Category Archives: Feminism and Families

Benson on”Failure to Arrest: A Pilot Study of Police Response to Domestic Violence in Rural Illinois”

  Sara Benson (Illinois) has posted to SSRN her working paper entitled”Failure to Arrest:   A Pilot Study of Police Response to Domestic Violence in Rural Illinois.”   It is a qualitative research study conducted in rural Illinois regarding police … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Acts of Violence, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law | Comments Off on Benson on”Failure to Arrest: A Pilot Study of Police Response to Domestic Violence in Rural Illinois”

Pamela Foohey, “Child Support and (In)Ability to Pay: The Case for the Cost Shares Model”

Forthcoming in the Journal of Juvenile Law & Policy, Vol. 13, No. 1, 2009 The Abstract: Currently enacted child support guidelines primarily focus on maintaining children’s economic well-being when a single household is split into two. This article argues that … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal Scholarship | Comments Off on Pamela Foohey, “Child Support and (In)Ability to Pay: The Case for the Cost Shares Model”

GENDER, PARENTING, AND THE LAW: A Symposium Saturday, February 7, 2009 at Stanford Law School

Parenting, Gender, and the Law is a symposium sponsored by the Stanford Journal for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, with support from the Clayman Institute, Stanford University Feminist Studies Department, Graduate Student Council at Stanford University, and Stanford Law School. … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Upcoming Conferences | Comments Off on GENDER, PARENTING, AND THE LAW: A Symposium Saturday, February 7, 2009 at Stanford Law School

A Minor Tax Victory for Non-Traditional Families

In a non-precedential decision in Leonard v. Commissioner (T.C. Summary Opinion 2008-141) (full opinion here), the Tax Court permitted a pro se taxpayer to take dependency exemption deductions for the grandchildren of her “friend,” an adult woman with whom the taxpayer had been … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, LGBT Rights, Women and Economics | Comments Off on A Minor Tax Victory for Non-Traditional Families

Naomi R. Cahn, “Test Tube Families Why the Fertility Market Needs Legal Regulation”

Fabulous feminist law prof Naomi Cahn, one of the best feminist legal theorists around, has a new book out: Synopsis of publisher NYU Press: The birth of the first test tube baby in 1978 focused attention on the sweeping advances … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Science, Recommended Books, Women's Health | Comments Off on Naomi R. Cahn, “Test Tube Families Why the Fertility Market Needs Legal Regulation”

Kessler on “Getting Class”

Laura Kessler (Utah) has posted to SSRN her working paper “Getting Class.”  Here is the abstract: Gender-based economic inequality has been a longstanding concern of feminist legal theory, particularly as it affects middle-class women. Yet much legal feminist literature remains … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Women and Economics | Comments Off on Kessler on “Getting Class”

New coverage of the study which shows that “mothers” earn less than other lawyers.

Lawyers Weekly reports: “In a study of over 700 graduates of the University of Michigan Law School who graduated between 1970 and 1996 my statistical tests indicated that fathers earn 15 to 20 percent more than lawyers without children (a … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Legal Profession | Comments Off on New coverage of the study which shows that “mothers” earn less than other lawyers.

Women and Girls As Property

The source is the Daily Mail, a newspaper of somewhat dubious reliability, and I can’t find similar accounts anywhere else, but fwiw (ETA: Guardian article here): Saudi court tells girl aged EIGHT she cannot divorce husband who is 50 years … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Coerced Sex, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Religion, Sisters In Other Nations | Comments Off on Women and Girls As Property

Globalization of Surrogacy Markets – US and India

Nazneen Mehta is a second-year law student at Columbia Law School and is writing a Note on the international market in surrogacy services – particularly between relatively affluent “intended parents” in the US and poor female surrogates in India. Her … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and the Workplace, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Reproductive Rights, Women's Health | Comments Off on Globalization of Surrogacy Markets – US and India

Buyers’ Market for Egg Donation?

This WSJ article entitled “Ova Time: Women Line Up To Donate Eggs — for Money” notes that clinics have seen an increase in the number of women applying to “donate” their eggs or serve as surrogates, positing that the surge … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Guest Blogger, Reproductive Rights, Women's Health | Comments Off on Buyers’ Market for Egg Donation?

Quebec’s “parenting project” — a law like nothing we have in the US

Thanks to McGill law professor Robert Leckey, for his article in English analyzing a Quebec law that went into effect in 2002, at the same time the province instituted civil unions. (Marriage for same-sex couples was not yet legal in … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Quebec’s “parenting project” — a law like nothing we have in the US

Thoughts on Her Body, My Baby – the Racial Implications of Surrogacy

Khiara Bridges is the Center for Reproductive Rights/Columbia Law School fellow at Columbia Law School who has just completed her PhD in Columbia’s Anthropology Department studying the intersection of race, poverty, and gender through the experience of women in an … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Race and Racism, Reproductive Rights | Comments Off on Thoughts on Her Body, My Baby – the Racial Implications of Surrogacy

Today is Jane Addams Day!

