LAW 5610 Sex and Gender Issues in the Workplace

This course examines the relationship between gender and law, exploring how legal institutions, policies, and social norms have historically reinforced and, at times, challenged gender inequality. Using contemporary and historical legal materials, students will study the laws and legal doctrines that shape gender roles, distribute power and opportunity, and influence individual autonomy. The course considers gender across multiple legal contexts, including constitutional law, employment, education, family law, sexual autonomy, reproductive rights, violence, and poverty. A central feature of the course is the examination of five influential theoretical frameworks used to analyze gender and law: formal equality, substantive equality, nonsubordination, difference, and autonomy. Students will evaluate how each framework defines gender justice, what assumptions it makes about sex and gender, and how it shapes legal responses to issues involving discrimination, equality, identity, and freedom. The course also introduces contemporary debates concerning gender identity, sexuality, intersectionality, masculinities, and the evolving understanding of equality in American law. Throughout the term, students will analyze judicial opinions, statutes, scholarly commentary, and policy arguments while considering both the promise and limitations of law as a tool for achieving gender justice.

Credits

3