Can Scandal Help a Woman's Career?

Here's a new gender-driven double standard: Can notoriety help, rather than hurt, a woman's career?

In scandals surrounding Citigroup in the past year, two of three main players were male (the chairman and the chief of global investment) both of whom were forced to resign amidst allegations of impropriety and disastrous financial results. The third character, Maria Bartiromo, the host of CNBC's two-hour daily show The Closing Bell, has seen her career soar following the scandal. She's landed a slew of interviews with major political and business figures and has hit record ratings for CNBC, according to the New York Times As Citigroup Chief Totters, CNBC Reporter is Having a Great Year. Even her sexist moniker, The Money Honey, is a plus for her career -- so much so that Bartiromo has trademarked the nickname for herself.

There are other noteworthy recent examples. Think Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, and Vanessa Hudgens. Their careers have been helped, not hurt, by nude photos, accidental pregnancy, sex videos and nights of alcohol and drug-fueled debauchery. The men involved in the sex videos and nightclub escapades certainly didn't benefit from the exposure -- name one.

So maybe if your career depends upon being beautiful and appearing frequently on television, TMZ and People Magazine, scandal is a good thing. But what about a more serious profession, such as the law?

Take author Elizabeth Wurtzel. After detailing personal psychological and addiction problems in best-selling books such as Prozac Nation and Bitch: In Praise of Difficult Women, Wurtzel decided to try law school at age 40. With an LSAT score 13 points under the median, Yale Law School accepted her, according to Coming Soon: 'Law School Nation'?, a recent profile in the New York Times. Only a few months into her studies, Wurtzel has a job offer from a prestigious firm, WilmerHale, that she herself admits she's not qualified to take.

Now think of men touched by scandal. President Bill Clinton. Writer James Frey. Sportscaster Marv Alpert. Singer Michael Jackson. Across industries, men whose careers survive notoriety do so despite scandal's tarnish -- certainly not because of it.

Do we have a cultural double standard when it comes to women today? There hasn't been a national survey yet into whether the small number of examples cited here represent a trend. So tell us what you think: How can the very scandal that hurts a man help a woman? Do certain careers reward a high profile for women, even if it's a negative one? Are we easier on women than men in our society? Do mistakes make women seem more human, and therefore forgivable and make men appear weak, inept, and untrustworthy? What has your experience at work and at home been? Do we forgive women more easily than men today?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner |  November 12, 2007; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Workplaces
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