Women, Work, Family & Servant-Leadership
The lead story in Sunday's NY Times Business section asks "Why Do So Few Women Reach The Top Of Big Law Firms?" It is a great question, with a lot of answers. It should not be surprising that the "maternal wall" is mentioned as one of the most prevalent:
Research conducted by the New York City Bar Association and other groups indicate that women who temporarily give up their professional dreams to pursue child-rearing or other personal goals have a difficult, if not impossible, time finding easily available on-ramps when they choose to re-enter the legal world.
Perhaps it is just the Catholic theologian in me that finds numerous questions here. Yet I also see these same questions as relevant to servant-leaders: 1) What are we called to do when the demands of the marketplace drive so much of our lives?; 2) What is the proper priority of family concerns?; and 3) How can we place more importance within the marketplace on having women in positions of influence in economic and public life?
If part of the role of being an effective servant-leader is removing barriers so that everyone can reach their potential, then these questions are ones that must not only be asked and fully explored but work must be done so that the question asked in Sunday's NY Times no longer appears.
Research conducted by the New York City Bar Association and other groups indicate that women who temporarily give up their professional dreams to pursue child-rearing or other personal goals have a difficult, if not impossible, time finding easily available on-ramps when they choose to re-enter the legal world.
Perhaps it is just the Catholic theologian in me that finds numerous questions here. Yet I also see these same questions as relevant to servant-leaders: 1) What are we called to do when the demands of the marketplace drive so much of our lives?; 2) What is the proper priority of family concerns?; and 3) How can we place more importance within the marketplace on having women in positions of influence in economic and public life?
If part of the role of being an effective servant-leader is removing barriers so that everyone can reach their potential, then these questions are ones that must not only be asked and fully explored but work must be done so that the question asked in Sunday's NY Times no longer appears.
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