I tried all weekend to craft a substantive response to this recent study by Yale Law Women, but each time I sat down to write, my anger and frustration got in the way. The study confirms what many of us already know—gender imbalance persists at law schools, including our own, with significant consequences for law students and the legal profession.
Many of the problems identified in the Yale study mirror my own observations and anecdotal evidence here at Harvard. But that’s not what is most upsetting. What I find most depressing is the study’s conclusion that little progress has been made over the past decade.
I wish I could offer some creative solutions to these issues. Certainly we need more women in leadership positions who can serve as role models and mentors. I’ll keep trying to do that for my own students, male and female, and thinking about how we as a law school community can do better. In the meantime, if anyone wants to chat about this, my door is always open.