Opening doors for women to succeed takes action from both current and aspiring leaders. We’ve curated a “starter pack” of resources about the systemic obstacles women face in the workplace and how institutions and individuals can take action. This list is far from exhaustive — if you have resources you think we should include, please email us at womensleadership@nyu.edu.
Institutional Resources
- Dismantling Systemic Obstacles to Women’s Advancement
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- “End Imposter Syndrome in Your Workplace” (Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey, Harvard Business Review, July 14, 2021)
- “Women of Color: A Study of Law School Experiences” report published by the Center for Women in Law at Texas Law and the NALP Foundation (June 2020)
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“Left Out and Left Behind: The Hurdles, Hassles, and Heartaches of Achieving Long-Term Legal Careers for Women of Color” report published by the American Bar Association (June 2020)
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“Why Women and People of Color in Law Still Hear ‘You Don’t Look Like a Lawyer’” (Tsedale M. Melaku, Harvard Business Review, August 17, 2019)
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“Sealing the Leaks: Recommendations to Diversify and Strengthen the Pipeline to the Legal Profession” report by the Legal Education and Pipeline Task Force of the New York City Bar’s Committee to Enhance Diversity in the Profession (May 2019)
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“‘You Don’t Look Like a Judge’: Female Jurists, Lawyers Mistaken for Assistants” (Raychel Lean, Law.com, February 1, 2019)
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“When Feminism is White Supremacy in Heels” (Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, Harpers Bazaar, August 16, 2018)
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“Day-to-Day Experiences of Emotional Tax Among Women and Men of Color in the Workplace” report published by Catalyst (February 15, 2018)
- Setting Women Leaders Up for Success
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“What’s Really Holding Women Back?” (Robin J. Ely and Irene Padavic, Harvard Business Review, March–April 2020)
- “Highlighting women’s achievements makes them want to be the boss, research shows” (Dr. Jingnan Chen, University of Exeter Business School, January 8, 2020)
- “Women in the Workplace 2019” (LeanIn.org and McKinsey & Company, 2019)
- “Women’s Work: Being Promoted to Clean Up” (Rebecca Hughes Parker, Role Reboot, April 1, 2019)
- “One Weird Trick for Keeping Female Employees From Quitting” (Ann Friedman, The Cut, March 18, 2016)
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- Supporting Attorney–Parents
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“Make Your Firm Family-Friendly—Don’t Just Say You Are” (Kate Reder Sheikh, American Lawyer, August 23, 2019)
- “Mandatory paternity leave might be Wall Street’s best bet for gender equality” (Natasha Frost, Quartz, April 10, 2019)
- “Equal parental leave: why it’s good for employers too” (Aviva, February 4, 2019)
- “Why Women Desperately Need Paid Leave for Men” (Liz Morris and Anna Garfink, Center for WorkLife Law, April 26, 2018)
- “Women Did Everything Right. Then Work Got ‘Greedy.’” (Claire Cain Miller, The New York Times, April 26, 2019)
- “The daddy dilemma: Why men face a ‘flexibility stigma’ at work” (Joan C. Williams, The Washington Post, February 11, 2013)
- “Normative discrimination and the motherhood penalty” (Stephen Benard and Shelley J. Corell, Gender & Society 24.5 [2010] at 616-646)
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- Allyship
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“‘Success Is Not a Solo Sport.’ How Workplaces Can Better Support Women of Color” (Sue Suh, Time, December 10, 2019)
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“Black Women Aren’t Here to Solve Your Racism Problem: How to be a better ally in the workplace” (Rebecca Carroll,The Riveter, September 5, 2019)
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That’s What She Said: What Men and Women Need to Know About Working Together (Joanne Lipman, 2018)
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“Closing the Gap: The Need for Allies” (Kelly Stout Sanchez, American Bar Association)
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“What Men Can Do to Be Better Mentors and Sponsors to Women” (Rania H. Anderson and David G. Smith, Harvard Business Review, August 7, 2019
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“Ms. JD Virtual Toolkit: Allyship in the Legal Profession,” Maleaha Brown and Jessie Kornberg (June 4, 2020)
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“Ally: Individual Strategies to Advance Diversity and Inclusion,” Dolly Chugh and David Glasgow, Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series (February 20, 2020)
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- Additional Resources
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“Research: Vague Feedback Is Holding Women Back” (Shelley J. Correll and Caroline Simard, Harvard Business Review, April 29, 2016)
- Creating an Inclusive Classroom (NYU Law Inclusion and Diversity Committee)
- Gender Decoder for Job Ads (Kat Matfield)
- For more on broader diversity efforts at NYU Law, please visit the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and view their Featured Research.
