Are Men Necessary?
Last year, in just about every law firm interview, I heard about women’s initiatives, generous maternity leave policies, flexible telecommuting alternatives, and part-time options. Almost without fail, the interviewer vaunted the brand new flex-time policy or insisted that he or she had time to spend with family and friends. Though I took in this information with healthy skepticism, I was heartened by firms’ recognition that these issues mattered to me and my classmates. Or perhaps just to half of my classmates.
I asked my male friends what they talked about in their interviews or at firm receptions – “sports,” “the type of work the interviewer does,” “my résumé.” Meanwhile, a partner cornered my female friends to tell them about the firm’s new lactation room.
Now, my female friends and I certainly discussed our résumés, potential work assignments, and different practice areas. But we also talked about how we would make our jobs work with the rest of our lives (or vice versa). Given, in the very few instances where the interviewer didn’t mention “work-life balance,” I generally asked about it, and my participation in Yale Law Women welcomed conversation about concerns many women law students and lawyers have. But this is precisely the problem – reasonable billable hours, flex-time, parental leave are all seen as “women’s issues.”
The truth is that as many men as women find billing 2500 hours a year unappealing. Men too want to spend time with their families. Men too want a diverse and balanced workplace. We should be discussing these things with our male friends and colleagues. Interviewers should discuss balancing work and life with male students, and male students should ask about these issues.
I sincerely appreciate the efforts firms have made to attract and retain women lawyers.
But until men are included in the conversation, very little will change. And not just because men make up more than 80% of partners at law firms across the country. But because until we recognize that the same issues matter to men too, these “women’s initiatives” will always be seen as accommodation – that is, exceptions to a normal career. So yes, men are absolutely indispensable. Without the participation of men, I fear that efforts to retain women lawyers will fail.
Jennifer Broxmeyer
Yale Law Women Conference Co-Chair
Yale Law School Class of 2009