliance are put onto these women and they come home tired and unhappy because they have to continue taking care of the household and they just need to rest. The work and family life isn't balanced and it seems unevenly distributed. Flexible policies need to be enforced in the work place for these care givers so they have flexible start times and so forth because they have families to take care of and a home life to support on top of bringing home a paycheck so their family can survive. These women are struggling to stay successful while taking care of a family and some things need to change in the workplace so they have equal and better rights for the workers.

UNIT D - Blog 32

Parenthood differs when attached to a female because she is automatically seen as taking on the traditional wife and mother role which is staying home and raising the children. Many firms are hesitant towards hiring female lawyers because they automatically assume problems will arise because the woman might have to leave and pick up a sick child or have a part time shift so she can take care of her kids. When relating a male with parenthood you automatically thing of him as working and not taking on the responsibility of picking up the children from school and daycare or going home early to cook for the children. Men are seen as the bread winners and the ones who provide for the family so many law firms don't worry about hiring males who have children since it's assumed that they have a wife at home who handles everything family related.

Traditional values of motherhood affect female lawyers because they have to put their family first and they might have to try and get a part time schedule approved. This can pose a problem for these women because many firms try and avoid part time schedules so they don't lose any money and can avoid any conflict other employees might have towards this so called easy shift working mothers receive. Also, when women lawyers are allowed to take on part time schedules they are looked down upon by their boss's and employees because they are seen as incompetent and aren't taken as seriously as lawyers who work full time schedules. High powered female lawyers with children are viewed as suspect parents because they aren't seen as nurturing and loving towards their children because they are so busy with their career. Many people find it hard to believe that a woman can work long hours and be successful while also being a great mother and providing for her family. Many high powered female lawyers feel trapped by these stereotypes and feel guilty for being a successful lawyer and end up talking down about their job so they are seen as a better mother and this shouldn't have to happen. Nobody should feel bad for being successful and accomplishing their goals.

UNIT D - Blog 31

The problems of the work/family balance in the legal profession is that many people are having to work extremely long hours in order to get their work done. These people have families to go home to but when they are having to stay at the office just to finish their work they are left tired and unhappy. In these times now the economy is struggling so people are already in fear of losing their jobs so if they need to work those extra hours in order to get the job done then they will need to do this despite their home life situation. But many lawyers do have lives and kids to attend to and they'd rather have part time schedules to help accommodate their home situation but many lawyers aren't seen as serious when they work part time or flexible schedules. Many firms frown upon part time schedules because they look at the financial aspect in short term and are only adding up part of the costs. If the part time schedules were given out they'd save so much money in the long run, it costs more money when they lose workers due to part time schedules being denied. People tend to leave these jobs because they can't balance work and family and the company loses money because they have to pay to train new people and to recruit and their clients are also dissatisfied because they lose the lawyers they have put so much trust into. Many firms think the part time shifts are uneconomic but they aren't realizing that these lawyers have families and other obligations to attend to and if they'd accept these part time schedules they'd still get to keep these talented amazing lawyers. Firms are worrying to much about cost but they aren't thoroughly thinking it through because yes they might lose a little money by having to accommodate with part time schedules but they'd lose twice as much if they fired that employee so they should think about alot more instead of just denying the work life balance programs all together.

UNIT D - Blog 29

Few minority women stay in law firms because they are treated with disrespect and experience signs of racism within the workplace. These women not only have to be judged by their gender but they also have to be judged by their race which is twice the amount of stress. The stories in the NPR talked about minority women in law firms and had a few women of minority reporting about their experiences. One woman was Chinese and said that in her law firm she was asked to read something in Korean and when she told them that she couldn't because she only spoke Chinese they looked at her with astonishment like they didn't understand what she was saying. There was also another incidence of an Indian woman who was asked things like "are you a chief?" or they referred to her as Pocahontas and this is extremely demeaning. Just because someone is a minority doesn't mean that they should be talked down to. You might see someone at a law firm that is of Asian decent but you technically don't know where this woman is from, she could be from China, Asia, Korea or Japan so nobody should assume anything. Women should be treated with respect just like everybody else. Another woman said that she noticed if a minority women comes into a law firm and isn't from a prestigious school then she will be treated unfairly even compared to a white woman from a State school. It's no wonder that minority women don't want to stay in law firms, it seems like a stressful environment when you have to deal with people that constantly mock you and make fun of you. These women want respect because they worked hard to get to where they are now and they are being treated like dirt.

