NCJ Number
153500
Journal
Alaska Justice Forum Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 3-5
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article presents the findings of a survey of practicing attorneys in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Ketchikan concerning gender bias issues in their communities and suggested solutions.
Abstract
Almost equal numbers of men and women responded to the surveys, although the proportions varied greatly by community. The surveys uniformly found that biases prevailed more strongly in attorney interactions than during judge-attorney interactions. Respondents also saw gender-related bias in interactions between lawyers or judges and other persons in the courtroom, including jurors, witnesses, security personnel, and other court staff. The surveys, conducted by the Joint State-Federal Courts Gender Equality Task Force, found that gender bias problems appear obvious to some and nonexistent to others. A majority of the female attorneys responding perceived gender bias by judges, lawyers, and others. Less than half of the men perceived gender bias in any context. Two of the surveys also analyzed work choices by gender, to see whether men and women differed in their reasons for working in certain environments. Table