- For more on antiracism research and advocacy at NYU Law, please visit the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law and view their Public Conversations.
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Individual Resources
- Cultivating Your Leadership Style and Management Skills
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- WLF Conversation with Susan Dunlap and K.M. Zouhary (The Women’s Leadership Forum, June 25, 2020)
- “How Women Manage the Gendered Norms of Leadership” (Wei Zheng, Ronit Kark, and Alyson Meister, Harvard Business Review, November 28, 2018)
- Strengths-Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow (Tom Rath and Barry Conchie, 2008)
- “Managing Your Boss” (John J. Gabarro and John P. Kotter, Harvard Business Review, January 2005)
- Grit & Resilience
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“Tokyo Olympians Are Showing That Grit Can Be Graceful” (Kurt Streeter, The New York Times, August 5, 2021)
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“How to Stay Optimistic When Everything Seems Wrong” (Kristin Wong, The New York Times, April 29, 2020)
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“How Female Lawyers Can and Should Prioritize Building Resiliency” (Sandra Wunderlich, Law.com, March 16, 2020)
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“It’s Okay If You're Not Resilient” (Markham Heid, Elemental, October 10, 2019)
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“Dealing With Imposter Syndrome When You’re Treated as an Impostor” (Kristin Wong, The New York Times, June 12, 2018)
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- Effective Communication
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“A Simple Way to Introduce Yourself,” (Andrea Wojnicki, Harvard Business Review, August 2, 2022)
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“How to Ace an Online Job Interview,” (Julie Weed, The New York Times, August 3, 2020)
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“How to Talk to People, According to Terry Gross” (Jolie Kerr, The New York Times, November 17, 2018)
- “Talking About Failure Is Crucial for Growth. Here's How to Do It Right.” (Oset Babur, The New York Times, August 17, 2018)
- Ologies podcast with Allie Ward: “Phonology” with Nicole Holliday (June 4, 2018)
- “From Upspeak To Vocal Fry: Are We ‘Policing’ Young Women's Voices?” (NPR Fresh Air, July 23, 2015)
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- Networking, Mentors, and Sponsors
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“Mentorship Helps Black Women Thrive in Legal Profession” (Lois Elfman, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, May 17, 2020)
- “You’ve Got a Friend in High Places: The Power of Sponsorship for Women” (Kristin L. Walker-Probst, The National Law Review, November 19, 2019)
- “Why Women Lawyers Need Sponsors, Not Just Mentors” (Yuliya Laroe, Law Practice Today, June 14, 2018)
- “Do Diverse Attorneys Need Diverse Mentors and Sponsors?” (Alnisa Bell, Ms. JD, February 5, 2017)
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Shine Theory (Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman)
- “Stepping Out of the Corner: An Introvert Lawyer’s Guide to Networking” (Joi G. Kush, American Bar Association)
- “5 essential networking tips for law students” (Lindsay Griffiths, Before the Bar)
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- Truth to Power
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Racial justice resources prepared by NYU Law’s Women of Color Collective (NYU NetID required)
- “No, I’m Not the Court Reporter: Tips for Tackling Implicit Bias” (Shayon T. Smith and Shevon D.B. Rockett, Law.com, January 7, 2020)
- “How to Deal with Microagressions as a Female Attorney” (Claire E. Parsons, Ms. JD, October 15, 2018)
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- Wholeness
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Wholeness resources compiled by NYU Law Women’s Wholeness Committee
- “Making a case for mindfulness and law student wellness” (Before the Bar)
- For mindfulness resources open to the NYU community, please visit MindfulNYU.
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- Additional Reading
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“How to Overcome ‘Impostor Syndrome’” (Jessica Bennett, The New York Times, April 11, 2019)
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“All career advice for women is a form of gaslighting” (Ephrat Livni, Quartz, August 21, 2018)
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“‘Lean In’ Messages and the Illusion of Control” (Grainne Fitzsimons, Aaron Kay, and Jae Yun Kim, Harvard Business Review, July 30, 2018)
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