4 Career Lessons from Ruth Bader Ginsburg  

I was Jewish, a woman, and a mother. The first raised one eyebrow; the second, two; the third made me indubitably inadmissible.”  Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the most influential woman of her time. She did not let society limit her scope of capabilities simply because of the stereotypes they had placed on her as a Jewish woman, a wife, and a mother. Ginsburg broke down barriers for women through her advocacy for gender-based discrimination and pioneering work in the legal field.  

1.) Always put your education first!  

Throughout her educational experiences she faced some adversities, for instance, she had just lost her mother the summer before college. Despite this Ginsburg graduated top of her class as an undergraduate at Cornell. In addition, while she was in law her husband developed testicular cancer. While attending her classes she also attended her husband’s classes to maintain his grades, all while raising their daughter. During her last year of law school, she switched from Harvard to Columbia and still managed to graduate first in her class.

2.) Become an advocate so a social cause   

Unfortunately, Ginsburg faced discrimination in law school, and this translated into her law career. She was not offered many jobs despite her high-ranking in-law school. While a professor at Rutgers University she fought for equal pay as the second woman-hired professor and vehemently advocated for her to receive a clerkship as her first job after law school. She later co-founded the Women’s Rights Projects for the American Civil Union. Before she became a justice herself, she argued six gender discrimination cases in front of the supreme court and won five of those cases. Her advocacy for gender-based discrimination is a fight she continued while she was

 While she was justice, she was able to fight for Jewish rights by getting rid of “The year of the Lord” removed from the Supreme court bars certificates as Orthodox Jewish lawyers were unable to show off the certificate as it went against their religion. She also pushed the court not to hear cases on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, a practice that continues to this day.  

3.) How to fight against discrimination in your field   

Unfortunately, Ginsburg faced discrimination within the legal field. Ginsburg faced the most discrimination during the beginning of her career. She pushed back with hard work and advocated for herself. At Harvard, the dean chastised her and fellow female law students for taking qualified male spots. Then once she graduated, despite the high accolades and graduating number one, she was offered no jobs after law school. When she was not offered a full-time job, she was able to get her first clerkship by connecting with an old professor. Although she had job offers, they were low in salary. This led her to join the Columbia Project on International Civil Procedure and conduct research on Swedish Civil Procedure. Then as a professor at Rutgers, she found out she was making less than her male counterparts, she fought and advocated for her and another female professor to earn equal wages. 

4.) Be the first to pave your own path.  

Most notably, Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme, however, she began her career by breaking grounds, not only for the woman of her time but for future generations. Ginsburg was one of the few women who served on both Harvard and Columbia law school review journals. In addition, she was the first woman to receive tenure at Columbia Law school and the second female professor hired at Rutgers Law school. She co-founded the first Women’s Law Review journal at Rutgers Law school. While a supreme court justice, she was the first to officiate a same-sex marriage. Her courage and resilience in advocacy, for herself and other marginalized groups, make her an icon. 

Ginsburg taught us, through her own trials and tribulation within her career, to never give up fighting for ourselves. The biggest way we can become advocates is by standing up for ourselves and others who face similar struggles to us. Her persistence and determination despite the personal obstacles she faced is a reminder that labels assigned to us, due to your religion or ethnicity, are not a hindrance but an aid to your success. 

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash

By Chelsea Osei
Chelsea Osei