Spaces and Challenges: Feminism in Legal Academia
Published In
University of British Columbia Law Review
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2011
Subjects
Legal Education; Feminist Perspective
Abstract
Women now make up at least 50 percent of students in the entry classes in most Canadian law schools. In some law schools women constitute about 50 percent of the tenured or tenure stream professoriate – a marked change from the early 1990s. This feminization of legal education is not the result of affirmative action but rather the increased acceptability of a legal education for women, the removal of formal and informal barriers to women's admission to law school, and women's strong academic records. Despite the fact that legal academia is now populated by virtually equal numbers of women and men, and despite the greater visibility of women (including feminist women) in positions of power, there remains a critical need for feminist presence, analysis, and critique in the 21st century. Feminism is also important because women continue to encounter barriers in gaining access to justice for reasons related to gender, in addition to other factors such as poverty. This essay draws partly on the author's own experience as a law student and law professor over the past 35 years, as well as the experience of students with whom she has engaged over that period. Her argument is that although many important changes have taken place in legal academia, and spaces made for individuals who were previously excluded, serious challenges remain, making it essential that a feminist presence and voice and a commitment to social justice be central. The author ends by briefly considering whether and how that feminist voice is changing in the 21st century.
Citation Details
Susan B Boyd, "Spaces and Challenges: Feminism in Legal Academia" (2011) 44:1 UBC L Rev 205-220.