Xeney,

Government always has had a higher proportion of women and I'm sure that's why you've seen fewer issues in that setting.

Even back in the ancient 80s, I had few problems as a young female attorney. However, as I got further in my career, around the time I started getting put in charge of things and competing with the boys for the perks of the job (partnership, etc), I started to see much more overt and covert discrimination. Compensation differences, expectation differences, etc. For myself, as well as for other female friends (who have way worse stories than I do). What makes it more difficult is that as gender equality became more publically expected, the gender inequities became more insidious and under the surface. Too often, the boys have the power and they don't want to share (whether they consciously realize it or not).

Some things have gotten better over time. Amazingly, I even see some law firms allowing women to have babies and still come back to be equity partners. There are many, many truly gender equal men out there (like our Mr. Silver); I just don't see it across the board and I'd hate to see young women lulled into a false sense of security that all the problems are gone and they'll always be treated equally on merit.