Available at: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/2686
Date of Award
6-2023
Degree Name
MA in History
Department/Program
History
College
College of Liberal Arts
Advisor
Matthew Hopper
Advisor Department
History
Advisor College
College of Liberal Arts
Abstract
This thesis interviews two women attorneys who have not previously shared their stories to relate their experience of going to law school and entering the field after graduation. The study of women lawyers and their stories is not a new topic, however, there is a focus in the scholarship to only explore the tales of the women who reached the big firsts, such as first female lawyer or first female judge. By providing interviews of women who have not reached these big accomplishments, the field gains a more rounded understanding of the history of female lawyers. The two women interviewed were part of the same county and same firm, though one is now retired. Through connecting these women’s stories to the existing literature, we find several shifts in attitudes towards female lawyers. The 1960s seem to be the time in which women profited off of their previous gains into the field, but it was not until after the 1990s in which the perception towards female lawyers shifted in a positive manner. This thesis comes at a pivotal moment for the law in the United States, as women’s rights and attitudes towards women are regressing. Through learning the hardships women went through to enter a field previously dominated by men, we are able to gain an understanding how recent these gains were made and the barriers that still exist.
Included in
History of Gender Commons, Legal Commons, Oral History Commons, United States History Commons, Women's History Commons