What are the most common issues working
women confront in their day to day lives?
• Those issues depend on where you may be in
life and your present circumstances;
• Life events such as unemployment, divorce,
death of a spouse or child, and accepting
responsibility for care of seniors, can all
present their own unique and difficult
challenges;
• Some of the more common issues many
working women face arise from the workplace
environment itself, while other issues may
arise in the home and/or from family
situations.
What are some of the more common issues when a working women
might need some professional help?
unscrupulous and/or unlicensed agents, brokers, doctors,
lawyers, building contractors, etc.
Gay, Lesbian, Transgender rights
Dealing with disabilities and reasonable accommodations
Buying,
remodeling and/or
room additions –
real property
Litigation issues, i.e. harassment, personal injury, auto accidents, etc.
Serious legal consequences may arise if your issues are not
addressed in a timely and competent way. These
consequences may take multiple forms
• Civil, i.e. enforcing judgments, attending
trials, arbitrations, discovery are all
possibilities; and/or
• Administrative, i.e. where you may be
required to testify at hearings and
present evidence and/or documentation.
This may also take the form of audits in a
regulatory compliance situation; and/or
• Criminal, i.e. where fines, restitution,
probation, court-ordered counseling,
and/or jail time may be very real
outcomes!
Decision makers, who are they?
More often than not, they are you!
• That depends on whether you’re at home or at work.
• To explore decision-making in the typical American home, a Pew Research Center survey
asked men and women living in couples which one generally makes the decisions in four
familiar areas of domestic life. Who decides what you do together on the weekend? Who
manages the household finances? Who makes the decisions on big purchases for the home?
And who most often decides what to watch on television?
• The survey finds that in 43% of all couples it’s the woman who makes decisions in more
areas than the man. By contrast, men make more of the decisions in only about a quarter
(26%) of all couples. And about three-in-ten couples (31%) split decision-making
responsibilities equally.
• Generally, male and female survey respondents are in broad agreement about which gender
makes most of the decisions in these realms of domestic life. The lone exception has to do
with managing household finances. By a ratio of nearly 2-to-1, women say that they (45%)
rather than their partner (23%) manage the money in the household. Men see things
differently. Some 37% say they manage the money, while just 30% report that their partner
mostly handles the household finances.
• The survey finds that when it comes to decision-making and consensus-building at home,
age matters. Men and women 65 or older are twice as likely as those under the age of 30 to
say they and their partner share equally in making family decisions. But while age makes a
difference, income doesn’t – at least not so much. In dual-income couples, it is the woman
who has more say, regardless of whether she earns more or less than her partner.
•
While many Americans say it makes no difference to them whether they deal with a man or woman in a range of high-profile positions of authority, the survey finds that they retain strong traditional gender
preferences in a few positions, including elementary school teacher and police officer. The other positions tested were banker, surgeon, lawyer, and family doctor. Here is a rundown of the public’s
responses, based on interviews with the full sample of 2,250 adults.
•
TEACHERS - Most of the nation’s school teachers are female and Americans generally prefer it that way. This attitude is especially prevalent when it comes to elementary school teachers; majorities of
both genders and all race and age groups say they would rather deal with a woman than a man in that role. Among Americans of different education levels, college graduates are the only group in which
there is not a majority preference for female teachers; they split their opinions evenly between female and no preference.
•
POLICE OFFICERS -Police Officers in America are predominantly male. When asked about the preferred gender for police officer, Americans give a plurality of votes- 46%- to males. Interestingly, there
is no difference between the genders in their preference for policemen. But Americans 65 years old or older are more inclined than younger adults to prefer a male policeman – 55% do, which is at least
eight percentage points more than is the case with any younger age group. Although no demographic group prefers a female police officer, one in four black or Hispanic Americans say they would rather
deal with a policewoman, compared with 12% of whites.
•
SURGEONS - Surgeons are another traditionally male occupation that remain heavily male, but half or more of Americans say it makes no difference to them whether a man or woman holds that job.
Majorities of men (57%) and women (52%) say they have no preference for a male or female surgeon. A third of men (32%) and women (34%) say they prefer a man, and the rest prefer a woman. Older
people are most likely to prefer a male surgeon. Blacks, and to a lesser extent Hispanics, are more likely than whites to prefer a male surgeon.
•
FAMILY DOCTOR - Gender differences play a role in preferences for a male or female family doctor, a traditionally male field that has been attracting growing numbers of females. Men are most likely to
express no preference (46%), but a notable share prefers a male doctor (35%). Women split their votes between no preference (38%) and a female doctor (39%). Age also plays a role: Older Americans
are more likely to prefer a man, while younger ones are more likely to prefer a woman. There’s very little difference between male and female survey respondents over which gender they would rather
deal with in each profession tested. The lone exception to this pattern is the family doctor. Here, gender solidarity prevails. Female respondents express a preference for a woman doctor by a ratio
of nearly two-to-one, while male respondents say they would prefer to deal with a male family doctor by a ratio of about two-to-one.
