There is an old adage that says we all smile in the same language. Although that’s a warm and fuzzy thought, a recent study from Northeastern University makes me hope that the intentions and attitudes behind toothy grins cannot be so easily generalized. My colleague Maya has already written about how smiling is freighted with […]

The issue of same-sex marriage is once again before the United States Supreme Court. Last time the Court addressed this topic, the Court rightly invalidated Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, which restricted the federal definition of marriage to a marriage between a man and a woman. This time around, the Court will […]

When applying for a job as a police officer, you might expect to have to meet certain educational, physical, and mental health requirements.  But what if I told you that in Indonesia, you can be rejected for a civil service job because you are not a virgin?  Or because you are married?  And what if […]

At Shattering the Ceiling we cover many of the hurdles that women face in the workplace. In addition to on-the-job issues, women can face discrimination in how they are treated following a workplace injury. According to recent news reports, Californian women who apply for workers’ compensation following an injury on the job receive lower compensation […]

As most everyone knows by now, Patricia Arquette issued a very blunt call for equal pay and gender equality during her recent Oscar acceptance speech.  After thanking her family, friends, colleagues, and others who have helped her along the way, Arquette stated that she wanted to say thank you “To every woman who gave birth […]

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 […]

Glass-ceiling related news on this Tuesday: Senator Mikulski of Maryland, the longest serving woman in congress, the first woman to lead the Senate Appropriations Committee, mentor to women accross party lines, has announced that she will not seek reelection. The Glass Ceiling Index shows that fewer women lead large American companies than men named John. The same is true […]

We have written, on this blog, about the persistent gap in pay between men and women in America today.  We have written about the injustice of men being paid more for doing the same work, about implicit gender-based bias, about unjustifiable double standards—it is by no means easy (or fair) to have to navigate the […]

Many women in this country have a complicated relationship with money.  Research tells us that women fear becoming bag ladies, even when they are not even close.  Women are less likely than men to initiate salary increase negotiations, and whey they do they’re labeled as bitches.  Overall, they are less likely to be socialized in […]

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 […]