Blog #32

Parental roles for women are very distinct than those of men and it is in part due to stereotypical and gender specific expectations set forth by our society. When parenthood is associated with women, the picture is of a more demanding obligation at home that could pose a threat to her professional career. As described in one of the videos, women who are mothers are perceived to be less competent, committed and therefore they are not taken seriously or are not considered for positions of leadership because of her guaranteed absences as a mother during the birth of a child. If we think of who stays home when the children are sick, who accompanies the children to the doctor, who stays up late at night and most importantly who the children seek when they are feeling blue, it is almost always mom so there is a degree of truth to that expectation. Nevertheless, the obligations of a mother should be sufficient to give her greater credibility as she has proved that she can handle her responsibilities at home in addition to managing a career. Men are perceived to be the breadwinners, the protectors and decision makers. As a result of their expected responsibilities we further do not expect that they take on the woman’s roles nor do we expect them to take on any additional roles than to work and bring home the bacon. Because of these preset expectations, women believe that they must meet their obligations as mothers and still excel in the profession but because there is not sufficient flexibility in the workplace to offer them the opportunity to reach their potential, women opt for positions that offer greater flexibility and predictability. Unfortunately, those positions are also accompanied by a lesser salary than are positions in private practice or positions of leadership.
What is even more unfortunate is that when a working mother does excel as an attorney and makes it to the top, we question her and we question if she actually dared to neglect her parental responsibilities to get to the top. She is viewed as a suspect parent because as a society, we doubt that women are capable of excelling in both areas. Women are obviously still lagging in being given the appropriate level of capability and I personally believe we have the men to blame because they are the ones who set the standard and that obviously needs to change.