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Women Attorneys and the Changing Workplace: High Hopes, Mixed Outcomes

Phyllis Kitzerow
Women Attorneys and the Changing Workplace: High Hopes, Mixed Outcomes
ISBN: 978-1-62637-045-6
$75.00
2014/238 pages/LC: 2013049827
A FirstForumPress Book
"Brings clarity and promising alternatives to the problem of the continuing presence of sexism in the law."—Carol Mastrangelo Bové, Sex Roles

"I would highly recommend this book for prelaw students, law students, lawyers, judges, policy makers, and legislators."—Joan Brockman, Criminal Justice Review

"Provides a powerful example of how women navigate institutionalized gendered oppression over the life course of their careers."—La Tanya Elaine Skiffer, Humanity & Society

"Essential reading.... This is a truly innovative study of generational shifts in professional careers. It sheds new light on contemporary debates on work/life balance, career mobility tracks, shifting definitions of professional success, and women’s impact on the profession of law."—Fiona M. Kay, Queen's University

DESCRIPTION

A half-century ago, women comprised only a tiny fraction of practicing attorneys. Today, nearly half of law school graduates are female. Phyllis Kitzerow explores the experiences of women in the legal profession over the past fifty years, charting the sometimes surprising impact of shifting social norms on pathways to professional and personal success.
           
Kitzerow contrasts the experiences of women across generations, showing how the backgrounds and expectations of each cohort—from the pioneers of the 1960s to women starting out today—have played out in the evolving legal profession. Her analysis offers important lessons on a range of contentious work-related issues, on the meanings of success, and on the ways that individuals make the best of the options available to them.
       

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phyllis Kitzerow is professor emerita of sociology at Westminster College.

CONTENTS

  • Women Who Chose Law.
  • Pathways into the Law.
  • Finding the The First Position.
  • Building a Career over the Long Run.
  • Was Law a Good Choice?
  • Balancing Work and Family.
  • The Impact of Gender.
  • High Hopes, Mixed Outcomes.