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Ellen Pao and the Jacobs Ladder of Gender Equity

In the midst of the Ellen Pao trial, much chatter has erupted on gender politics in the tech industry. Ellen Pao, a former junior partner at the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, is suing her former employer for gender discrimination. Among Ms. Pao’s claims is an allegation that Kliener failed to promote her to top […]

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Lady Lawyer Lessons*: #LeanIn #LeanOut : The Hokey Pokey Pay Game

Recently, many of my clients and friends have been discussing problems and questions surrounding negotiating their pay.  One observed that, after negotiating her starting pay with her employer, her supervisor branded her as a trouble-maker – a reputation that, when she asked for a raise two years later, led to them (wrongfully) terminating her.  Along […]

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Can Size Discrimination Be Sex Discrimination?

From First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign to NBC’s controversial hit show The Biggest Loser, Americans are flooded with messages about the obesity epidemic in this country and what it means for our long-term health.  But there’s been a lot less talk about how being overweight or obese affects individuals who are trying to […]

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The Voice of Authority

The summer after my senior year of high school, I volunteered for my local NPR station—my assignment was to do a piece on the water quality of Lake Erie (it’s absolutely fine… maybe stick to the pool).  I traveled around town collecting sound, conducting interviews; I was thrilled to use the editing equipment to put […]

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Stop Telling Women to Smile

Most women—no, all women—have had the experience of receiving unsolicited feedback on their physical appearance. Such commentary comes in many forms, from lewd remarks or demands for a “smile” on the street, to irksome discussions with well-meaning relatives about how much “prettier” one might look with a different hairstyle.  Women have long fought against these […]

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“You Don’t Need The Money—You Have a Nice Engagement Ring”

Growing up I loved watching The Mary Tyler Moore Show on Nick-at-Nite.  Mary Richards, the show’s protagonist, was a single woman in her early 30s working as the associate producer of a nightly news show in Minneapolis in the early 1970s.  In one episode, she learns that she is making $50 less per week than […]

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The Morning Dilemma Every Professional Woman Faces

As I scan the subway each morning on my ride to midtown, I cannot help but notice the stark differences in the way that women and men dress for work. Almost every man is in a dark suit or khakis with a light-colored button down. Women, on the other hand, tend to be dressed in […]

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Why #MightyKacy Matters to Working Women

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should.  I’m talking about a clip from American Ninja Warrior.  And this clip matters, not just to those of us who might treat shows like this as a guilty pleasure.  Because Kacy Catanzaro, and the incredible physical feat she accomplishes, matters. She’s tiny.  Physically tiny.  Five feet tall.  […]

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Shedding Light on Pay Inequality

Last week, a federal judge in New York ordered that notice of a lawsuit under the federal Equal Pay Act be sent to at least 7,000 female employees at KPMG—one of the nation’s “Big 4” tax, audit and accounting firms.  The lawsuit details how KPMG illegally paid female professionals less than it paid men for […]

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#likeagirl #likeaboss

The new Always commercial that’s garnered a lot of internet attention over the past week does an important thing—it successfully highlights how thoughtless gender stereotypes can be.  The ad and the Like a Girl campaign are part of an effort “to make sure that girls everywhere keep their confidence throughout puberty and beyond.”  (And yes, […]

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