Women and especially women of color are increasingly entering high-status occupations once solely comprised of (White) men. Unfortunately but not surprisingly, many women of color encounter subtle and not-so-subtle forms of prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion in these jobs. A new report from the American Bar Association documents such treatment against women of color in large law firms:

An American Indian attorney is asked where she keeps her tomahawk. White male partners look past a Black lawyer, assuming she is clerical staff. An Asian attorney is called a “dragon lady” when she asserts herself. A study by the American Bar Association says those real-life experiences, along with more subtle forms of discrimination, are prompting growing numbers of minority women to abandon the nation’s biggest law firms. . . .

Law firms exclude minority women from golf outings, after-hours drinks and other networking events, the study says. Partners neglect the women of color they are supposed to help mentor. . . .

Among the statistics in the study: Forty-four percent of minority women said they were denied desirable assignments, versus 2 percent of White men. Forty-three percent of minority women said they had limited access to client development opportunities, compared with 3 percent of White men. Nearly two-thirds of minority women said they were excluded from informal and formal networking opportunities, compared with 4 percent of White men.

Such discrimination largely goes unchecked at law firms, forcing women to accept the discrimination or quit, Brown says.

Like I said, these findings are pretty outrageous but ultimately not completely shocking. Sociological research and real-world evidence such as this consistently show that whenever women (and particularly women of color) enter White male-dominated professions that they inevitably encounter many forms of resistance and hostility, direct and indirect. In this case, this kind of treatment has apparently led to a notable exodus of women of color from large law firms.

At the least, I give the ABA credit for making this data and information public and putting it out in the open for everyone to see. Hopefully that is a sign that the legal profession is starting to take these issues seriously and that hopefully, meaningful changes can start to happen.