Perspectives on Female Partnership Levels in Big Law

[craigfeldspar]

23 minutes ago, Barry said:

I'm sure people are open to having a conversation about it, but you can't just post a JP video and expect that to just happen. 

Next time I will remember to place a disclaimer before posting anything that might trigger, didn't know that this wasn't a forum for lawyers/hopeful lawyers. 

24 minutes ago, Barry said:

If your only data point is that video then I will assume you haven't even done a basic google search (I'm not saying that to be a dick but that's just the first place I'd go). I'm sure some good articles will come up, and if you bring some good points to discuss there are experienced and smart people here (e.g. @KOMODO ) that will engage. You also could have taken the opportunity to ask them some follow-up questions so I don't know what more you're looking for here. 

In my original post I was looking for a specific type of data (anecdotal) in a specific sector (Canadian big law firms), that might provide more colour as to the causation behind the mostly survey based data on the Google. I posted the JP video because he's a clinical psychologist who is making some pretty large generalizations, I wanted to see if that's actually the case from some lawyers' experiences. Further, I wanted to get a sense of how much we've actually progressed / is it working: 

On 12/1/2021 at 6:11 PM, KOMODO said:

1. There is no easy answer for women balancing work and childcare obligations.

• I agree with this. I'm a super dedicated biglaw lawyer and it got way harder when I became a mom. Where women suffer a disadvantage due to childcare obligations, it can be improved by providing better parental leave benefits to men. A few Bay Street firms are starting to do this and it's great. 

[easttowest]

34 minutes ago, craigfeldspar said:

In my original post I was looking for a specific type of data (anecdotal) in a specific sector (Canadian big law firms), that might provide more colour as to the causation behind the mostly survey based data on the Google. I posted the JP video because he's a clinical psychologist who is making some pretty large generalizations, I wanted to see if that's actually the case from some lawyers' experiences. Further, I wanted to get a sense of how much we've actually progressed / is it working: 

The bold part is why I replied the way I did in my initial reply. He is being reductive to the point of absurdity. 

I have had the displeasure of working with three partners who seem like what he imagines all partners to be (these “insane men” who obsess over how they match up with the “guy” next door). One of them is a woman. 

The rest? Wonderful people. Men and women both. Who are rightly concerned about the real reasons why we don’t have more female partners (which he handwaves away at the beginning of the clip). 

[Conge]

I know a pay gap between men and women doesn't exist. Why? Because the labour market, like all other markets, is made up of perfectly rational and self interested actors, and if the pay gap existed, then all employers would act rationally and employ only women who they can pay less than men. It's clearly some kind of feminist or liberal plot to take away EVEN MORE rights from men. 

.../s 

[Mountebank]

4 hours ago, Conge said:

I know a pay gap between men and women doesn't exist. Why? Because the labour market, like all other markets, is made up of perfectly rational and self interested actors, and if the pay gap existed, then all employers would act rationally and employ only women who they can pay less than men. It's clearly some kind of feminist or liberal plot to take away EVEN MORE rights from men. 

.../s 

Except that female employees attract bears and that's bad for business.

Unless it's a bear business in which case HELLO ladies.

[ZineZ]

If anyone wants to continue arguing about Peterson, he now has his own thread.  Please keep it in there.

If something is posted on the forum that crosses the line between actual discussion/question and "bait", it will be going in there.

 

 

[SNAILS]

Does anyone recall the thread on the old forums about pay disparities for female equity partners at Cassels? (online newspaper article)

I poster whose name was "whateverjustice" or something was essentially arguing the same thing that the video is arguing here.

To summarize briefly at the expense of omitting nuance: Working 80+ hours per week is not healthy and appropriate for most people. Men have been socialized to take things to the extreme in the work world more so than women. 

Most people who genuinely disagree with this argument seem to be of a school of thought that performance differences amount various demographics in society can only result from inherent injustice in the system. It is the same school of thought that will argue to the death that differences in incarceration rates amount various demographics cannot possibly have anything to do objectively higher crime rates in those demographics. 

[SNAILS]

Link to article here. But this is not the original thread on LS.ca.

 

[efrefgg]

2 hours ago, SNAILS said:

whateverjustice

The disrespect! It's Whereverjustice. Unless there was an evil twin brother...

[Pantalaimon]

On 12/11/2021 at 6:21 AM, SNAILS said:

Link to article here. But this is not the original thread on LS.ca.

 

Blakes is not Cassels. But yes, there was also a G&M article about Cassels - I believe it came out in February-ish 2020.