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article 25% of female attorneys leave ...
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Anonymous
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I'm not a an attorney. (I am a librarian actually). I found this in my email this morning and thought I'd post it.
I can totally see why some law firm attorneys would leave "BIG LAW" to stay with the kids. Worked in big law in the late 80s once as a librarian and believe it or not, spent plenty of late nights and Saturdays at The FIRM. Didn't have kids and didn't last long there. Bleechhhh. Wasn't a family friendly lifestyle back then. http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/25_percent_of_lawyer_moms_leave_the_workplace_study_finds/?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=weekly_email |
Anonymous
| I was surprised the number of mothers with medical degrees leaving the work force is so low. I wonder why the difference. |
Anonymous
Probably because it's easier to work for yourself as a doctor and set your own hours. Also, the work is probably more fulfilling and they trained much longer to get their degress. |
Anonymous
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Agree about the doctors-- getting into medical school is a much bigger deal than getting into law school, which had become a default grad school option for so many college students in the humanities and social sciences.
After working my behind off for so many years I'd be very, very wary of giving that up. That being said, a lot of women who go to med school end up in non-surgical fields or fields with predictable hours, rather than surgery. |
Anonymous
The other difference is that in law you are selling your time and have to be available when the client (boss) wants you no matter how trivial the task. I think that unless you are an ER doctor or still in training (resident), patients can and will wait to see you which make it easier to schedule around family obligations. |
Anonymous
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Not sure I see the big deal. Means that 75% of them are staying in the workforce as attorneys. Wonder why the article focuses on the lower number? Same with PhDs and MBAs - looks like vast majority stay in the workforce.
There will always be a small number of women who if they are able to will opt not to work if they have the financial means to do so, whether they have kids or not. Not sure why this is news. It would be one thing if big law partners wanted to retain more women, but they have to know that if they do they need to change the culture, and with 75% of them staying on, not sure why they'd feel they need to. |
Anonymous
| The bid deal is the comparison between the two professions - there is a 19% spread between the two groups. Also, I would not take too much comfort in that 75% number. I wonder how many of those mothers are working part-time or are in government or in-house positions. |
Anonymous
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You cannot even compare the training an attorney has to the training of a doctor. After all of that training, it doesn't make much sense for a female doctor to give it all up. My husband is a doctor and he finds many women doctors go into specialties where they can work part-time or have flexible hours to manage home/kids. Psychiatry, Dermatology, Pediatrics, Anaesthesiology, Allergists..etc.
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Anonymous
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My DH just left his biglaw job this week. Took clients with him too to a smaller, regional specialized firm where he'll get more money, fewer billable hours, and fewer assholes to deal with.
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Anonymous
A larger % of the ones in the fields with unpredictable hours do leave. In some specialties like orthopedics, attrition is very high. The other reason is that if you leave medicine for say 5 years, it is VERY difficult to get back in. You would probably have to re-train and face a lot of employment challenges. If you leave medicine you have to be pretty sure that it is for life. |
Anonymous
| This article states that 25% of female attorneys leave the workplace. I'd be willing to bet the percentage who leave big law is double that, if not more. |
Anonymous
Your post raises and important question. Do women doctors stay b.c it makes no sense to quit after all those years of training or they stay because they have the option of specialities that allow part-time/flexible hours. |
Anonymous
Well, probably a little of both. :0 Lots of female physicians enjoy their work, I think. I seem to hear and read so often of attorneys who don't like their work. Since health care is needed basically round the clock, so many health care professionals do have the option of part-time, flexible work. Nurses, therapists, some doctors, etc.. |
Anonymous
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Anyone see the blog by a local female attorney? She discusses this very issue in several of her posts.
www.butidohavealawdegree.blogspot.com |
Anonymous
| Part of the problem is that Big Law is like being a surgeon, lots of ego, too long of hours and a lot of BS (yes like the OP I too am a librarian in BL). My guess is that the ratio of female surgeons sticking it out with kids is pretty low also. What will change this is the client dynamic. Until corporate America does not seek blow hard lawyers to through every thing at a problem that is what Big Law will be. |