When Women Work

Paris based Yvonne Michele Anderson, an independent film producer, internet entrepreneur and non-profit and media consultant shares her story of how she overcame barriers to her career advancement by striking out on her own.

I worked in a law firm that is considered the best in it’s field. It was a firm in which women were largely under-represented and, at the time that I was there, there were only two women partners out of 27 partners.

Most of the junior and mid-level associates were women, but they could not envision realistic prospects for advancement, and there was a lot of frustration among them. Women, particularly women in the corporate law section, were constantly given work below their skill levels and qualifications, while less experienced men were placed on more substantial files with little effort.

The worse thing is that the two women in positions of power were not supportive of the younger women coming up through the ranks. In fact, they felt threatened by them. It was an unhealthy work environment for women at the time that I was there and 3-4 women left the firm for similar reasons around the same time that I did.

I decided to return to an industry in which I had more substantial experience (the film industry, in which I had worked for six years before becoming a lawyer). And, given my age (at that time, 35), education level, and experience, I decided to start my own company. I wanted professional freedom…I set my own limits now, and, I am ultimately responsible for my own success or failure. At that same time, I also decided to live my life for me, to do the things that I really wanted. And, so I made several other large decisions in my life, as well - not only professionally, but also personally and spiritually.

I do think that women and minorities often overcome structural and institutional barriers to advancement by starting their own companies.