Women, Law, and Equality Essay

This workplace gender inequality is similarly evident in both the political and legal arenas, with 2012 statistics finding that ‘10 percent of all Federal Parliamentarians across Australia were women (66 out of 226)’. Furthermore, it has been identified that of the ‘current 932 individuals who make up the private Bar of the Queensland Bar Association, only 19.7 percent are women’, and of the whole of Queensland’s’ magistrates, only 36 out of 93, are women. As these statistics so clearly indicate, women are grossly underrepresented in the political and legal arenas, and the workplace in general. There are varying arguments that can reason this inequality, however, the most persuasive and logical places the blame on the orthodox gender roles that society has adopted and endorsed. As a result of these gender roles, men are automatically assumed to dominate more masculine occupations such as construction, engineering and law, while women often subjected to domestic occupations, such as, childcare, retail, nursing and education. Women are subsequently judged on their perceived gender role and not on their merits or competence, and are therefore unable to ‘equally contribute to and benefit from economic, social, cultural and political life’. The underrepresentation of women in the workplace is astounding and the reasons for why this inequality has riddled the Australian workforce can be answered by

The 1873 court case “Bradwell v. Illinois” is an example of structure contributing to gender formation. Myra Bradwell was a woman who had extensive law training and was qualified to practice law. However, when she applied for a license to practice law, the court refused. The court argued that, while she was extremely qualified to practice law, granting her a license would disrupt the idea that men and women were supposed to “occupy different spheres of action, and that it belonged to men to make, apply, and execute the laws (23)” because women were unfit for civil life. Not only did this ruling affect gender formations in Illinois, it also set a precedent for similar court cases in other states.

The legal profession far precedes the conclusion of the United States Revolutionary War, but the role that the field plays today does not mirror the same discipline of the founders, specifically in regards to women. The first female attorney, named Arabella Babb, began practicing in 1869. Since then, the legal profession has been consistently evolving in diversity, however, as of 2015 women only made up 35% of the bar registered attorneys according to the American Bar Association. The advancement of women in the legal field closely emulated that of other women’s rights movements. There were surges and shrinkages with some outstanding exceptions along the way, but regardless, the overall trend shows an improvement for women. Analyzing this data demonstrates the possibility of a continued trend for women in the law. History and present circumstances would indicate that the role of female attorneys will be predominant and advanced as time continues to pass.

This article spoke about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s work with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Burt Neuborne describer Ginsburg as a brilliant vibrant young lawyer when they met, and went on to talk about the discrimination she faced. Ginsburg graduated top in her class in Columbia but was met with no job offers in New York, because she had “three strikes against her”, she was a woman, a Jew and a mother. She was turned down from one job because said employer “wasn’t ready to hire a woman.” Throughout her career at Rutgers as a professor she was payed less than her male colleges.

Conversely, ingrained expectations that a male career takes precedence of woman’s is evident with the ever-present glass ceiling, glass cliff, and now the glass elevator. Predominately female occupations such as nursing, elementary education, and social work witness discriminatory practices labeled as the ‘glass escalator’ with men ascending to management positions at a greater rate (Goudreau, 2012; Eagly & Carli,

“ In light of women’s entrance into the male-dominated profession of law, women report several frustrations, including a lack of networking opportunities, less desirable cases and bias and rudeness in the courtroom” (Slotnick 1). Stacy Slotnick served as a trial lawyer proving that her information is right. The glass ceiling is real and it persists to this day” (Slotnick 2). Women need to make sure they receive opportunities to shine and develop their skills. Women must remember their worth and ask for what they want. As little girls, we are not typically taught this skill, but it is critical to our advancement in the professional world.The strategy for reform is simple. There must be mentoring and teamwork programs; egalitarian leadership; an examination of the gender gap problem; an exchange of ideas to influence legal culture; and pragmatic plans to facilitate growth and retention of female talent. Analysis and study are powerful tools that will advance women and help smash the glass ceiling. Another solution to smash the glass ceiling is that “Women need to get over the stigma of being aggressive and close the deal. Men need to stay home and change a few diapers” (Slotnick 2). By men helping their wives at home with their children and women fighting for thereself the glass ceiling can be destroyed. Furthermore, women consultants need to work together to rain and support the next

In the eighteenth century, the dispute of the true nature and value of women was a common argument brought up between men and women. Some men and women believed a woman’s job was to be at the service of her family and husband and please them, while others disagreed saying a woman should not be labeled on what they can and cannot do just based on their gender. Mary Wollstonecraft, a strong feminist, wrote her opinion about the rights women have, while also arguing with opposing statements from men such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who wrote several works about how women had only one job, devoting themselves to man.