UNIT D - Blog 28

Sonia Sotomayor was judged by her behaviors in court from the media. When compared to a male counterpart his actions were seen as much more acceptable than hers even though they acted the exact same. Sonia is seen as quick on her feet and tough but to everyone she's seen as being a bitch but when a male named Scalia was reviewed he was seen as being positive when he showed any sort of toughness in the court room. The article also said that when Scalia is asking irrelevant questions about his case he's being seen as being a dutiful law professor but if Sotomayor were to act this way she's seen as someone who just wants to hear herself talk. When and if Scalia is harsh in the courtroom and puts up a good argument with his competitors he's seen as amazing to everyone who watches. If Sonia puts up a fight against a competitor then she's seen as difficult and someone who gets riled up and angry easily. Everyone is judging Sonia as if she's not as good as Scalia and it's all because of her gender. Nobody can accept the fact this is a very talented woman who is very good at what she does, instead the media is using her gender against her making her look like a violent predator who doesn't have the least bit of knowledge on how to be a lawyer. I think they want her to look stupid and unintelligent because the Supreme Court and other males in this world are threatened by this woman. They see her as being on the same level as them and they deem this as unacceptable because a woman shouldn't be able to hold such a high position in the work place. She's being seen as incompetent just because she can handle herself in the court room and put up a good argument, when Scalia does it he's seen as powerful, intelligent and very experienced. This shows how low people think of women who hold high positions in the work place.

UNIT D - Blog 27

The competency gap between male and female lawyers is that females have to work extra hard just to be noticed and put on the same spectrum as male lawyers in the work place. Females have to constantly compete against their male colleagues so they can be seen as competent. These female lawyers have to stay longer hours and do more work just so they can show that they are great lawyers and know what they are doing. It's as if these women are invisible in the workplace and they have to do extreme amounts of extra work on top of what they normally do just to get a little of the spot light. Males are constantly praised by their bosses and colleagues for the work they've done but women that do equal or much more work than those male counterparts aren't praised for it and it's such a gendered atmosphere for these women. Both male and female lawyers went to law school and paid lots of money so they could become the amazing lawyers they are but yet they are looked down upon because of their gender.

Some consequences that female lawyers experience due to male dominance in the work place are they aren't promoted as easily as their male co-workers. Women can also be demoted because a male decides to outshine them or maybe because the firm would rather have a male take over a higher position in the company. Alot of jobs prefer to have males in higher status positions since males are already seen as dominant and this is just something else that proves gender stereotyping. Some strategies that male lawyers engage in when attempting to win a case against a woman are getting in their face and demanding answers abruptly and with loud tones in the court room. Male lawyers also belittle their questions when speaking to the female lawyers and also use attitude and rude remarks when speaking to these females. When males get like this with the female lawyers the females can lose their train of thought and completely mess up in court and forget what path they were on and this can cause a lose in court and a win for the male component.

UNIT D - Blog 26

The roles males play in assisting women lawyers are usually mentor roles or roles where they have to swoop in and help a female lawyer handle a situation or possibly help relay something to fellow colleagues in meetings and presentations. In the book "Gender on Trial" there are some female lawyers who discuss times they've had to use males to assist them with something or also times when they've been looked down on because the client was expecting a male instead of a female. One woman said that she was in a meeting presenting something to her clients but in order to get a point across and accepted she had to ask her male partner to speak about it in meeting so they would listen and comprehend what she was trying to get across to them. This female lawyer said that at times clients refuse to listen to her because of her gender therefore she has to use her male partner as reinforcement. Another woman in this book talked about how she's had 15 years of experience as a litigator but clients sometimes refuse to listen to her unless her male partner is around. She said that if she's alone speaking with them that she sometimes has to suggest things to the clients but also use her partners name in the mix so that they will feel more confident. Her male counterpart is so liked by the clients that despite her background they just want him around and if they only hear what she has to say it's not good enough. Another woman discussed that at work when she speaks to customers they'll turn around and ask someone else the same exact thing to make sure what she told them was accurate. All of this shows law is a gendered organization because men are still seen as the dominating roles in this industry. Clients are choosing to ignore the female lawyers because they don't see them as stable and secure and they'd rather go to a male to get the work done. Also, the only way these females were listened to was when their male partner was around and this shows a major gender stereotype and bias. These women are looked down upon not only by their co-workers but also by their clientele all because they are women and that shouldn't stop someone from listening to these ladies and taking them seriously. They have to be backed up by men in order for their ideas to be considered legit but if a male lawyer were to speak with these clients alone they would never be questioned about their legal background or anything and this is definitely a gendered organization.

UNIT D - Blog 25

Using sexualized behaviors as a "weapon for arsenal" seems demeaning and pathetic in my opinion. People should be able to move up in their career or in live without using their body as sexual coercion and for people who do use this tactic to advance in something shows that they lack talent and are tacky. I honestly can't really find any pros on this subject except maybe for the person who actually accomplishes a goal with this behavior. If a woman uses her body or sexual behavior to get something she desires and actually get it then I guess it's a pro for her but for the rest of the world it seems like there's only cons out there. If a woman were to seduce her boss to move up in the company then this may show favoritism because the boss will pay most of his attention towards her because he's promised to get something out of it and therefore will take his attention away from the other employees who also deserve his respect. Also, people who are less attractive might be looked down upon because they aren't seen as sexy and will be shunned by others because of this. I think if companies and boss's are accepting these sexualized behaviors then they are setting an unacceptable standard for their company because they are paying attention to woman who fit their qualifications as attractive and sexy. Work environments are supposed to create positivity and equality among co-workers but if work places are accepting sexual behaviors then they are proving themselves to be a place with low standards that are on the same level as a brothel. This type of behavior is unprofessional and degrading and it seems as if law suits can be formed when this type of activity is occurring in the office.

