'Race' and gender in the legal profession: Women's lived experiences of differential access and discrimination in a male-dominated profession

This study draws from seventeen in-depth, life history interviews with African American women and European American women in the legal profession. I analyze discriminatory factors impacting African American women by comparing their experiences to those of European American women. I also employed a generational analysis to further interpret the interviewees' responses. In my interviews, I reveal subtle discriminatory factors that have developed over time as a barrier to career advancement of women and which continue to exert an influence today. I use the "intersectional" framework, as introduced by Kimberle Crenshaw (1991, 2000). This approach focuses on the relationship of race, ethnicity and gender in work experiences by offering a conceptual framework for analyzing the "intersectional" operation of race, ethnicity and gender in reproducing gender and race inequalities in the profession.