In an article for The American Lawyer, Vivia Chen discusses why women are still underrepresented in positions of power. The article focuses on a recent study published by Harvard Business School's Francesca Gino and Alison Wood Brooks finding "a profound and consistent gender gap in men and women's core life goals." Analyzing the results of nine studies involving over 4,000 participants, the authors concluded that women define success differently than men do and are less enamored with power.
That seems to describe Galia Messika, a former litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis. Though Kirkland offered plenty of perks for parents, she says, "my priority changed after having kids." After the birth of her second child, she left the firm to stay home for two years. Now a partner with Washington, D.C.'s Potomac Law Group, she's opted for a firm that gives her greater control. (Potomac's lawyers work remotely and design their own workloads.) Though she praises her Kirkland experience, she says she has no regrets about trading in the big salary and prestige for more family time: "You don't necessarily think of it as a sacrifice; it's what you want to do."
You can find the entire article here.
