RAISING THE BAR - THE GENDER STRATIFICATION OF LAW-FIRM CAPITAL

Controversy surrounds the selection of women and men for partnerships in law firms. Two structural theories explain the greater success of m en in achieving partnership. Human capital theory emphasizes investmen t choices and productivity; gender stratification theory highlights in stitutional constraints and bias. We incorporate Bourdieu's (1984) cul tural capital perspective, which emphasizes bath tangible structural s ources of social capital and less tangible cultural resources and disp ositions, We find that measures of social capital and cultural disposi tions favorable to a firm's monetary goals explain some of the prefere nce given to men in partnership decisions. Even with these differences controlled, however, women have poorer prospects for partnership. We also consider whether there is a ''kind of woman lawyer,'' one with ex ceptional structural and cultural characteristics, that is given prefe rence relative to other women. While men are valued for traditional co rporate family images, women. are rewarded for breaking convention in giving priority to work outside the home, bringing in corporate client s, and endorsing the goats of the law-firm culture.