Are We There Yet?: Progress Toward Gender-Neutral Legal Education

Abstract

Although men and women enter law school at the same rate with similar credentials, studies demonstrate that men consistently outperform women in law school. This Article examines whether the performance gap present at other top law schools exists between men and women at Boston College Law School (BC Law). Analysis of admissions data, performance statistics, and results from a 2010 survey tend to demonstrate that women at BC Law defy traditional statistics, performing just as well as their male counterparts, if not better. This Article posits that BC Law’s promotion of a collegial and collaborative learning environment may be linked to the narrowed gap in gender experience. Though women are well served by BC Law, it is not perfect. This Article proposes changes that can be implemented by BC Law, and other law schools around the country, to level the playing field for female law students.