Ed. note: This is the latest installment in a series of posts on motherhood in the legal profession, in partnership with our friends at MothersEsquire. Welcome Lynsi Brantley to our pages. Click here if you’d like to donate to MothersEsquire.
Lawyers work long hours in an adversarial, high-stress environment. Mothers do pretty much the same. If you’re a lawyer and a mother … God help you. Still, even though our work is largely undervalued as mothers, at least we get fair compensation as lawyers. Right?
Not quite. According to the most recent census data, the legal profession has the largest gender pay gap of any occupation, with women earning 54.7% of what men make for the same work. It gets even worse at the top: in the largest U.S. law firms, female partners’ total compensation is 53% lower than that of their male colleagues.
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Income inequality puts a lot of strain on mothers with demanding jobs outside the home. If you’re the lower earner, you may find yourself asking a lot of tough questions. Should you work fewer hours to take on more duties at home? Do you have equal decision-making power when it comes to the family finances? Can you even ask your husband to share household and childcare responsibility?
Each of these questions is symptomatic of a deeper issue: women are not valued for our contributions, either at work or at home. It doesn’t matter how many hours we bill or how many diapers we change — we rarely get fair compensation for our time, energy, and expertise.
We should all strive for pay equality, regardless of industry or gender. Until then, here are three strategies that helped me own my value despite making less than my husband. If you’re in a similar situation, these strategies may be useful for you as well.
- Look at your total compensation, not just your paycheck
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Be careful not to focus on your paycheck alone to determine your total income. That number doesn’t tell the whole story by a long shot. For example, I’m a government attorney, and my salary tends to be on the lower end of the curve. But I also receive full government benefits: the best health insurance available, and a cushy retirement plan to top it off. If you run the numbers, insurance and retirement can equal tens of thousands of dollars in additional income each year.
Your financial situation is unique, and much more complex than the number on the paycheck. It’s easy to miss the hidden income you’re generating in other areas, so be sure to do a total assessment. Don’t just look at benefits, either. If you work part-time or work remotely, you could be saving your family thousands in childcare. If your firm provides lunch a few times a week, you’re saving on groceries or take-out. All of this is to say, be sure to look beyond the paycheck if you want to know your total compensation. The wage gap between you and your spouse may be significantly smaller than you thought.
- Take a global approach to your family’s finances
The whole notion of two becoming one in a marriage can be difficult. You should not lose your individual identity when you become a wife. Your personal goals and accomplishments are important, as are your spouse’s. But the two of you are now working as a team, and the surest way to establish a team mentality is through combining finances. No more his and hers accounts, no more separate debt, no more secret credit card.
There are so many benefits to pooling your money. First, joint bank accounts have double the federal insurance coverage of individual accounts. Second, household expenses are less of a headache when you don’t have to decide who pays which bills. Third, a global approach to your family income will give you a healthier mindset regarding earnings. Instead of saying, “I make $5,000 a pay period and he makes $10,000,” start saying, “we make $15,000 a pay period.” Financial decision-making (really, all decision-making) is much easier when you and your spouse are on the same side.
- Measure success on your terms
Money is great. It’s a pretty important part of your job. But it doesn’t matter all that much when it comes to true job satisfaction. Attorneys place more value on the security and steadiness of their income than the overall amount. Things like work-life balance, interpersonal connections, and control over work environment matter more to lawyers’ overall happiness with their careers. Many times, we have to forego higher compensation for a better overall job experience. That’s not wrong, and it’s arguably a better return on your career investment. You’re more likely to stay in a career that makes you happy. If you stay in a modest-income job for 20 to 30 years, your total career earnings could be quite a bit higher than the big law associate who starts out with higher pay, but burns out and quits a few years later.
Income is not success. I hear all too often that a woman’s career is only successful if she earns as much or more than the boys. That is complete garbage. Your career is successful if it helps you live a life that you love. You decide what is best for you and your future. If that means working in a job where you earn less than your husband, great. If that means you quit practicing altogether, awesome. The decisions that leave you fulfilled at the end of the day are your measure of success.
Lynsi Brantley is an Assistant District Attorney for Randall County in Canyon, Texas. She obtained her J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree in piano performance from West Texas A&M University. She and her husband are both avid musicians, and they enjoy playing violin and piano together in their spare time. Lynsi has a beautiful baby girl and a crazy rescue dog who both make sure to give her plenty of exercise while she is working from home.