UNIT D - Blog 24

I had an informal interview with one of my friends sisters who attends law school at Columbia University. Her name is Lindsay and I asked her about any gender stereotypes she's experienced or seen while attending law school. Lindsay expressed that she noticed the females in a few of her classes are paid less attention to by the law professors. She said she only sees this from male professors but when questions are asked the professor usually only calls upon a male student as opposed to a female. She also said that she noticed the male students receive much higher grades than the females and she has even compared her papers with male colleagues and said that they had major grammatical errors and alot of their arguments lacked support compared to her and a few other female papers. Lindsay also said that she feels the professors are alot harder on the females and it makes her feel like the women are seen as less capable of doing a good job on assignments and such. From this interview with Lindsay I realized that at her University she does have great teachers but those few male teachers really try and bring her down because of her gender. They make her feel like she wont be a good enough lawyer because of her gender and that males are seen as more capable of being successful compared to women in the same field. All of those students took the same LSAT to get into that school therefore they came into the school with the same amount of knowledge and understanding and they should be treated equal despite their gender. It's enough that women have to see so much gender discrimination in the workplace but school should be a safe and respectful environment that teaches these students they can accomplish anything they set their minds too. These women didn't pay alot of money to be discriminated against and treated unfairly.

UNIT D - Blog 23

The politics of fashion for women lawyers and politicians now has a main focus on fashion. In my opinion I think it's awesome these ladies are coming forth with their own personal styles but I think it's absolutely ridiculous that the media is putting so much attention on their appearance. We should be caring about the politicians and what they are doing for the states and the world, not what their wearing, outfits don't really pose a major problem in the United States and honestly should have nothing to do with politics. When everyone is so focused on fashion and what the female politicians and politicians wives are wearing, it screams sexism. Women seem to be looked at as trophies and they have to wake up each morning worrying about how they look so that they are seen as attractive and presentable for the public. Men don't have to do this so why women? It seems as if women are seen as the sex that has to look pretty and attractive and they have to keep a nice figure or else they are eaten alive by the media. In the NPR article for blog 23 it says that Arizona and Illinois senator have wives that need to update their wardrobes because they aren't deemed worthy enough for the public. Apparently wearing bland colors and black and gray aren't good enough which seems absolutely ridiculous. An outfit doesn't make the person and the wife isn't the politician running the show, it's their husbands so why aren't they scrutinized for their outfits? Something that was said in the article was that the wives from Arizona and Illinois should stay away from black suits, wear clothes with good necklines and try to invest in some pears as opposed to flashy jewelry because most people will remember what these women will be wearing over what they will be saying. This shows that our world is extremely materialistic if women are going to be viewed this way. Saying clothes matter over someone mind and intelligence is idiotic and superficial. No wonder women are so insecure about themselves.

UNIT D - Blog 22

Sonia Sotomayor was the first Hispanic woman to be on the Supreme Court justice. I see this as being a racial issue mainly because most of the population on the Supreme Court consists of people who are Caucasian. Also, the majority of the Supreme Court are male and very few woman exist on the Supreme Court. In all of my research I found alot of comments stating that Sonia Sotamayor was a bully on the bench and not very smart. I don't understand how she can be called "not very smart" when she's chosen to be on the Supreme Court! She also graduated from a very prestigious school and her law background is very impressive. It's hard to believe an idiot would accomplish so much in her lifetime, therefore her experience and accomplishments prove that theory otherwise. I feel as if everyone is picking on her because she is a woman, i haven't heard this much argument over a male chosen to be on the Supreme Court. I think the fact people are having such a hard time accepting Sonia into the Supreme Court shows some gender bias. It seems as if the Supreme Court practices gender discrimination seeing that they don't have many women on the bench. Males are dominating the Supreme Court and all the ruckus about a Latina woman making her way on the Supreme Court is enough proof they don't accept women very easily into their courts. I've also heard alot about Sonia's heritage and people have been commenting on how she speaks. I don't see how this is of importance, it shouldn't matter if she has an accent or if she was raised in the Bronx because all that should matter is that she is experienced and has a colorful law background. Sonia is qualified for the job, end of story; and everyone needs to deal with it and throw gender and racism out the door because that just shows the justice system is unfair and unethical if they can't handle a woman on the Supreme Court.