Blog #26: Men Help Women

How do males assist women lawyers? I find myself pondering this question and wondering if I am going in the right direction. I think that this goes back to the common thoughts of 30 years ago when most people asked if women were capable of being lawyers (English, 2003). For the most part this type of thinking has been eliminated. Some men see that women get asked to get food and serve coffee because they are women. These men take the initiative and stand up and say that they will do it. This act helps to even the playing field, but there is still the perception of some that the women should be serving the men while the men do they law work. Some men reinforce what a female lawyer has already stated to get a client or co-worker to go with the suggestion. This also points to law as being a gendered organization because women are not seen as being as competent as men, so whatever they say has to be backed up by men, even if these men are not as experienced as the woman. A gendered organization means that the practice of law is a male dominated job and that women are still trying to prove that they can do it too. There are some male partners who know the importance of having women lawyers. They know that women bring something different to firm and have gone out of their way to ensure that a female lawyer will be hired. This points to the law as being a gendered organization because these male partners have to bend over backwards to get women hired. He has to prove to other male partners that women are capable and are intelligent and that they can do the job just as well or better than some of the males. With men there is a given that they can do anything, but women have to continually prove themselves. One error and they are getting the boot and all credibility is lost. There are also senior associates who will mentor female associates and help them to learn the ropes and how to handle challenges that they may face.