By Celia Young and Brianne Ledda, Newsday
“Mommy lawyer.” That’s what some male colleagues called Jeanne D’Esposito as she pulled 60 to 70 hour weeks as a commercial litigator at a Westchester law firm.
Now retired, the Malverne resident at one time worked from home two days a week while raising her two children. That’s what led to the nickname, she said, even though her male co-workers also had children. Later, she confronted management after learning they paid her less too, despite her Ivy League law degree and history of legal wins.
“The look of panic on their faces, right?” recalled D’Esposito, now 62. She asked for a raise and got it, but she still wasn’t sure it equaled what her male colleagues were making.
D’Esposito isn’t alone. Ten years after stepping back from her law career, women across the country and on Long Island still face wage discrimination. Nationally, the gender pay gap widened marginally in 2025, reversing decades of progress, even as New York made strides towards improvement. But wage disparities, no matter how small, can have a rippling impact on women’s finances throughout their lives, affecting their ability to afford high-cost areas like Long Island.
What employers should know
New York outlaws discrimination based on a person’s gender in the workplace — something that hasn’t always been the case in the state, said Christine Malafi, senior partner and chair of the corporate department, Campolo, Middleton & McCormick.
Malafi recalled how her mother, when working for a now-shuttered defense contractor, was fired from her position as a secretary after she became noticeably pregnant, Malafi said.
“Somebody literally stopped her in the hallway and said, ‘Wait, are you pregnant?’ ” Malafi said. “She said ‘yes,’ and they said, ‘You’re fired.’ ”
Modern-day discrimination is often more subtle, and something employers need to keep in mind when examining their compensation and policies.
“Employers and companies … have to actually train their people not to consider women less than men for any reason whatsoever,” Malafi said.
Malafi advises her clients to offer flexible schedules to women or those caring for a child or relative.
Employers also should examine their compensation every one to two years to make sure there are not huge gaps between employees in similar roles with similar experience, Malafi added.