Learn more here! In light of yesterday’s events in Illinois, it is good to be reminded of all the good that civic minded people can do. Of course, we would all have to do an awful lot to match the … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Politics | Comments Off on Today is Jane Addams Day!

Master/Servant: IP/Surrogate

[This is cross-posted from my own blog, Related Topics.   You don’t need to know about the thread I have been following, but you are of course welcome to go and look.] I am interrupting my own thread because there … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Reproductive Rights | Comments Off on Master/Servant: IP/Surrogate

Kimberly Mutcherson, “Making Mommies: Law, Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis, and the Complications of Pre-Motherhood”

The abstract: The article focuses on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (“PGD”), a technology that allows health care providers and potential parents to screen embryos for a range of characteristics prior to implanting them in a woman’s uterus. Many potential parents use … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Technology, Reproductive Rights, Women's Health | Comments Off on Kimberly Mutcherson, “Making Mommies: Law, Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis, and the Complications of Pre-Motherhood”

Women, Men, Familes, Careers

Echidne has a really good, thoughtful post here.

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and the Workplace, Women and Economics | Comments Off on Women, Men, Familes, Careers

Cervical Cancer

I know there are concerns about Gardasil, the vaccine for HPV, and I’m not a medical professional so I can’t provide any sort of authoritative opinion about its safety or effectiveness. What I will tell you is this: My cousin … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Women's Health | Comments Off on Cervical Cancer

Nationwide Coordinated Protests Against California’s Proposition 8 Tomorrow!

More general information here. The Columbia, SC incarnation convenes at the State House at 1:30 pm. -Ann Bartow

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Politics, LGBT Rights, South Carolina | Comments Off on Nationwide Coordinated Protests Against California’s Proposition 8 Tomorrow!

How does one juggle breast feeding and landing a law teaching job? Advice needed!

I’m writing for advice on an issue peculiar to female law profs and I was hoping that I could post a question on Feminist Law Profs seeking advice. Specifically, I am on the legal teaching market this year and I … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Academia, Feminism and Families, Feminists in Academia, Law Schools, Law Teaching | Comments Off on How does one juggle breast feeding and landing a law teaching job? Advice needed!

The “Culture War” re: Prop. 8 in California

As a native of Oakland, California, this video makes me really sad. As much as I love California, I don’t think I could stomach being there right now. –Sharon Sandeen

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, LGBT Rights | Comments Off on The “Culture War” re: Prop. 8 in California

“Red Sex, Blue Sex: Why do so many evangelical teen-agers become pregnant?”

That’s the title of this New Yorker article by Margaret Talbot, which mentions Feminist Law Profs Naomi Cahn and June Carbone prominently, as you can see in the excerpt below: Among blue-state social liberals, commitment to the institution of marriage … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Reproductive Rights | Comments Off on “Red Sex, Blue Sex: Why do so many evangelical teen-agers become pregnant?”

The “Opt Out Revolution” 5 Years Later

On Friday, October 24, 2008, Lisa Belkin was the keynote speaker at a conference at Pace Law School on “Women and the Law: How Far We’ve Come and Where We Need to Go.”  I was a fan of Belkin’s “Life’s … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Legal Profession | Comments Off on The “Opt Out Revolution” 5 Years Later

Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties 2009 Symposium “Gender, Parenting, and the Law”

On February 7, 2009, the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties will host its 3rd annual symposium.   This year’s topic is “Gender, Parenting, and the Law.”   The symposium, which will complement the journal’s Spring Symposium issue, … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Call for Papers or Participation, Feminism and Families, Upcoming Conferences | Comments Off on Stanford Journal of Civil Rights & Civil Liberties 2009 Symposium “Gender, Parenting, and the Law”

Same Sex Victory in Connecticut – A Real One!

Just got word that the Connecticut Supreme Court found an equal right to marry – yup, “marry,” in the state constitution.   Not civil unions.   Marriage. Here’s the short version from my good friend Dan Krisch, whose firm, Horton, … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Politics, LGBT Rights | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Same Sex Victory in Connecticut – A Real One!

