by Shannon the Prosecutor
"I have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat” ~ Rebecca West
"I have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat” ~ Rebecca West
I hope I don’t turn off our male readers today, but the issue of gender discrimination is alive and well in the legal profession and it should be addressed. In truth I never believed that gender discrimination or inequality really existed until I became a lawyer and started practicing in the south. That was an issue our mothers and grandmothers dealt with, but my generation was different – or so I thought.
I’ve seen hints of it everywhere that I’ve practiced, but in no place have I seen it more egregiously than where I currently reside. This area in the south is notorious for its machismo for lack of a better description. When dealing with men here, I’m often tempted to sing, “Macho macho man. I wanna be a macho man. Macho…” Well, you get the idea.
Here are a few examples: An officer 1/4 jokingly and 3/4 seriously told me that my problems (I’m still not sure to what problems he referred) would be solved if I just found a man to “put me in my place.” I’ve had male defense attorneys tell my boss that I’m rude when all I did was say “no” to something they wanted during negotiations. It doesn’t matter how nicely I say “no” or how much I explain my reasoning behind my “no,” here women do not have a right to say “no” to a man. I’ve never seen grown men throw the types of wall-eyed temper tantrums (complete with yelling that “it’s not fair” and stomping their feet) that I’ve seen here when I dare to say “no” to one of them. I've actually had people tell me not to be so passionate about my cases - the implication being that it's not womanly to be passionate outside the bedroom. Perhaps it’s time to don white dresses and hats and take to the streets once again.
Please do not get me wrong. I LOVE men. I enjoy men. Sometimes I can’t get enough of a man. I’ve just been horrified to see that gender discrimination is alive and well in the twenty-first century. Make no mistake about it. There are still people who believe women should be seen and not heard. There are still people who believe a woman has no right to set boundaries or to say “no.” There are still people who believe a woman’s place is in the home and if she dares venture outside that home, she best not show too much passion about what she does. Let me ask you the reader: if you hired an attorney would you want one passionate or dispassionate about your case? I’m sorry, but I stand by this principle: If a man may say no during negotiations then so may I and if a man may make a passionate argument in court then so may I – even though I'm a woman.
Ain't that shit the truth! I practice patent law and have never seen more mysogyny in my life. Worse, women are no better. I volunteer as a child advocate, a position for which I do not get paid, and anytime I tell a social worker "no" or nicely point out something that needs to be done for the welfare of a child, someone complains that I am rude. The only saving grace is that we have a female judge in my county who has the same problems. She is my sanity and she doesn't even know it.
ReplyDeletePaula,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. While I hate the fact that there is gender discrimination, I do appreciate knowing that Ann and I are not the only ones who must endure it. I hope that you will continue to read and continue to add insightful comments in the future. Thank you!