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Revealed: females make up less than 10 per cent of top 100's equity partner ranks

Its complicated. The reasons are primarily cultural (and by that I mean gender culture) as well as physiological (women are likely to have far more commitments outside of the office). Yes women leave the industry in droves on having children. However I am not sure that is particular to law, I believe that is an English cultural thing – in our UK society, if both parents “have” to work past the second child, you are the subject of pity (as in “he can’t be doing very well then, can they if they need two wages?” and the infamous “I don’t know how you do it” said to any FT working mother). I think that in parts of the continent, the opposite is true, ie, an educated woman having a number of children and holding down a successful full time job is something to be proud of – almost a status symbol! (Differences in cost and availability of home-help and childcare in UK compared to wider Europe also a key factor here). The fact that Helena Morrisey CBE has 10 kids sort of proves the point that its not the number of kids that makes or breaks you its more complicated than that. But outside of that, like many workplaces, law firms are essentially (as proven by this report) a male hierarchy and a man’s world in which success is based on playing the game by men’s rules. That is not to say that women cant also succeed but to do so is trickier (even leaving aside the more obvious differences like having primary care of children). Women cannot “be like a man” – we all know the women who do try this and how it backfires. We have a more limited scope of acceptable business behaviours than our male colleagues and we have to operate carefully within these paremeters, in ways that would more usually be quite alien to the fairly “egalitarian” tendencies of female culture. Many women, frustrated at the difficulty and apparent double standards quit at this hurdle, it just seems too hard – not at the junior levels but in fact at senior associate level, which serves as a “holding pen” for such frustrated female talent. I would like to see more women “accepting” the way it is and getting on with it. And would like to see more value placed on the sort of relationship maintenance, soft selling and “connecting” of networks that many women are naturally very good at. Quotas are not the answer. Education and talking about the differences will be helpful. As would cheaper childcare and homehelp. Husbands yes – definitely the sort of husband you have makes a difference. He is either going to support you in your career (by getting you to challenge and push yourself out of your comfort zone) or he is going to give you the easy option (don’t worry darling, why don’t you stay home and bake cakes instead). Told you its complicated.

5-Nov-2012

3:25 pm