![](https://k2-prod-alm.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/brightspot/b2/43/2c9f0d5d4e31ab112ae37b731a10/diverse-society-767x633.jpg)
The 'Motherhood Advantage' in Law: Time to Flip the Script
"A working mother’s early-to-mid career teaches efficiency, delegation, and executive functioning far more effectively than a management training course," write Jessica Lewis and Sonia Sujanani of WilmerHale. "It’s time to bid goodbye to the 'motherhood penalty' and embrace the 'motherhood advantage.'"
January 10, 2025 at 05:46 PM
8 minute read
As women, we’ve long been sold the myth that motherhood is a professional disadvantage. The term "motherhood penalty" describes the biases mothers can face—being passed over for promotions, perceived as lacking professional commitment or as less capable simply because they are parents. But we believe it’s time to flip the script. Motherhood is not a liability but a source of unique strength—the "motherhood advantage."
Women often take on the primary role in parenting, facing the greatest challenges, and studies show mothers encounter unique obstacles in the workforce. These ideas apply to anyone balancing family commitments with a demanding career.
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All![Quiet Retirement Meets Resounding Win: Quinn Emanuel Name Partner Kathleen Sullivan's Vimeo Victory Quiet Retirement Meets Resounding Win: Quinn Emanuel Name Partner Kathleen Sullivan's Vimeo Victory](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://k2-prod-alm.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/brightspot/f8/ab/54106d1d4dc7a29e648b441b0425/sullivan-anten-roberts-767x633.jpg)
Quiet Retirement Meets Resounding Win: Quinn Emanuel Name Partner Kathleen Sullivan's Vimeo Victory
![Opening Doors to 'Where Decisions Are Made': Judge Ann Claire Williams Opening Doors to 'Where Decisions Are Made': Judge Ann Claire Williams](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/405/2024/10/Williams-Ann-2018-767x633.jpg)
Opening Doors to 'Where Decisions Are Made': Judge Ann Claire Williams
6 minute read![Kim Koopersmith a 'Leader Among Leaders' and 'Soul of the Firm' as Akin's Chair Kim Koopersmith a 'Leader Among Leaders' and 'Soul of the Firm' as Akin's Chair](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/405/2024/10/Kim-Koopersmith-767x633-1.jpg)
Kim Koopersmith a 'Leader Among Leaders' and 'Soul of the Firm' as Akin's Chair
7 minute read![Fired Kirkland Associate's Gender Bias Lawsuit to Enter Private Mediation Fired Kirkland Associate's Gender Bias Lawsuit to Enter Private Mediation](https://images.law.com/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,fit=contain/https://images.law.com/contrib/content/uploads/sites/405/2024/08/Kirkland-Ellis-Sign-1-767x633.jpg)
Fired Kirkland Associate's Gender Bias Lawsuit to Enter Private Mediation
Trending Stories
- 1Eliminating Judicial Exceptions: The Promise of the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act
- 2AI in Legal: Disruptive Potential and Practical Realities
- 3One Court’s Opinion on Successfully Bankruptcy Proofing a Borrower
- 4Making the Case for Workflow Automation
- 5Copyright Infringement by Generative AI Tools Under US and UK Law: Common Threads and Contrasting Approaches
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250