Blog Post #24

Women in the legal field are expected to act just as their male counterparts do, while still maintaining their feminine qualities but not being too feminine. As mentioned before, they are caught in what we would call a double bind. If they work just as hard as their male counterparts and leave out their feminine qualities as well, they are taught to be not feminine enough for the job. In current society, people like when traditional female characteristics are brought to the business more than they did back when women first entered the field. It is not considered a bad thing when a woman acts more demure, polite, and less aggressive then men. However, it seems that these qualities are not common of female lawyers. They tend to be more aggressive, assertive, and to the point. For the purposes of the double standard they are caught in, these characteristics are likely to get them labeled as a bully by their peers. But, if these women keep the stereotypical feminine edge they will be ridiculed as well. They may be seen as too soft. Also, they must worry about coming off as too sexy. These women have t be very careful in the way they appear and how they carry themselves because the stereotype is that an attractive woman is incompetent. But an unattractive woman is looked down upon. It is important that these women strike a proper balance between how they carry themselves and how they appear to others in order to be taken seriously. Another problem professional legal women may encounter is that they are not expected to achieve as much professionally as their male peers. People tend to have a much lower expectations of women in a “man’s field.” A problem tends to arise when women in this field want to start a family – her peers may treat her differently. She may be considered unreliable because of her domestic responsibilities. She may be viewed as a bad mother if she continues to work several hours like most attorneys do. If she works less hours she is not considered to be serious because “real attorneys work 60 hours per week.”

Yes, women have made huge strides in the legal professional but they still have a ways to go if they want to reach equality.