Currents: Legal developments—roundup of employment-related news

✍ Scribed by Elizabeth D. MacGillivray; H. Juanita M. Beecher; Deirdre Golden

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 222 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1932-2054
• DOI: 10.1002/joe.20155

✦ Synopsis

Truth Behind Women's "Opting Out"

A study by Heather Boushey, an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, "Are Women Opting Out? Debunking the Myth," finds that although there was a drop in women's work participation rates between 2001 and 2005, it was largely because of a weak labor market, as men's labor rates also dropped during this time period. Joan Williams, director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings, says that most mothers do not opt out but rather are pushed out because of workplace inflexibility, the lack of supports, and a workplace bias against mothers. In a recent study, 86 percent of women cited obstacles such as inflexible jobs as a key reason behind their decision to leave. Ms. Williams is the coauthor of a report, "'Opt Out' or Pushed Out?: How the Press Covers Work/Family Conflicts." Her study finds that press coverage of these issues focuses on highly educated professional women who account for just 8 percent of American women. The pressing need for all working families, according to Ms. Williams, involves such social supports as paid leave, paid sick days, limits on mandatory overtime, quality affordable child care, and workplace flexibility.

ABA Study Highlights "Double Whammy" for Women of Color in Law Firms

According to a study conducted by the American Bar Association, women of color in law firms experience disadvantages based on race in addition to gender. The report, "Visible Invisibility: Women of Color in Law Firms," is based on the first study of its kind looking at why women of color are leaving the legal profession at alarming rates.