"Analysis of the constitutional and statutory debates about the meaning of equality, and the recognition and accommodation of difference. In the 1960s and 1970s, Congress enacted laws prohibiting what was then called “Sex Discrimination” (now we call it Gender, but that’s another story) in employment, education, government institutions, private institutions receiving federal funds – pretty much everywhere except Mrs. Murphy’s boarding house. So what happened to the revolution? Whether you’re a doctor, a lawyer, a chemist, or a cook, you make more if you’re a man. The only industry where men don’t make more is porn. Do we call that power, or exploitation? Gender generally refers to the social construct that we build around sexual differences. Of course, the traditional binary assumptions are being undone at every level, making clear just how much pain has been invisible for too long, and how much bias remains. This class will look backwards to the roots of what we think of as “liberal feminism,” “radical feminism,” and “anti-feminism” (choose your labels). We will look at the law and try to figure out why even the legal profession seems largely untouched by the law. We will look at the persistence of unconscious bias and how it operates, and we’ll look at change.
