Minority Women Lawyers Not Feelin’ The Firm

Above The Law reports on a recent study by Catalyst on women of color in U.S. law firms. According to Catalyst,

… women of color face complex barriers compared to other groups that may significantly decrease job satisfaction and increase the intent to leave their current firm—factors that affect a firm’s bottom line.

Despite widespread existence of systems created to develop and advance women of color, research has shown that more than 75 percent of these women will leave their employer within five years, costing an amount potentially greater than each person’s total salary and benefits.

Also interesting, the differing perceptions among women of color:

These challenges emphasize the importance of recognizing that a one-size-fits-all approach to tackling workplace inclusion cannot meet the needs of an increasingly diverse talent pool. Furthermore, the report found stark differences between groups of women of color in their perceptions surrounding workplace culture and diversity. For example, black women compared to Asian women and Latinas were more likely to believe diversity programs fail to address workplace biases, feel that partners, as well as other supervising attorneys, receive insufficient training on how to work effectively with diverse cultures, and cite a lack of access to challenging work assignments on client engagements.

The report goes on to provide recommendations for firm management on better ways to create an inclusive culture and retain highly-qualified women of color.

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