Katherine Kersten at StarTribune.com writes about a Wharton study that indicates women are less happy now that they have more equality, and discusses educated guesses as to the reasons why.

I am a gender issues expert, one who fervently believes in equality. I also believe some of the old stereotypes. No, not the ones that go too far and make unfair assumptions and judgments, but the ones that simply stem from general truths. I believe Ms. Kersten is correct in her estimations, and i believe that for survival reasons women have been biologically and socially wired, for thousands of years, to prioritize and covet family and relationships.

Significant detour from these “happiness” motivators cause deep stress, as does the dual role of career and primary household/family manager. There goes happiness and peace of mind. Many women can handle this. Many women have figured out how to have both high-powered career AND family. But, however unconsciously, the further many women get from the roles they have been wired for, the less peace of mind and contentment they will have. Yes this is a general statement, and there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule.

I don’t have time to explain all my rationale (thoroughly researched, by the way), but suffice it to say I was not surprised at all by the results of this study. Women are most definitely capable of strong careers. The world needs women in the workplace as baby boomers retire and the number of available men dwindles. So if a woman gets fulfillment and pleasure and can avoid heavy stress, more power to her. But she should not be judged negatively if she chooses to focus solely on the most important job of all…raising healthy, happy, highly functioning children who will be responsible for the future of the world. And the second most important job? Keeping herself happy and healthy, otherwise she cannot be a consistently positive influence on anyone.

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Linda Sherman, in her Its Different For Girls blog, writes about Esther Dyson, quite a visionary woman…

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A panel of female Wall Street executives discussed work/life balance and related possibilities at a recent Wharton Women in Business conference. All five women on the panel admitted striking a balance, especially during the first years of a career, is very difficult.

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Although researchers have long agreed that girls have superior language abilities than boys, until now no one has clearly provided a biological basis that may account for their differences.

For the first time — and in unambiguous findings — researchers from Northwestern University and the University of Haifa show both that areas of the brain associated with language work harder in girls than in boys during language tasks, and that boys and girls rely on different parts of the brain when performing these tasks.

“Our findings – which suggest that language processing is more sensory in boys and more abstract in girls — could have major implications for teaching children and even provide support for advocates of single sex classrooms,” said Douglas D. Burman, research associate in Northwestern’s Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.

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Michael Noer writes for the Soy Chicano forum:

How do women, careers and marriage mix? Not well, say social scientists.

Guys: a word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don’t marry a woman with a career.

Why? Because if many social scientists are to be believed, you run a higher risk of having a rocky marriage. While everyone knows that marriage can be stressful, recent studies have found professional women are more likely to get divorced, more likely to cheat and less likely to have children. And if they do have kids, they are more likely to be unhappy about it. A recent study in Social Forces, a research journal, found that women–even those with a “feminist” outlook–are happier when their husband is the primary breadwinner.

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MENLO PARK, Calif., June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Recent developments in the
legal profession are prompting law firms and corporate legal departments to
employ increasingly progressive recruiting and talent management
strategies, according to a just-released white paper from Robert Half
Legal, a legal staffing service specializing in attorneys, paralegals and
other highly skilled legal professionals. The paper, Best Practices for
Recruiting, Developing and Retaining Top Legal Talent, is part of the
company's annual Future Law Office project. 

    HIGHLIGHTS:

    -- Lawyers surveyed identified advancement opportunities, flexible work
schedules, career development or training, mentoring or leadership
training, and stock options or other equity bonuses as the most effective
incentives for retaining and motivating their best workers.

    -- The recruitment and retention of minority groups remains an ongoing
challenge for many law firms. Some firms are instituting new initiatives
targeted specifically to women and minorities.
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