•
BANKERS AND LAWYERS - The financial services and legal professions also are traditionally male, but increasingly populated by women. About half of Americans (48%) say they have no preference
between a male or female banker or lawyer. This is especially true of whites, college-educated Americans and high-income respondents. People who live in the West also are most likely than Americans
in other regions to have no preference for a male or female banker or lawyer. After “no preference,” though, Americans’ second choice for their banker would be a woman (36%), which is true for both
male and female respondents. Younger people are more evenly split between expressing no preference and favoring a woman. Older people are somewhat more likely to prefer a man to a woman.
Some groups are more likely to prefer a woman to a man or to the no-preference option. They include blacks and Hispanics (47% of each favors a woman banker), as well as Americans who have not
graduated high school or who are in the lowest income group. Notably, even Americans who say they believe women should return to their traditional roles say they prefer a woman (37%) to a man (23%)
for their banker.
• As for their lawyer, men (51%) are slightly more likely than women (46%) to express no preference. Men (28%) and women (30%) are about equally likely to prefer a male lawyer. Women (23%)
are somewhat more likely than men (18%) to prefer a female lawyer. There are racial differences in lawyer preference. Most whites (54%) say gender doesn’t matter. Hispanics and blacks are
more likely than whites to split their votes among men, women or no preference. A narrow majority of middle-aged Americans (30-49 and 50-64) say they have no preference, compared with fourin-ten of younger or older Americans. Younger and older Americans cast more of their votes for male lawyers than do middle-aged Americans.
So where may a working women go to find the
help she can trust will be best for her needs?
• Of course, the answer depends
on the nature of the problem
and the support already available
within that woman’s familial and
socio/economic support groups.
• A number of different forms of
support and a plethora of
resources are available to
working women dealing with most
emotional, financial and/or legal
problems.
Finding the right HELP can be tough for a number of different reasons.
Sometimes these reasons work in combination to cause a perfect storm!
• Your biases which may be the product of
age, gender, socio-economic, geographic,
experiences, and so on…;
• You’re emotionally invested in the situation
and/or confused with what to do;
• You don’t have much available time to find
the help you need, and then once you find
that help you don’t know if you can trust
them;
• Once you get help, you don’t have the time
to do what your advisor needs you to do to
help him/her address the problem;
• You don’t have the financial resources to get
the help you need; and/or
• You don’t know where to begin looking for
help and when you find someone, you’re not
sure if they can really help you.
What is the best way to find the professional help you need?
• Perhaps one of the most reliable ways of getting help
is by way of a personal or business referral. However,
personal/business referrals can sometimes be
problematic and one must always remember the
referral is only as good as the person making it.
• Another method for finding a professional to help you
is on the phone or internet through a referral service or
website list. This method can be a very effective way
to find the right professional to help you if you use the
service/list appropriately and ask the right questions.
• Other methods of finding help (television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, internet ads, etc.)
How do you know when you’ve found
the right person to help you?
Do your homework!
Check out the professional! You can
learn much through professional
organizations (i.e. the State and local
Bar associations; Realtor Assn.
Contractor’s Board; etc.); and from
the internet searches on sites like
Google/Bing/Yahoo etc.; LinkedIn,
Facebook, Twitter can offer insights;
background investigations
companies; etc.
How do you know when you’ve
found the right person to help you?
Ask questions!
• It’s always a good idea to write your questions in advance of your
conversation with a professional. This will help maximize the time you have
to ask questions and it will also help insure that you don’t forget to ask
something important.
• Your questions should include:
1. How long has the professional been licensed?
2. Has the professional been disciplined by the licensing board?
3. Is the license presently current and in good standing?
4. What has been the professionals experience handling problems like yours?
5. What has been the professional’s results handling similar matters in the past (litigation versus
transactional; research versus clinical; managing, teaching and/or actual doing; etc.)?
6. Does the professional maintain errors and omissions insurance? What’s the professional’s
reputation in the community?
7. Is the professional willing to provide references? What are the professional’s fees?
8. Does the professional have any charges other than fees?
9. Does the professional have a written retainer or engagement agreement? Etc.
How do you know when you’ve
found the right person to help you?
Actually check references!
If it’s worth the time to ask for references,
it’s worth the time to check them. You’d
be amazed what some references are
willing to share with you if you just ask.
Again, being prepared with written
questions for conversations with
references will help insure you have an
efficient conversation with the time
allotted and that you don’t forget to ask
questions which are important to your
decision whether to hire the professional.
How do you know when you’ve
found the right person to help you?
Establishing a great professional relationship requires exceptional communication and trust!
Ask yourself, is this the type of person with whom you
are comfortable and can speak freely about your
concerns and questions?
Remember, the number one complaint about
professional relationships is “poor communication.”
Also remember, communication is a two-way street. To
be successful you must be willing to be completely
open and honest with your professional advisors.
So then ask yourself, is this the type of person who
takes the time to listen to me, and explain things to me
in a way that I can understand? Or is it like talking to a
wall?
Does the professional make me feel rushed and like
they really don’t have all the time I need from them?
Do I get to speak directly to the professional or the
professional’s staff when I call?
How do you know when you’ve
found the right person to help you?
Get a second opinion!
While time may be at a premium,
getting a second opinion from another
well qualified professional is always a
good idea.
