Motherhood and Law: Challenges Female Attorneys Face Regarding Maternity Leave
Disciplines
Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication
Abstract (300 words maximum)
It is well known that women face unique, sex-based challenges in the workforce. Several scholarly texts have been published about the “motherhood penalty” that women in the workforce face for having children. This research focused specifically on the effects of motherhood and maternity leave policies for women in the legal field, making use of secondary data. Through this process, it was found that women who took maternity leave received less comparable support than their male colleagues. There was also data found to support the notion that having children “hinders” the career of female attorneys, at least in part, when it comes to advancing to partner status. Overall, data was found to support the conclusion that female attorneys who choose to have children - regardless of the stage in their career - face specific challenges and prejudices based on their decision.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Communication & Media
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Robin Mathis
Motherhood and Law: Challenges Female Attorneys Face Regarding Maternity Leave
It is well known that women face unique, sex-based challenges in the workforce. Several scholarly texts have been published about the “motherhood penalty” that women in the workforce face for having children. This research focused specifically on the effects of motherhood and maternity leave policies for women in the legal field, making use of secondary data. Through this process, it was found that women who took maternity leave received less comparable support than their male colleagues. There was also data found to support the notion that having children “hinders” the career of female attorneys, at least in part, when it comes to advancing to partner status. Overall, data was found to support the conclusion that female attorneys who choose to have children - regardless of the stage in their career - face specific challenges and prejudices based on their decision.