For The Defense, February 2012 - DRI Today

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Women in the Law Shattering the Glass Ceiling By Pamela W. Carter A Survival Strategy for Women Viewing the retention and advancement of women as imperative will help organizations to achieve goals and overall business success. In recent decades women have moved forward in the workplace in leaps and bounds. However, we still have difficulty passing through the “glass ceiling.” What is the glass ceiling The glass ceiling is a way of describing obstacles that keep women from achieving power and success equal to that of men. A ceiling made of glass is one that we can see through. A woman can see clearly those above her as they advance and come to hold more powerful positions. Instead of achieving the same success, invisible forces stop her from succeeding and rising further. There are nearly 60 million women in America, more than 45 percent of the U.S. workforce. Women and minorities make up two-thirds of the population, two-thirds of consumers, and 57 percent of the work force. Among Fortune 500 companies, women occupy 15 percent of board seats and three percent of CEO positions. Despite making up nearly 50 percent of law school graduates, women make up only 18 percent of law partners and only 25 percent of judges. These statistics illustrate that ■ Pamela W. Carter is the founder of Carter Law Group LLC in New Orleans, where she concentrates her practice on a wide variety of civil litigation ranging from insurance coverage, personal injury, transportation law, toxic tort, defective product and general litigation matters. She is nationally recognized for her publications and presentations on issues of diversity in the legal profession. She is an active member of DRI, currently serving as vice chair for its Diversity Committee. 12 ■ For The Defense ■ February 2012
although today many more women hold powerful positions than in the past, the glass ceiling is still very real. The phrase “glass ceiling” first came into use in 1986 when two Wall Street reporters coined the phrase. How culture portrays women accounts for part of the glass ceiling problem. On the one hand we want and expect women to take equal leadership roles to men, yet the media still portrays women as subservient and objectifies them, which significantly impacts young people. The recent image of Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann pouring water for the men on stage, her rival GOP presidential candidates, during a recent debate brings to mind the conflicting images and roles of women in society: professionals, servants, and caregivers. Society expects that women will take care of their families at home while simultaneously pursuing their careers, an expectation that does not extend to men. And leadership stereotypes and gender politics significantly contribute to the glass ceiling problem. Many people still predominantly view good leaders as “tough and shrewd,” desirable traits to many, while they view women as nurturing and caring and as having corresponding leadership traits, which they also view as “weak and soft.” The solution is to adopt gender equity as a necessity. Businesses must adopt diversity as a business imperative, not just to comply with strictures imposed by outside entities, or as an add-on program. Businesses must willingly take bold approaches. And women wanting to build their careers need to understand and know how to integrate into leadership. Why Does the Glass Ceiling Still Exist The theories explaining why the glass ceiling continues to exist in corporate America vary. Most research identifies stereotyping, deficient recruiting, and the absence of women in important pipeline positions as among the causes. Richard Martell and Christopher Parker, for instance, identify stereotypes as a major barrier impeding women. They noted in the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality that women are perceived as “lacking the characteristics most needed to succeed and, consequently, were often judged to be less qualified than men,” and they identified at least one study from the 1980s that showed that “characteristics of successful middle managers were more similar to descriptions of men than women.” On the other hand, research by the Catalyst Corporation shows that Fortune 500 companies with the highest proportion of women in senior management significantly outperformed others with the lowest proportion in both return on equity and total shareholder return. Richard F. Martell and Christopher Parker, Sex Stereotyping in the Executive Suite: ‘Much Ado About Something, J. of Social Behavior & Personality 13 (1998); 2000 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers and Top Earners, (New York: Catalyst, 2000). The irony of the glass ceiling is that we have some evidence that women actually make better leaders than men. A study of more than 900 managers at top U.S. corporations found that “women’s effectiveness as managers, leaders, and teammates outstrips the abilities of their male counterparts in 28 of 31 managerial skill areas—including the challenging areas of meeting deadlines, keeping productivity high, and generating new ideas.” Brian S. Moskal, Women Make Better Managers, Industry Week, February 3, 1997, at 17; Rene Redwood, The Glass Ceiling, Working Woman’s Summit (cited July 21, 20030), available at http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/glass.html; Michelle Martinez, Work Life Programs Reap Business Benefits HR Outlet, (October 8, 2003). So we can argue that misinformation about what truly makes good leaders also explains why we still have the glass ceiling. What Can a Woman Do to Shatter the Glass Ceiling So, as a woman, what can you do about this First, you need to know what you want and you must define your goals and priorities clearly. Second, develop strong relationships with others in your firm or company, focusing on those individuals in high authority positions. Third, build a support network of advocates. Ask these individuals for feedback and recommendations to help you create a plan of action for advancement. Fourth, document and publicize every successful assignment that you have completed and the positive impact that your efforts have had on your organization. Present these in your organization’s publications and during your review. Fifth, become knowledgeable about your organization. Find out the common skills and attributes of the people holding positions in your employer’s upper levels. These skills are often tied closely to an organization’s culture, vision, and advancement practices. It is very important that you understand what sets your employer and its leaders apart. This is the first step toward discovering how you can position yourself for a Despite making up nearly 50 percent of law school graduates, women make up only 18 percent of law partners and only 25 percent of judges. top leadership role. To that end, ask yourself these questions: • What are the values of your organization • What behaviors does your company value and reward • What type of person is promoted within the organization • What skills must you improve Businesses that value innovation and strive to become leaders will probably promote individuals who are outgoing, risk takers and who are not afraid to “tell it like it is.” However, if you work for a conservative business, chances are that individuals in top management are analytical thinkers with reputations for avoiding risk and making careful decisions. Sixth, read everything that you can about the leadership styles, skills, and attributes of those in your firm or company who excel to ensure that you have the tools needed to advance in your career. Excellent leadership and communication skills will help you, regardless of the level that you want to reach in your career. Seventh, let company leadership know that you want to work toward a higher level position than the one that you currently hold. Unless people know what you want, they may keep you in the same position and assume that you’re happy there. For The Defense ■ February 2012 ■ 13
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