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Parenthood seems too differ greatly when attached to women lawyers vs. men lawyers. When parenthood is looked at with women lawyers, it is looked down upon, it seems as if they believe that it is impossible for women to do. In English’s book, it states, “A Southwestern attorney, now thirty-eight and with two children, recalls the exact moment she was transformed from successful attorney to mother: I hid my first pregnancy for seven months, because I was afraid I would be taken off the docket. At the very last minute I said, “Guess what, I’m having a baby next month.” The head of the management committee sat me down, shaking his head with amazement, and said, “I can’t believe you’re pregnant. You seemed so professional.” It wasn’t said in a mean way-it was a shock. “How you can do that?” he seemed to say. The mistake, on the one hand, was acting like a man and then, on the other, acting like a woman- wait, you were being a guy and then acting like a girl.” (228) Men cannot seem to meld the roles of mother and lawyer, they do not see it possible, especially men lawyers who have wives and children because there wife does not work.


When it comes to men lawyers are parenthood though, it is looked greatly upon. According to English, “By contrast, the role of fatherhood has always meshed neatly with the image of the driven career man. If conventional wisdom says that motherhood is a minus for working women, fatherhood is a plus. It enhances men’s stature without tarnishing their legitimacy in the workplace.” (238)

The traditional values of motherhood impact women lawyers because they do not have the choice to leave work and be with their children because they are looked down upon. When their child is sick or needs to be picked up from school, the women cannot always just pick up and leave because they have a job to get done and it effects them deeply.

When high-powered female lawyers have children, they are viewed as suspect parents because to other people, they do not approach motherhood the way mothers should. They are not nurturing, loving mothers because they cannot be because of the demands of their jobs.