One step at a time: key cases and players in women's involvement in the law

Abstract

At the turn of the 20th century, women all over the United States were denied admission to their state bars, to law school, and to the legal profession in general. Today, women make up over a third of the profession. As women fought to gain representation within and access to the law, they also fought for their legal rights as American citizens, and without the presence of women in judicial positions, many of these legal rights would not have been attained. In this thesis I discuss key cases, women, and events that led to women’s increased involvement in the law, and I assert that until equality within the legal field is reached, women and men in the United States will remain unequal.