Workplace Buzz: Today's Headlines

Derailed Divorces

In today’s New York Post Mackenzie Dawson writes: “Many women take time off from their jobs to raise children - or opt out of professional life altogether - when they are married. When they go through a divorce in middle age, the prospect of having to suddenly start over and support themselves can be terrifying." Dawson profiles two women who had to get back on the career track after their respective divorces and offers advice from Women For Hire CEO Tory Johnson on what women can do who find themselves facing heading back to work after their marriage has ended. New York Post

Needing What Men Have
Now that women have solidly earned their place in the work force, many find themselves still yearning for something men often have: wives. “The thing I most want in life is a wife. I’m not kidding,” said Joyce Lustbader, a research scientist at Columbia University, who has been married for 29 years. “I work all day, sometimes seven days a week, and still have to go home and make dinner and have all those things to do around the house.” New York Times

Bias Lawsuit Won
The Supreme Judicial Court sided yesterday with five African-American women who said they were treated harshly and differently than a white male co-worker during layoffs when they were abruptly evicted from their workplace, a ruling one lawyer called a significant victory in the fight against employment discrimination. The Boston Globe

Wall Street Women
WALL STREET HAS long struggled to overcome its reputation as a clubby institution dominated by men. Yet despite the big investment banks' repeated commitments to gender equality, it seems the struggle continues. In April, Morgan Stanley (MS: 61.81, -3.58, -5.5%) agreed to pay $46 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by eight current and former female brokers who claimed they were discriminated against in how they were trained, promoted and paid. Three years earlier the company similarly agreed to pay $54 million to settle accusations it denied women equal pay and promotions. In both cases management promised to bolster sex-discrimination policies, and a company spokeswoman says "Morgan Stanley remains committed to diversity and to promoting equal opportunity throughout the firm." Smart Money