However, women lawyers reported being significantly less satisfied in their work lives than men did, Wilkins notes (see story). While women are happier than men in the substance of their work, they are much less happy by three other measures: job setting (including recognition received at work and relationships with colleagues), the social value of what they do and power track (including money and opportunity for advancement).
One of the most striking findings is that, even three years into their careers, women lawyers were earning less than men in many instances, regardless of the work setting. The median salary for men was $80,000; for women, it was $66,000. This gender gap is one aspect that researchers plan to study more carefully.
It's not surprising that women earn less; gender discrimination historically is reflected in wage comparisons. I should find the latest figures, but in the 1970s of the general workforce, women earned 59 cents to every dollar that men earned.
One of the points of the Three Questions article was that law firms need to be more flexible. That's true, but it's often at the expense of a competitive salary, and here, "flexible" is a codeword for "women."
The power to determine my own income is part of the attraction of a solo practice.
