Blog 24

Interviewing my cousin, who is currently a law student, advised me that the best advice to give is, “don’t give up.” Jamila Anderson, my cousin, is a African American women. She stated that being in law school is a struggle and is very challenging. One of the questions that I asked her was how did she feel being a women of color and studying law. She stated to me that it is difficult because her peers expect more from her. She advised to me that she is pushed to work harder. She informed me that she does experience some cases of discrimination against women. Jamila stated that women in law is invisibility evaluated differently then the men. Women have to pay close attention and have to constantly try to prove themselves that they are equal to men.
According to the reading, there is little question that women are able to do “legal work as well as men” (Gender on Trial, pg. 75). Today there is still a “genderation gap” (Gender on Trial, pg. 76). For women lawyers being in a male dominant occupation creates a sense of “oddness” (pg. 78). I presented this information to my interviewee, once I asked is she felt odd being in a male dominant occupation, she stated that it only encourages her to strive further. I asked Jamila what is her primary goal, she responded stated that she wants her own law firm. The reason why she want to create her own law firm is because she does not want to be under another rules and experience stereotypes and demeaning judgments. In the reading, it states that women are under “strict scrutiny.” In male dominant areas, women are more closely watched then men. Women are underestimated about their performance in work. Due to gender and traditional roles and stereotypes women in law is put at a disadvantage which requires them to work harder then men.