The latest report by the American Bar Association Commission (ABA) on Women states that mothers and caregivers in the legal field face a dual burden that often pushes them to exit the profession. The report sought to collate data on the biases that women and caregivers encounter in the legal workplace, alongside proposing policy recommendations to law firm leaders for promoting gender equity in their offices. Law.com has covered the full findings of the ABA report.
The study, titled “Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers,” was authored by eminent legal professionals including the American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement honoree Roberta Liebenberg, partner at Scharf Banks Marmor and founder of The Red Bee Group Stephanie Scharf, and former ABA President Paulette Brown.
Co-author Roberta Liebenberg has highlighted that the key disparities reflected in the data are primarily faced by mothers. These include not receiving critical assignments, being overlooked for matters involving travel, lacking sponsors and mentors, and experiencing income disparity as income levels rise.