As Harriet Beecher Stowe once said, “Women are the real architects of society”. Without women, none of us would be in this world today and it is about time our society values women with more respect, which they deserve. With that said our society has indeed come along way especially since the time Mary Wollstonecraft first wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Women”. Some of these changes have been shown or brought to the public’s attention within the educational realm.

Also, it is quoted that “research also indicates that white graduates from higher socio-economic groups are over-represented in large City firms and at the bar, while BME women from lower socio-economic groups are concentrated in small high street practices." There are research indicate that the legal professionals are being restricted in terms of their background including gender, religion, ethnicity, age and education background, which all of these contribute to the undiverse character. In the following, I will use different cases to testify that these characters of the legal professionals will lead to lack of judicial diversity. First of all, in terms of the gender inequality in the upper judicial branch, in the case of Andrea Madarassy

Today, it is made to look like men and women are equal. However, according to Reuters of the New York Times, women only make up forty percent of the workforce. Even more shocking is that only thirty-three percent of managers and twenty percent of corporate executives are women. The lack of representation of women in the workforce is unfathomable. When Abigail Adams wrote to her husband pleading for him to “remember the ladies,” she was referring to equal representation in the government. However, this idea is still relative in today’s

In the workplace, bosses and co-workers often tend to discriminate women. During a job interview, interviewers perceive women by their gender stereotypes and physical appearance, which prevent women from getting hired. Women have lower chances of getting promoted and advancing in their careers because society perceives them with having a conflict between work and family life. Women also earn far less money than men because they do not have careers requiring on the job training, do not overwork as much as men, and are perceived as not devoted to her career. The review will discuss women and the reasons behind the discrimination that they face in the hiring process, earning promotions, and their annual salary earnings in employment because of their gender.

For much of American history, women were subject to laws that restricted their autonomy. These laws, known as coverture, stipulated that when a woman marries, her legal existence as an individual vanishes. Husband 's gain exclusive power and responsibility regarding property. Married women were unable to be sued, execute a will, or own property under her own name. It took until the 1880’s for these laws to dissolve in the legal system. Although it has been over 130 years, remnants of the gender stereotype it created are still instilled in American culture. Women have made great strides in society since the women 's suffrage movement, a disparity still exists in the workplace. While organizational laws can be created to help alleviate the glass ceiling and shrink the gender wage gap, an unconscious bias exists towards woman in the workforce and only a societal movement can fully erase the inequalities women face.

At the same time, demonstrates that women should be treated equally and similarly tom men because they are not differentiated in terms of skills and capabilities. However, it is observed in varied theories that women are in some ways dissimilar from men, but these aspects does not includes weaknesses and deficiencies, and when the law accounts for them appropriately, this endorses broadly acknowledged notions of justice and equality. The most significant law and practical demonstration of Feminist Legal Theory have primarily specified in the family, employment and criminal law arenas. These varied sites of the feminist law tend to have highly important and extensive associations to the general population of women. Essential theoretical feminist work has also been done in legal implications such as property law, tax law, and corporate law. Eventually there will be numerous feminist critiques of every legal issue area (MacKinnon,

For as long as I can remember, it has been my dream to become an attorney. That being said, coming from a small town in Wisconsin, people around me view this as an ambitious and unlikely goal. Upon learning of my dreams, many people from my hometown are surprised that a I—a female—would strive for such a masculine career path. However, rather than allowing this discouragement to stop me, I use it as motivation to reach for my goals and prove that a woman can succeed in a traditionally male field.

Clarence Darrow made these comments to a group of women lawyers in Chicago in 1895 (Champagne). This idea was not uncommon in its time and in some instances continues today. Law schools are approaching