If you didn’t get enough interning in your early 20s, don’t worry. You might have more to look forward to in your 40s. According to the New York Times, prestigious banks and law firms that don’t provide the kind of work flexibility required to have and raise children are making up for it with mom-ternships for women with gaps in their résumés. One study of high-achieving women cited by the Times found that 31 percent dropped out of the workforce, mostly to take care of kids. Eighty-nine percent of them wanted back in after on average two and a half years, but only 40 percent managed to get what they consider a good full-time job in their chosen field. New ten- and 12-week reentry programs at JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley might help, but they’re small, limited to ten to 15 women, respectively. For lawyers, there’s the one-year OnRamp Fellowship at four major law firms, including Baker Botts and Sidley Austin. That one pays a lot, albeit $35,000 less than the starting salary for some 26-year-old who hasn’t passed the bar or pushed a baby out of his vagina.
