Part of the journey into law is taking an interest into all matters of the legal system, and in particular, the current injustices that are still existing within the system.
This seminar I attended at UCL taught me that although there is still a disparity, women have come a long way in the field of law, and although it is a persistent challenge, it comes with enormous rewards.
They held a panel of highly sophisticated and professional female legal experts who had all shown tremendous merit in their field. For example, Baroness Hale attended - the first female justice sitting on the Supreme Court and even more extraordinarily its first Lady Chief Justice. In addition to this, many other remarkable women sat alongside her - Dame Hazel Genn, Professor Dawn Oliver, Toni Williams, Laura Devine, and Dee Masters.
These women highlighted to me that whilst we like to assume the disparities within law have fallen dramatically over recent years, that sentiment is still rather far from the truth and in actuality, there is still more work to be done. In fact, Toni Williams gave light to the racial inequalities which are still prevalent within the legal system- out of all of the judges sitting in the UK, black people make up just 1% of that- this claim is supported by the UK government website and of which figure doesn’t even begin to shed light into the proportion of black and female judges- showing how the current system is still totally devoid of reaching equality any time soon.
It is no lie that the legal system has been historically misogynistic, in fact Professor Dawn Oliver shared her own personal anecdote from her experience as a young person entering the field of law which was how she was initially referred to as ‘Master Oliver’, whether this was due to genuine confusion or ignorance, it no doubt demonstrates how a place for women in law has never been set out and guaranteed but instead forcefully created by fierce and determined women- pushing for their voices to be heard. From Baroness of Richmond Brenda Hale or even Elizabeth Orme the first female lawyer- several women have by their own efforts alone paved the way for future generations of women to have a guaranteed seat at the table- and still it is the most competitive game of musical chairs that has ever existed.
Dee Masters highlighted how there is a massive influx of women in law, for example in 2022 it was reported that 15,000 law undergraduates were women and only 6000 men. However she knowledgeably pointed out that there are only 2 out of 12 female justices sitting on the supreme court. She highlights how women must run two times as fast as their male counterparts to achieve the same ambitious roles and high status’ however it is entirely possible and necessary.
What is tremendously important when embarking on your pursuit to study the law is to seek its imperfections of practice. I rightfully point out the existing inequalities of the law because I am desperate to change them- to dip my own toe in the water and take up space as a woman in law but also change the narrative that women are less competent than men, as we of the 21st century are capable of identifying that this is very very far from the truth.
Until next time,
Olivia.
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