Many professionals will offer free
consultations, meaning that getting that
second opinion may only cost you some
extra time.
Confirming the advice you’ve received
from a professional can often make you
feel much more comfortable in your
relationship with that professional and
should help relieve some of the anxiety.
How do you know when you’ve
found the right person to help you?
Get it in writing!
Make sure if you do hire a professional you
put the terms of your engagement in
writing.
The professional should list all the services
which he/she will be providing to you and
your written agreement should include all
the essential terms such as price (both fees
and costs), duration of the contract, and
expected outcomes.
This will help manage the expectations on
both sides of the relationship and will help
avoid misunderstandings.
How do you know when you’ve
found the right person to help you?
Insist on getting what you pay for and know your rights!
When the “Honeymoon is Over”
Professionals can sometimes seem to be perfect at first, and then
after you’ve hired them you start noticing they’re not performing
as expected. Sometimes they are distracted or lose interest.
Don’t be shy or hesitant to remind the professional that you are
expecting them to meet your expectations and that if they don’t,
you are prepared to take appropriate action to get the benefit of
your bargain and hold them accountable to your written
agreement.
On the other hand, remember you’re not the only client for whom
that professional works. So be mindful not to become overdependent and/or monopolize that professional’s time.
Finding the right balance may be difficult, particularly under more
stressful situations, but if you’ve done a good job crafting your
written engagement agreement with that professional, it will help
establish clearer boundaries to promote a better understanding of
what may, or may not be acceptable.
BREAKOUT EXERCISE
• The following is a collaborative group exercise intended to provoke discussion about how you, as a middle
class working woman, might chose to hire one or more professionals for help; and if so, what things you
might consider before you hire that professional for help.
• Your group has 20 minutes to discuss the below facts and answer the four (4) questions.
• Please select a group leader to help facilitate your discussions and to also report your group’s conclusions
to everyone else following this exercise. Your group should be prepared to answer these (4) questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
List what type(s) of professional service(s) you might possibly need (without regard to cost or the ability to pay) given
the facts provided and be prepared to explain why you might need that/those particular service(s) and from what
type of professional you might be able to get those services;
Given your available resources (i.e. your time, money, connections and contacts) what might be the best way for you
to find the professional service(s) you need;
What should you be looking for in the professional(s) you are considering; and
Which things might you do yourself and which ones would you find professional help to do, and why?
• To the extent you may need additional facts to work through this exercise (and you will), you may infer
any additional facts reasonably consistent with the facts already provided. Be prepared to tell us what
facts you assumed.
The Facts!
This week has been beyond surreal – here are the facts which have
become the bane of your existence!
• Your husband of (12) years announced he is leaving you immediately, and taking the family dog, Bowser with him;
• Your (10) year old daughter desperately needs braces and has recently become the target of ridicule by friends at
school about being bucked-tooth; needless to say, she’s very upset;
• Your new boss (you’ve only been working at this 250+ employee company for the past three months as an executive
secretary in the marketing department) has learned of your impending divorce and he is now making unwelcomed
advances;
• The sweet smelling plumber just repaired the leak in your master bathroom, but it’s still leaking and he won’t come
back now that he’s been paid;
• You need to get to the bank immediately to start moving money before your husband drains the accounts but you’re
not sure what you can do legally. You don’t want whatever you decide to do to affect your ability to get alimony and
child support later; and
• Your primary doctor’s office just called and you will need to schedule an appointment with a specialist for that
uncontrolled facial twitch, but there’s a question about your insurance coverage which must be cleared-up before
you make the appointment.
Additional facts
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
You and your husband own a nice suburban home together, which has little to no equity; your credit cards are maxed,
but you’re current on all your bills and your credit rating is above-average;
Your husband will be staying with his parents across town, so you and your daughter will live at the house, at least for the
time being. You don’t expect your husband will be contributing to help pay the household expenses while the divorce is
pending;
Both you and your husband work full time (at different companies) and earn middle class wages, which include
healthcare but not dental insurance. You recently changed jobs so there is a question about whether your healthcare has
taken effect, and neither you nor your daughter are covered under your husband’s insurance;
You’ve got joint checking and joint savings accounts with your husband, but both accounts contain a total of only
approximately one month’s income in reserve (about $2,500.00). Beyond that, your assets include your jewelry, $37.00
cash in your purse and a Grateful Dead poster autographed by Jerry Garcia (framed of course).
Your girlfriend knows a lawyer, they met at a party last year and dated once or twice, but she’s not sure exactly what his
area of practice is, or whether he’s any good. He seems very nice and she thinks he’d consider reducing his fees as a
favor;
You have another friend who works as a paralegal at a big law firm downtown. They’ve got all kinds of lawyers but they’re
very likely expensive and a bit too stiff and snooty for you;
The neighbor’s daughter got her braces done at The Wire’em-Up Cheap Orthodontic Clinic last month. They did a good
job as best you can tell, on payment terms which were reasonable and within your budget when you had your husband’s
income too.
Your brother is an electrician and a journeyman member of Local 123 of the electrician’s union; and your little sister is a
claims adjuster with a national property and casualty insurance company.
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