Response #32

Men and women lawyers are held to very different standards when it comes to parenting between the two. Although the roles in the parenting world are beginning to shift from very traditional roles to more modern roles, typically, women are still more responsible for taking care of the household and the children within the family. Women are more often than not the first parent to be called when the child is at school and is not feeling very well. This makes a woman’s career very difficult to handle because not only do they have to worry about what the demands are of their job but also whether or not they can leave to go nurture their child. Men, who do care about their families and children as well, have a different goal in mind. Their goal is often to provide the financial support for the family. And the family accepts this role and understands that dad is not always going to be able to be around but this is only because he is working hard to allow for a healthy life. Suspect mothers are not taken very serious in the workforce. They are literally impossible to be a mother who works in the legal field. A single mother in her forties says that you cannot do it. The demands that both the legal field and your family place on them make it nearly impossible. Other mothers “downplay” their careers to other mothers so they do not have to receive the attitudes from other parents. Many parents think that women attorney’s children do not receive as much attention and do not feel that the child is being nurtured well. Being a “good mother” can be considered conflicting with the ambitions’ of becoming a good attorney. This is why many mothers “beat around the bush” when they are asked what type of profession they are in.