Nice paper Jen. To offer a response to your speculations about why women compete with each other: I think there is an unfortunate psychology at work in competitive professions. There is cooperation in the working world; but it is among insiders (the "boys club"). Women are forced to try to gain the acceptance of their male peers in order to avoid being dismissed (made invisible). Those who succeed at gaining some measure of acceptance don't want to jeopardize their precarious position by associating themselves with the women who haven't gained that acceptance (whether or not that is actually a risk); thus the women in the best position to help other women have no interest in doing so. Once you are "in" you have no interest in associating with those who aren't (see: high school). Anyway my hope is that the sheer numbers of women entering the profession, and organizations like the women's bar association, will allow us to support each other and agitate for a more female-friendly workplace without being dismissed.

-- ClaireOSullivan - 05 Apr 2008