Abstract
This study seeks to explore the experiences of women in the law school classroom. P articipants from an Ivy League law school were placed in focus groups and asked to reflect on their law classroom experiences as it pertained to their gender. Results indicated that in an environment that adheres to typical law school pedagogy – such as the Socratic method – women experienced a multitude of challenges within the classroom. The issues reported by the focus group participants generally fell into these five main themes: (1) concern about being perceived as overly emotional or speaking from experience, (2) apprehension about discussing women’s issues, (3) gender differences in participation and reinforcement, (4) gendered speech, and (5) differential treatment of female faculty members. This study demonstrates the need for an examination of pedagogical approaches to eradicate unfavorable learning environments for women in law school classrooms.
Highlights
1.1 Women in the Legal FieldFar from the days of women staying at home while men engage in work outside, women are entering the workforce in equal numbers to men
The issues reported by the focus group participants generally fell into these five main themes: (1) concern about being perceived as overly emotional or speaking from experience, (2) apprehension about discussing women‟s issues, (3) gender differences in participation and reinforcement, (4) gendered speech, and (5) differential treatment of female faculty members
Participant 2.2 (Focus Group #2, Participant #2) stated, “There was a girl in our criminology class who went into great detail about stories and experiences she had had relating to the crime
Summary
Far from the days of women staying at home while men engage in work outside, women are entering the workforce in equal numbers to men. As women continue to obtain advanced degrees, it would be expected that they are represented in a multitude of fields in equal numbers to men – those that, historically, have been dominated by men. The idea of a woman entering law school is no longer considered shocking. Women are entering law school in equal numbers as males -- according to recent data released by the American Bar Association, of the students that were awarded J.D.s in the U.S in 2013, 47.3% of them were women (American Bar Association, 2013). Only 20% of equity partners in the U.S are women, lateral hiring continues to favor men, and advancing women is not a universal goal among all major U.S law firms (McCabe, 2014)
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