Thread: a small but, I think, telling story on how the pandemic is exacerbating gender inequality & general hostility to working mothers in our culture. Today, I was mocked in open court by opposing counsel and the judge (both men) because 1/x

I had sent OC an email around 1 AM the night before. As both of them commented virtuously, “Well, I, for one, was definitely sleeping at 1 AM.” Congratulations to the two of them on their good night’s sleep. However, I have 2 toddlers and no childcare in the pandemic. 2/x

We have high-risk members of our household and daycare/outside help is not an option for us. In any given 24 hour period, I am responsible for ~12 hours of childcare and family responsibilities. I’ve been operating under these constraints for months. There’s virtually no 3/x

time for me to practice law except in the middle of the night. I am not ashamed of the time stamp of that email. But it was humiliating and unfair to be made fun of because I am operating under extreme conditions not shared or understood by the men in the room. 4/x

Whether you’re male or female reading this, I beg you to consider the pain and embarrassment that your casual jabs can occasion in a fellow member of the profession who is barely making it day by day in trying times. Do better. /end