Just when I think things are getting better about the state of gender equity in the legal profession, some new study comes out that makes me lose hope. I'm starting to feel like Michael Corleone in “The Godfather, Part III,” when he tries to go straight but the mob won't let him: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

In my case, I was starting to feel encouraged about these positive developments:

First, both U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden let the world know that their families—not their personal ambition—would be the deciding factor in whether they would seek higher office (Speaker of the House and the presidency, respectively). For his part, Ryan, who made having sufficient family time a condition of accepting the speakership, received the “Lean In Award of the Day” from none other than Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. True, I suspect she made up this so-called award, but I get her point.