“Child Centered Jurisprudence and Feminist Jurisprudence: Exploring The Connections And The Tensions” Friday, November 14, 2008 @ the University of Houston Law Center

From the Conference Website: This conference in November 2008 will explore the connections and the tensions between”feminist jurisprudence”and what might be called (in the language of June Carbone)”child-centered jurisprudence.”The experiences of American women have been entwined with their roles as … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminists in Academia, Upcoming Conferences | Comments Off on “Child Centered Jurisprudence and Feminist Jurisprudence: Exploring The Connections And The Tensions” Friday, November 14, 2008 @ the University of Houston Law Center

Why Canadian Same-Sex Couples Don’t Marry

Same-sex couples have had access to marriage in Canada since July 20, 2005. Canadian sociologist Jillian Deri explores why the marriage rate for same-sex couples is so low…17 percent, compared to 80 percent for different-sex couples. She reports the views … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, LGBT Rights | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Why Canadian Same-Sex Couples Don’t Marry

Gay Marriage Has Been Legal In California For Over Four Months Now..

… so I thought I’d check in with my straight, married friends and see if they thought the institution of marriage had been irreparably damaged and FUBAR in the interim. After extensive surveying I’ve empirically ascertained that to everyone’s great … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, LGBT Rights | Comments Off on Gay Marriage Has Been Legal In California For Over Four Months Now..

Naomi Cahn and June Carbone, “Lifting the Floor: Sex, Class, and Education”

Yet another terrific article from two of my favorite Feminist Law Profs! Here is the abstract: This paper was written for a conference on third wave feminism. Third wave feminism recognizes the importance of “raising the floor,” and this paper … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal Scholarship | Comments Off on Naomi Cahn and June Carbone, “Lifting the Floor: Sex, Class, and Education”

Kentucky Court Blocks Lesbian Couple Adoption

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has made marriage the dividing line between those children who can have two legally recognized parents and those who can’t. In an opinion handed down last Friday, the court ruled that “second-parent adoption” is not … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, LGBT Rights | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Kentucky Court Blocks Lesbian Couple Adoption

Gendered Parenting, Same-Sex Parenting and Presidential Politics

{I haven’t posted here for some time.   This is cross-posted from my own blog, Related Topics. ) I suppose more specifically I mean vice-presidential politics.   As in Sarah Palin. I doubt I have much original to add to … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Politics, LGBT Rights | Comments Off on Gendered Parenting, Same-Sex Parenting and Presidential Politics

June Carbone and Naomi Cahn, “Pregnancy often puts success out of reach for teens”

This is an Op-Ed by two fantastic Feminist Law Profs, and it is accessible here. Below is an excerpt: The news that Sarah Palin’s unwed teenage daughter is pregnant highlights a surprising reality in today’s America: The ultra-conservative morality many … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminists in Academia, Reproductive Rights | Comments Off on June Carbone and Naomi Cahn, “Pregnancy often puts success out of reach for teens”

“Arizona Affirmative Action Ban will not be on November Ballot”

From the Feminist Daily News: An anti-affirmative action ballot measure in Arizona will not be on the November ballot. The measure was decertified based on the signatures collected, but its decertification was challenged last week. A lawsuit to restore the … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Race and Racism, The Underrepresentation of Women | Comments Off on “Arizona Affirmative Action Ban will not be on November Ballot”

MARRIAGE FOR 17-YR-OLD BRISTOL PALIN — HOW 1950’s!

Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter, Bristol, is pregnant. So why no uproar from conservative Christians (as Sarah Palin describes herself), or from those abstinence-only sex-education Republicans?? Because she’s marrying her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, that’s why! How 1950’s! That’s the … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Politics, Reproductive Rights | 24 Comments

Romantic Partners and Academics

Historiann has an interesting post entitled: “Marrying up,”and why that could screw up your career in which she notes: There’s a new report out on the careers of social scientists, via Inside Higher Ed. The University of Washington Center for … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Academia, Feminism and Families, Feminists in Academia, The Underrepresentation of Women | Comments Off on Romantic Partners and Academics

Nancy E. Dowd, “Masculinities and Feminist Legal Theory: An Antiessentialist Project”

Abstract: Men, patriarchy and masculine characteristics have predominantly been examined within feminist theory as a source of power, domination, inequality and subordination. Various theories of inequality have been developed by feminists to challenge and reveal structures and discourses that reinforce … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Feminists in Academia | Comments Off on Nancy E. Dowd, “Masculinities and Feminist Legal Theory: An Antiessentialist Project”

“What Women Want”

From here: According to a  recent poll by the National Women’s Law Center, women feel the impact of economic insecurity and rising food, energy, education, and health care costs more deeply than men – and see government as a key … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Politics | Comments Off on “What Women Want”

Maternity leave: a request for strategies and advice

Head over to Historiann and help a sister out!

