ABSTRACT
Lean In is the eponymous advice of a recent book by Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg (Sandberg, 2014). Perhaps good advice, but sometimes even the most talented woman needs a little push or even a hand up if “leaning in” has resulted in a fall. There are a multitude of sources of assistance in the achievement of leadership for women in statistics — innate talent, excellent education and training, coaching, support of family and friends. But when all of these still do not provide the boost desired, there is always the legal system. The enforcement of its provisions can help, by deterring and redressing discrimination, to ensure that women have access to the resources that they need to flourish. The specifics in this chapter treat the prospect for help built into the legal structures within the United States. Situations vary from country to country; in some cases, they are better, and some cases worse than in the US, both in the on-the-books laws and in their enforcement. However, nearly all countries (not including the United States) have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which provides protections similar to United States laws in several areas1.
