Are you back at school? How’s your swagger level?

Some girls and women learn to swagger at school.  Their academic or social success builds confidence that carries into other areas of their lives.  In response to the question where do you swagger in the swagger survey, one respondent said “at school swagger has helped me maintain an A average.  In my relationships it helps me create balance and love.”

Twenty-eight percent of the 125 women responding to the survey said they have swagger at school.  One girl says “I have swagger at school because all the girls want to sit next to me in class, cafeteria etc. And I was voted funniest girl in class.”

Did you ever think you knew the right answer, but kept quiet because the class brain answered the question?  Did it ever turn out that you were right and he/she was wrong?  You can read about Wendy’s swagger moment when she had the courage to give her own answer and she turned out to be right at http://www.girlsguidetoswagger.com/category/girls-who-swagger/swagger-at-school/.

Success in school often translates into success in career – but not always.  As is the case in some other professions typically dominated by men, women are well-represented in law school, but their numbers drop over time and at higher levels within a law firm. In 2008-2009, women were estimated to comprise:

-47% of law students

-45% of associates

-18% of partners (women of color made up only 1.65% of law firm partners).

It appears that women are often on equal footing with men in school environments, but they may experience a loss of interest in working, as their interest in having a family or a more balanced life grows. While one in eight women lawyers worked part time, only 1 in 50 men did so. Women lawyers earned 75% of men’s salary. In 99% of the law firms surveyed, the top paid lawyer was a man.

Do you swagger at school?  How will you make sure that your confidence in the classroom translates into success in your career and other areas of your life?

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