Share
Posted in Academia, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminists in Academia | Comments Off on Maternity leave: a request for strategies and advice

Feminist Parenting Series at The Feminist Underground

Series framing post here.   Interesting posts include: The Price of Pregnancy: Health Insurance and Motherhood Feminism and School: Is Homeschooling a Solution? Feminist Parenting: Troubles with TV

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminist Blogs Of Interest | Comments Off on Feminist Parenting Series at The Feminist Underground

H&R Block and Taxing Civil Unions

To follow-up on an earlier post, the Los Angeles Times is reporting here that H&R Block has agreed to reimburse civil union couples who began filling out their tax returns online only to be told that the company’s software did … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, LGBT Rights | Comments Off on H&R Block and Taxing Civil Unions

Serving Up Gender Stereotypes With Those Fries

On a trip to the suburbs, I experienced the McDonald’s drive-thru [sic].  Admittedly it was not my finest parenting hour.  And I almost became unhinged when asked by the cashier,  “Do you want a ‘girl’ toy or a ‘boy’ toy … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families | Comments Off on Serving Up Gender Stereotypes With Those Fries

Ohio Paid Sick Leave Initiative Ignores LGBT Families

I never thought I’d see the day when I would question an effort to secure paid sick leave. But I recently learned that the campaign for paid sick leave in Ohio has proposed an initiative that will allow workers to … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, LGBT Rights, Women's Health | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Ohio Paid Sick Leave Initiative Ignores LGBT Families

“Poverty is one reason so many Yemeni families marry their children off early. Another is the fear of girls being carried off and married by force. But most important are cultural tradition and the belief that a young virginal bride can best be shaped into a dutiful wife, according to comprehensive study of early marriage published by Sana University in 2006.”

That’s a paragraph from this heart wrenching account of young girls forced into marriage.

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Politics, Women and Economics, Women's Health | Comments Off on “Poverty is one reason so many Yemeni families marry their children off early. Another is the fear of girls being carried off and married by force. But most important are cultural tradition and the belief that a young virginal bride can best be shaped into a dutiful wife, according to comprehensive study of early marriage published by Sana University in 2006.”

Gay Marriage Support and Opposition By The Numbers

A overview of twenty plus years of polling data is available here.

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, LGBT Rights | Comments Off on Gay Marriage Support and Opposition By The Numbers

Albanian Custom Fades: Woman as Family Man

Interesting story in the N.Y. Times (6/25): Pashe Keqi recalled the day nearly 60 years ago when she decided to become a man. She chopped off her long black curls, traded in her dress for her father’s baggy trousers, armed … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families | Comments Off on Albanian Custom Fades: Woman as Family Man

New Blog: “Care Talk”

Ingrid Robeyns notes at Crooked Timber: Nancy Folbre, who is widely considered to be one of the most knowledgeable economists on issues of care work, has recently started a new blog, called Care Talk. It’s a research blog that aims … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Women's Health | Comments Off on New Blog: “Care Talk”

Amy Wax, “Engines of Inequality: Class, Race, and Family Structure”

The abstract: “The past 30 years have witnessed a dramatic divergence in family structure by social class, income, education, and race. This article reviews the data on these trends, explores their significance, and assesses social scientists’ recent attempts to explain … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families | Comments Off on Amy Wax, “Engines of Inequality: Class, Race, and Family Structure”

News In Brief: UK Votes on “Need for A Father”

[It’s been a long time since I’ve cross-posted.     Feel free to go to my regular blog, Related Topics, and catch up.] For some time now the UK parliament has been considering a substantial overhaul of the act that … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, LGBT Rights, Reproductive Rights | Comments Off on News In Brief: UK Votes on “Need for A Father”

Barbara Bennett Woodhouse, “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Tragedy of Children’s Rights from Ben Franklin to Lionel Tate”

From the publisher’s website: Hidden in Plain Sight tells the tragic untold story of children’s rights in America. It asks why the United States today, alone among nations, rejects the most universally embraced human-rights document in history, the United Nations … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Recommended Books | Comments Off on Barbara Bennett Woodhouse, “Hidden in Plain Sight: The Tragedy of Children’s Rights from Ben Franklin to Lionel Tate”

MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT NIXES DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS

The Michigan Supreme Court today upheld a lower court ruling that cities, counties, state universities, and other public employers cannot offer domestic partner benefits to their employees. The Court ruled that such benefits violate the state’s constitutional amendment that reads:”To … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families | Tagged | Comments Off on MICHIGAN SUPREME COURT NIXES DOMESTIC PARTNER BENEFITS

COUNCIL ON CONTEMPORARY FAMILIES

I’m just back from the annual conference of the Council on Contemporary Families  and I’m wondering why I was the only law professor there!   This is the group most dedicated to fighting the simplistic message of the right-wing marriage … Continue reading

Share
Posted in Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal Scholarship | Comments Off on COUNCIL ON CONTEMPORARY FAMILIES