Marie Henein on the 'extraordinary' double standard for working women

High-profile Canadian lawyer Marie Henein says women face an “extraordinary double standard” on their path to success in the workplace, and calls the type of criticism when they reach their goals “astounding.”

“Look at Hillary Clinton,” Henein said in an interview on BNN on Thursday. “She’s extraordinarily accomplished, but the complaints are that she’s not relatable. She’s not cuddly.

“And those sorts of complaints suggest to me that (the critics) know nothing about what it takes for a woman to succeed in the way that she has and the way that other women have.”

As one of Canada’s top criminal defence lawyers, Henein has faced her own share of criticism in the public sphere.

“It doesn’t bother me, it comes late in my career and it’s neither here nor there to me,” Henein said, adding that, to some extent, the criticism is derived from her line of work.

As a partner at Toronto-based law firm Henein Hutchison LLP, Henein has successfully represented such high-profile clients as ex-broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi, former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant and former Nova Scotia premier Gerald Regan.

Henein says that, as a woman, her level of success is “too rare for my liking.” She often sees many women leave law less than 10 years into their careers.

“I think the problem is that we have done a very bad job of promoting women across the board and giving them the push that they need to stay in this profession and to lead in a variety of professions.”

Henein’s mother was “frustrated” by the limitations imposed on her, she said, explaining why she was taught as a child that she could be herself and do anything she wanted.

Watch the full BNN interview with Marie Henein.