06/15/2026
Although this weekly feature of high burnout jobs (specific to women) will focus on lawyers, it reminded me of an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
There is an female officer involved shooting. As her handling of the situation is being questioned, her husband arrives. She tells him she's done, they are finally going to have that family they dreamed of. Then her boss walks in, says everything was on the up and up, and she gets her job back.
As she becomes excited to keep her job, you can see the look on her husbands face - her marriage is fading away.
This is one example of women feeling forced to choose.
In 2021, the University of Minnesota Medical School and Skrill Strategies LLC surveyed nearly 3,000 lawyers, look specifically and the differences in stresses and related effects by gender.
Female law professionals experienced mental disorders at a much higher level than their male counterparts and considered leaving their field at an alarming rate.
Not surprising, 30% of the women who considered leaving their field did so because of work/family conflict. Fewer opportunities to advance and effort/reward in balance were also reported.
This study also outlined efforts that could be taken toward lifting some of the pressures that went with stress, mental illness, and substance abuse associated to the profession.
In synopsis, there needed to be more resources - trainings, support groups, professionals, to assist with the mental and substance aspects. They also stresses alleviating the home/life pressures to reduce turnover.
The legal sector, including law enforcement, is one field where women have had to scrape and fight for every ounce they have gotten. By making them choose between their career or family, we risk women exiting the field, thereby regressing several years.
Here is the link to the full article referenced earlier ➡️ https://www.2civility.org/women-attorneys-more-likely-to-report-stress-and-a-desire-to-change-careers/
