Because they are economically and politically powerful, the professions of law, medicine, and higher education have been slow to admit women. These professions work against women because they set their own standards, control who enters, and determine how work is evaluated. Women who choose male-dominated professions also have to manage the effects of sex-role deviation. Few women traditionally entered law school, although their proportions have increased dramatically in recent years. Although they generally outperform men scholastically, women have greater difficulty in finding jobs with law firms and are paid less. Women lawyers, like women physicians, seem to manage their careers in two major ways: by choice of specialty and by choice of type of practice. Women lawyers predominate in trusts and estates and in domestic relations, while men dominate litigation and corporate work. A greater percentage of women than men specialize in criminal law, one of the lowest paying specialities. A smaller proportion of women than men practice in the private sector, and those who do are much more likely to work alone. A slightly higher proportion of women than men turn to government positions. Finally, a much higher percentage of female attorneys are inactive or retired, largely due to child rearing responsibilities. Women lawyers, however, have an extremely high rate of employment. Suggestions to promote greater flexibility in the professions include routine leaves of absence for nonprofessional reasons, split and part-time positions, and lobbying efforts by professional associations and activist groups to focus attention on sex discrimination. The paper contains 39 footnotes.