Blog Post #29

In law firms, the amount of minority women present below four percent. The American Bar Association reported that forty-nine percent of minority women working in private law firms were subjected to some form of harassment. These women experience more discrimination than white women and minority men. A woman said that blatant exclusion and neglect, or overt harassment were not uncommon to them in the workplace. One minority woman said that they are constantly dealing with underlying stereotypes and biases from the partners, colleagues, and clients. Often, people assume that minority women working in law firms hold administrative or secretarial positions. Another woman said that many times big clients like firms from Wall Street are shocked to see a minority woman in power, and they often do a double take. Most of the women interviewed for NPR told stories that basically their employer hired them to work with the minority customers. One African-American woman had to sit in on a meeting with a client who was ending their business because the firm didn’t employ enough minorities. Another woman was mostly used to pose for advertising. It should be examined if the female associates of a minority are actually being given real opportunities. The previous readings have reflected this because it showed a few of the ways that minority women have a much harder time than white women. Minority women, especially African-American women have to be very careful in the messages they send through their behavior and through their wardrobe. In the way they dress, they have to make sure that they come across as not threatening. They also need to make sure they do not go too far over the top if they are given the opportunity to dress casually. They really cannot dress up their ethnicity because it may come across as threatening. They have to be concerned with looking too sexy since there is a stereotype that they are more sexual in general. They must avoid making someone think they are challenging authority. There are stereotypes about how certain minorities carry themselves. If the stereotype is a good one, like being submissive, they should use it. But if it is a bad one, like being overly aggressive than they should avoid. It seems like all too much to deal with.