Written by: Sabrina Sherman and Peg MacDougall
Introduction
During Women’s History Month, RSCCM is celebrating women’s contributions to the field of mediation. Women mediators demonstrate some of the most effective mediation strategies in the field of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), often by approaching mediation as a relational exercise. By communicating more empathy and processing emotions, women lead in creating lasting agreements that build trust and open communication, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for the parties.
I asked one of our center’s foremost female mediators, former RSCCM Mediation Manager Peg MacDougall to discuss women’s contributions to mediation. The conversation led to ideas about mentorship and peace-making, and questioned whether men and women’s approaches to mediation were all that different after all.
MacDougall, who served as Mediation Manager from February 2011 to May 2025, sees the growing numbers of women in mediation as a promising sign in the field. She recalls, “When I first started mediating, there were a handful of female mediators in the Lansing area, and that’s just grown exponentially, because of the number of women coming out of law schools.”
According to the American Bar Association, there are more women in law now more than ever. From 1950 to 1970, only 3% of all lawyers in the US were women. In 2024, 41% of all lawyers were women. Whereas in 1974 less than 3% of all Michigan lawyers were women, a study from 2023 shows that women make up 37.6% of lawyers in the state. This trend reflects an overall rise in women mediators as well, though there is still an ongoing need for more women in the field of mediation.
What are the unique contributions women bring to mediation?
It’s not just that women are more apt to talk about women’s issues, rather, women are able to enforce greater gender equality during the mediation. More gender equality in mediation tends to result in more agreements. Women mediators also demonstrate a particular aptitude for building trust with the parties, a skill that might be linked to the idea that women are seen as non-threatening.
Despite the fact of gender stereotypes (and the imperative to overcome them), there is a persistent need for mediators who center the emotional side of a relationship–and that seems to be a skill honed by many women.
“It’s never only about the money”
While people often come to mediation with the assumption of a monetary settlement, relationships are actually at the core of what we do as mediators. One of MacDougall’s favorite quotes, “it’s never only about the money,” makes the point that while money may be part of the discussion, emotional clarity and understanding are far more important to the resolution. The mediator’s role is to get to the heart of the conflict and uncover the most important points behind all material demands.
According to MacDougall, as women, “we understand, in many ways, that conflict isn’t just about words, it’s about emotions. And this isn’t to say that men can’t bring out emotional aspects for people in mediation. But I think women tend to be more empathic and show their empathy more. And I think it’s that two-pronged approach that really helps people talk about the interest behind their positions. It helps get to the underlying reason for the conflict in a different way than male mediators get to the underlying interest behind the positions.”
“People in many ways who are in conflict are hostages to the conflict”
One of the pivotal mediation strategies in moving a conflict from opposition to resolution is figuring out the primary issues of the conflict. Not only asking: why aren’t the parties seeing eye-to-eye? But what is holding them back from understanding the most important stakes in the conflict?
MacDougall explains, “I’ve thought a lot about a book by Chris Voss that I read called ‘Never Split the Difference’. One of the things that he talks about is negotiating in hostage situations, and it got me thinking that, in many ways, people who are in conflict are hostages to the conflict; they often can’t get beyond the conflict. In civil cases, too, but especially in divorce cases. If you’ve had a relationship with anybody, and now it’s breaking up, and you’re not okay with that, and now you’re in a dispute over the kids, the assets, and the debts, you’re really a hostage to that conflict. So, I think it’s important to understand how people view themselves in a conflict situation and help them move beyond the conflict so they aren’t stuck in a continuous hostage/conflict cycle”.
So, how do we bring more women into the field of mediation?
It is important to emphasize that women are powerful mediators in both formal and informal ways.
MacDougall observes that “women may have a tendency to think they shy away from, or would shy away from conflict. I don’t think that’s necessarily a correct perspective, or a true perspective, because if you think about it, women tend to be the peacemakers, in a way. They certainly are in families. It’s usually the woman who settles disputes between the kids, and settles disputes between siblings. And as they get older maybe is the peacemaker with parents and their siblings.
…[T]here’s a feeling by some, by many women, that maybe they’re not geared to be peacemakers, but I think that’s absolutely wrong, because I think they are. We need to promote the perspective that each individual has certain skills that they bring to the mediation table that another person doesn’t, and that, in particular, women often have innate skills as peacemakers and neutral third parties that will benefit mediating parties and the wider mediation world.”
Mentorship also helps recruit new mediators.
Mentors help women, and everyone, see what is possible in the world of mediation: “We need to recognize that there are so many good mentors out there, and that women don’t have to just be mentored by other women. There were many great male mediators who mentored me along my journey as a mediator, and who continue to do so. ”
Even as a Mediation Manager, MacDougall “love[d] nothing better than to be able to sneak away from my job as program manager and just go into the room and watch people like Bob Proctor, Richard Kerbawy, Steve Lett, Kris Arnett and Paula Zera. No matter how long we have mediated, we can always learn more by watching other mediators in action.”
Impactful Women Mediators in Central Michigan
As we celebrate women in mediation, we also want to honor specific people who have had the biggest impact on the field in the Central Michigan region.
Some of the most influential women in the field of mediation highlighted by MacDougall included Paula Manis, a lawyer and civil mediator whose work in oil and gas law, public policy, class action, and other areas has given her an exemplary reputation in ADR both in Michigan and abroad. Anne Bachle Fifer, J.D., is an exceptional trainer in civil mediation. Finally, Zena Zumeta, whose work as a domestic mediator trainer has impacted the local field of mediation.
“[W]hat I enjoyed so much was being mentored by some of these people who’d been in the field for so long. And at that time, again, most of them were men. We had a number of women on our mediator roster, but certainly not like we do now.”
As they continue to grow in number, women mediators are transforming the field and bringing their own spin on a powerful peace-building process.