Unit D - Blog #32

Female lawyers who are mothers versus male lawyers who are fathers have very different roles in the work place and at home traditionally. Most male lawyers have wives at home that can afford to stay with the kids while dad is at work. Mother lawyers have husbands that generally work other careers or do not desire to be a stay at home dad. When a male lawyer says he has kids no one questions the amount of hours he works or does not spend with his own children. When a female lawyer says she had kids people want to know if she misses them all the time and who takes care of them. These women are under attack as opposed to males who are supported by others to go to work and provide for the family. Because traditional roles mandate that a mother be with her child as much as possible, many female lawyers experience guilt and higher stress levels because they are missing time with their child. They start to feel like they are bad mothers for choosing a career over their children. High powered female lawyers experience this on an even higher level. They are viewed as being deficient as a mother and therefore are under much scrutiny if anything ever happens to the child. To society this woman has chosen to abandon her child in order to gain success. A man in this situation would be considered to be "providing for his family" at that status. Women who work hard in their careers are always associated automatically as being unfit mothers though.