Postpartum and the Female Lawyer

It’s a boy! It’s a girl! These phrases are synonymous with the joy and happiness of childbirth.

They speak to the excitement of a new life but fail to convey the difficulty experienced by the new and current mothers who gave birth to that new and precious life. Excitement is one thing, but society as a whole falls short when it fails to acknowledge the struggle and anxiety experienced by countless women after giving birth.

For many professional women, particularly female lawyers, childbirth is a different type of accomplishment. It is personal. These women have strived to prove themselves to be talented orators and writers. They have conducted research, drafted motions, engaged in settlements and/or plea negotiations, and tried cases to verdict with poise.  They have pushed themselves to prove they are just as competent and deserving as their male counterparts. Day in and day out, they seek to push the envelope in their respective legal fields, in hopes of being promoted and paving the way for other talented female attorneys.

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This article appeared in the 2022 issue of WILS Connect, a publication of the Women in Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.