Starting gendered career pathways early? Differences between women and men students in optional module composition among UK law school undergraduates

Sue Westwood

doi:0.1080/03069400.2023.2246347

Starting gendered career pathways early? Differences between women and men students in optional module composition among UK law school undergraduates

Sue Westwood

York Law School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Women’s inequalities in the legal profession is an enduring concern. Women are over-represented in junior positions and under-represented in senior roles, especially in large corporate firms. This pattern is compounded for women from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in comparison to both men of all ethnicities and white women. This is informed not by ability, but masculinity-privileging working cultures and practices. Women legal academics are also under-represented in senior roles. However, less is understood about women law students’ experiences, particularly in the UK and in recent research. This article reports on a new project which explored undergraduate student allocation on module options at York Law School, University of York, UK. There were marked gender differences in student composition in just over half (36) of the 66 different optional modules between 2014-2022. Women were under-represented on modules relating to commercial, corporate and financial law and over-represented on modules relating to family, health, social welfare, gender and sexuality. While there are many possible causal factors, there is clear resonance with the literature on gender inequalities in the legal profession and legal academia. The curriculum and careers guidance implications are considered, and a research agenda proposed.

Original language	English
Number of pages	15
Journal	The Law Teacher
Early online date	6 Sept 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/0.1080/03069400.2023.2246347
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 6 Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Access to Document

0.1080/03069400.2023.2246347Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Starting gendered career pathways early? Differences between women and men students in optional module composition among UK law school undergraduates
© 2023 The Author(s).
Final published version, 799 KBLicence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

@article{bfdcd636ecd2425fa8c51d69ddc97ac1,

title = "Starting gendered career pathways early? Differences between women and men students in optional module composition among UK law school undergraduates",

abstract = "Women{\textquoteright}s inequalities in the legal profession is an enduring concern. Women are over-represented in junior positions and under-represented in senior roles, especially in large corporate firms. This pattern is compounded for women from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in comparison to both men of all ethnicities and white women. This is informed not by ability, but masculinity-privileging working cultures and practices. Women legal academics are also under-represented in senior roles. However, less is understood about women law students{\textquoteright} experiences, particularly in the UK and in recent research. This article reports on a new project which explored undergraduate student allocation on module options at York Law School, University of York, UK. There were marked gender differences in student composition in just over half (36) of the 66 different optional modules between 2014-2022. Women were under-represented on modules relating to commercial, corporate and financial law and over-represented on modules relating to family, health, social welfare, gender and sexuality. While there are many possible causal factors, there is clear resonance with the literature on gender inequalities in the legal profession and legal academia. The curriculum and careers guidance implications are considered, and a research agenda proposed. ",

author = "Sue Westwood",

note = "{\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s).",

year = "2023",

month = sep,

day = "6",

doi = "0.1080/03069400.2023.2246347",

language = "English",

journal = "The Law Teacher",

issn = "0306-9400",

publisher = "Sweet and Maxwell Ltd.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Starting gendered career pathways early? Differences between women and men students in optional module composition among UK law school undergraduates

AU - Westwood, Sue

PY - 2023/9/6

Y1 - 2023/9/6

N2 - Women’s inequalities in the legal profession is an enduring concern. Women are over-represented in junior positions and under-represented in senior roles, especially in large corporate firms. This pattern is compounded for women from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in comparison to both men of all ethnicities and white women. This is informed not by ability, but masculinity-privileging working cultures and practices. Women legal academics are also under-represented in senior roles. However, less is understood about women law students’ experiences, particularly in the UK and in recent research. This article reports on a new project which explored undergraduate student allocation on module options at York Law School, University of York, UK. There were marked gender differences in student composition in just over half (36) of the 66 different optional modules between 2014-2022. Women were under-represented on modules relating to commercial, corporate and financial law and over-represented on modules relating to family, health, social welfare, gender and sexuality. While there are many possible causal factors, there is clear resonance with the literature on gender inequalities in the legal profession and legal academia. The curriculum and careers guidance implications are considered, and a research agenda proposed.

AB - Women’s inequalities in the legal profession is an enduring concern. Women are over-represented in junior positions and under-represented in senior roles, especially in large corporate firms. This pattern is compounded for women from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds in comparison to both men of all ethnicities and white women. This is informed not by ability, but masculinity-privileging working cultures and practices. Women legal academics are also under-represented in senior roles. However, less is understood about women law students’ experiences, particularly in the UK and in recent research. This article reports on a new project which explored undergraduate student allocation on module options at York Law School, University of York, UK. There were marked gender differences in student composition in just over half (36) of the 66 different optional modules between 2014-2022. Women were under-represented on modules relating to commercial, corporate and financial law and over-represented on modules relating to family, health, social welfare, gender and sexuality. While there are many possible causal factors, there is clear resonance with the literature on gender inequalities in the legal profession and legal academia. The curriculum and careers guidance implications are considered, and a research agenda proposed.

U2 - 0.1080/03069400.2023.2246347

DO - 0.1080/03069400.2023.2246347

M3 - Article

SN - 0306-9400

JO - The Law Teacher

JF - The Law Teacher

ER -