Ceteris Paribus: The Three Wise Women and the Gifts They Bring
By Cara Tuttle Bell • December 11, 2011 •Writers in Residence
We are fortunate to have more women on the Supreme Court than at any time previous in history. While I am thrilled just to see female faces in the annual group picture, I am far more pleased with the gifts they bring, case after case. It has been clear since Justice Sandra Day O’Connor joined the Court that adding women does, in fact, change everything. The Court not only looked different, it sounded different. Symbolic and substantive representation are not mutually exclusive, as most women and minorities understand. The work is not done, although our modern-day Supreme Court is more…
Ceteris Paribus: Give a Little Less Thanks this Thanksgiving
By Cara Tuttle Bell • November 11, 2011 •Writers in Residence
Even in this job market, women could stand to be a little less thankful. Gratitude has its place, and while you may well be grateful merely for having the job, remember that you earn your wages and your labor is valuable to your employer. If you’re overly appreciative of just having a job and it shows, that certainly doesn’t send the message that you belong in the position. Women engage in a host of behaviors that, although meant to convey politeness and geniality, actually hold them back from advancing up the ladder. Around this time of year, we spend a lot…
Ceteris Paribus: Speak Up, Speak Out, and Be Heard
By Cara Tuttle Bell • October 10, 2011 •Writers in Residence
Many women mistake opportunity for equality. Many women law students mistakenly believe that being admitted in high numbers, perhaps even over 50% at a handful of schools, means women’s equality has been attained. But a closer look at the law school experience is revealing. To gauge the equality or lack thereof in your program, ask yourself: Are women adequately represented on law review and other journals’ executive boards? Are women heading up moot court and other student organizations? Are women disproportionately represented at career information sessions for non-profits and other lower-pay career options? Do women with children attend in the…
Ceteris Paribus: Significant Gender Imbalance Remains in Today’s Federal Judiciary
By Cara Tuttle Bell • September 10, 2011 •Writers in Residence
Yes, there are more women lawyers than ever before. And, yes, there are more women on the Supreme Court than ever before. Women law students comprise 40-50% of the typical student body among our nation’s law schools, and women are found throughout the federal courts. Yes, women are doing better. But better isn’t equal!As it turns out, time isn’t solving the problem of gender imbalances in traditionally male fields. This is known as the “pipeline theory,” meaning simply that more women in the pipeline (law school to law firm to partner, for example) will move us toward equity in employment. …
Using Assertive Communication to Combat Gender Inequity
By Cara Tuttle Bell • August 08, 2011 •Writers in Residence
"Why is it that only girls stand on the sides of their feet? As if they're afraid to plant themselves?" ~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams (1990)Plant yourselves! The confident, successful woman has in her arsenal a finely-tuned set of assertive communication skills, which distinguish her from the crowd and are crucial in our pursuit of equality. Law school, with its intense, insular, environment can often help develop these skills in a woman. But if she employs these too often or too strongly, the woman lawyer can find herself just as excluded and lacking influence as the gal who can’t speak up. Many women still…
Ceteris Paribus: When Women Run, Women Win
By Cara Tuttle Bell • July 10, 2011 •Writers in Residence
You should run for office. You should. You're really cut out for it. I read a study once that showed that women need to have the seed planted in their minds at least 3 times that they should run for office, so I'm planting that seed right here. The numbers of women in political office are too low, not even close to approaching fifty percent or more (what would amount to proportional representation). Thankfully, we now have an idea of why women don't run for office, and there are a handful of organizations dedicated to recruiting and electing women candidates.…
Ceteris Paribus: Summer Reading Edition
By Cara Tuttle Bell • June 06, 2011 •Writers in Residence
Like any good student or educator, I think of summer as an opportunity to catch up on my reading, for both work and pleasure, and try to stock up early on those notable books that I might have missed over the few past years. Here I offer my recommendations for summer reading that will help you learn more about the ongoing battle for women’s rights, how to defend your positions on these issues, and how to diffuse the stress and tension along the way.Pay Equity & Work/Life BalanceGet to Work…And Get a Life Before It’s Too Late, Linda R. Hirshman This…
Ceteris Paribus: Achieving Equity Through Work/Life Balance
By Cara Tuttle Bell • May 10, 2011 •Writers in Residence
Work/life balance is always a top concern voiced by the women faculty and staff who work at my university, and any quick survey of women’s magazines, online discussion boards, or firm websites reveals that work/life balance is both a hot topic and ongoing struggle across American occupations. The good news is that many firms and many states have taken matters into their own hands, given the inadequate policies at the federal level, and are working toward making the workplace more family friendly for both male and female employees. This is crucial for finding some balance between work and family and…
Ceteris Paribus: Equal Pay Day 2011
By Cara Tuttle Bell • April 10, 2011 •Writers in Residence
To match men's earnings for 2011, women will have to work from January 2011 into mid-April 2012 —almost an extra four months. This is why Equal Pay Day always takes place on a Tuesday in April – it symbolizes the point in the next year to which a woman must work to achieve pay equity for the previous year. This Tuesday, April 12, 2011, is Equal Pay Day. Rallies, wage gap bake sales, and a variety of other events highlighting the stark difference in men’s and women’s salaries will be happening nationwide to once again raise awareness of lingering pay…