Decriminalizing Domestic Violence asks the crucial, yet often overlooked, question of why and how the criminal legal system became the primary response to intimate partner violence in the United States. It introduces readers, both new and well versed in the subject, to the ways in which the criminal legal system harms rather than helps those who are subjected to abuse and violence in their homes and communities, and shares how it drives, rather than deters, intimate partner violence. The book examines how social, legal, and financial resources are diverted into a criminal legal apparatus that is often unable to deliver justice or safety to victims or to prevent intimate partner violence in the first place. Envisioned for both courses and research topics in domestic violence, family violence, gender and law, and sociology of law, the book challenges readers to understand intimate partner violence not solely, or even primarily, as a criminal law concern but as an economic, public health, community, and human rights problem. It also argues that only by viewing intimate partner violence through these lenses can we develop a balanced policy agenda for addressing it. At a moment when we are examining our national addiction to punishment, Decriminalizing Domestic Violence offers a thoughtful, pragmatic roadmap to real reform.

This book is a step-by-step estate planning guide for gay couples and lesbian couples. There are individual chapters about estate plans for couples with minor children; couples with adult children; and couples without children. If you already have an estate plan, use the book to evaluate if your estate plan is up-to-date or if changes are necessary. Some of the topics included are: wills don't avoid probate; beneficiary designations supersede wills; a power of attorney terminates when you die; always name an alternate power of attorney; estate taxes (updated to include 2013 estate tax law); a properly funded living trust will avoid probate; how to pick an estate planning attorney; and how a living trust differs from living wills. Forms There are no do-it-yourself legal forms, but there are 10 forms and checklists for download (included in the price of the book)which make estate planning comprehensive, efficient and easy. A Personal Note from the Author "Although I've been an estate planning and probate attorney for 30 years, I'm really in the Peace of Mind business. Once you have your affairs in order, you and your partner will have made things as easy as possible for your loved ones and you will achieve peace of mind. But there's an even better reason - when you have your affairs in order, you've also made things as easy as possible for your partner."

In recent decades, laws and workplace policies have emerged that seek to address the "balance" between work and family. Millions of women in the U.S. take some time off when they give birth or adopt a child, making use of "family-friendly" laws and policies in order to spend time recuperating and to initiate a bond with their children. The Balance Gap traces the paths individual women take in understanding and invoking work/life balance laws and policies. Conducting in-depth interviews with women in two distinctive workplace settings-public universities and the U.S. military-Sarah Cote Hampson uncovers how women navigate the laws and the unspoken cultures of their institutions. Activists and policymakers hope that family-friendly law and policy changes will not only increase women's participation in the workplace, but also help women experience greater workplace equality. As Hampson shows, however, these policies and women's abilities to understand and utilize them have fallen short of fully alleviating the tensions that women across the nation are still grappling with as they try to reconcile their work and family responsibilities.

Universally considered to be pathbreaking, landmark, original, and provocative since its first edition was published three decades ago, "Women in Law" continues to provide a sociological and historical analysis of the overt and subtle ceilings placed on women in the legal profession in their various roles. It is a foundational work for departments of gender studies, law, and sociology - but also reads as accessible and interesting to a general audience.

Adding a new foreword by Stanford's Deborah Rhode, the thirtieth anniversary edition of this classic book reports countless revealing interviews, war stories, and inside glimpses of the many professional roles that women inhabit: lawyers, judges, professors, leaders, and backroom labor. It also brings vividly to life the candid - and sometimes cringeworthy - assessments by male lawyers and judges about the changes to the profession ushered in by the increasing entry of women to the lawyers' club.

Part of the "Classics of Law & Society" Series from Quid Pro, "Women in Law" is recognized as within the canon of its field, and now is available in a modern paperback format. It features embedded page numbers from the previous print editions (to facilitate referencing, classroom assignment, and continuity with the new ebook editions), as well as all the original tables and figures.

"From the new Foreword: "

"When Cynthia Fuchs Epstein published her pathbreaking account of "Women in Law," their status in the profession was separate and anything but equal.... Over the last three decades, much has changed but too much has remained the same. Now, about half of new lawyers in the United States are women and they are fairly evenly distributed across substantive areas. Yet significant gender disparities persist. Women constitute about a third of the lawyers in large firms, but only about 17 percent of equity partners. Attrition rates are almost twice as high among female associates as among comparable male associates.... When Epstein published "Women in Law," part of what attracted its widespread acclaim was its originality; it was among the first in what has now become a rich literature on gender and diversity in the profession. Indeed, the fact that the book is being reissued testifies not only to its enduring scholarly value, but also to the attention that the issue now commands.... Her book helped inspire that movement, and our profession remains deeply in her debt." - Deborah L. RhodeErnest W. McFarland Professor of Law, Stanford Law School

"Impressive ... a story which the legal world can read with no legal pride and which others will read with substantial interest." - "New York Times Book Review" (reviewing the first edition)

"Little did I know that my intimidation by senior officers in the UNDP had only just begun." Fouzia Saeed dreamed of bringing social change to the women of Pakistan and was thrilled to land her dream job at the world's ethical compass and institutional tour de force: The United Nations. As expected, the UN was a gathering place for passionate minds devoted to human rights and justice for all. Shockingly, at the UN mission in Pakistan it was also a breeding ground for powerful men who viewed women as sexual objects rather than professional equals. Refusing her boss's advances didn't stop the harassment. Reporting him to superiors didn't either. In her years-long struggle with torment and humiliation at the UN, Fouzia held strong, knowing her fight for women's rights was the only thing that could keep her going. But how do you fight for others' rights when you cannot even take hold of your own? Can you ever change a culture that views sexual harassment by a man as a woman's crime? Fouzia and a group of female colleagues, who similarly suffered in the workplace, gained the courage to risk their reputations. They filed a joint compliant and promptly found themselves under attack by their managers who aligned with the perpetrator in an effort to crush their case. Working with Sharks follows eleven indestructible women and the case that sparked a national movement and culminated in the passage of legislation that made sexual harassment a crime in Pakistan in 2010. Inspirational and poignant, Working with Sharks encourages women in any part of the world to find their voice and stand up to sexual harassment.

This work is a systematic analysis of the subject of disability and society as encountered in institutions of higher learning in Kenya. Experiences of women students with disabilities in Kenyan universities demonstrates that marginalization of people with disabilities is an insidious reality in virtually all societies. Across Africa, dialogue on discrimination against individuals with disability has for a long time been silenced resulting into minimal participation and representation of this population in the political, social, cultural, and economic and development initiatives in the continent. Only a few texts have examined the question of disability and the status of people with disabilities in Africa and more so, with reference to gender and higher education. Filing this gap, this book discusses the experiences of women students with disabilities in university education in Kenya. It analyzes the challenges these women face and how they deal with those challenges. There is evidence of ableim in Kenyan higher education institutions and in the society as a whole. Individuals, government and societal institutions should work together to address ableism and promote an inclusive society.

What others say

Disability is not inability. This cutting edge text reveals that although women students with disabilities in Kenyan universities face numerous challenges, they are determined to succeed. The desire to lead a better life is the glue that gives these women the determination to challenge their subjugated positions in society. This book provides important recommendations for policy, practice and research which Kenya and other African nations can learn from to change things for the better. It is an important and timely read to be enjoyed by everyone. - " Chris Atuti, Toronto, Canada."

This book brings us in touch with the lives of women, and their struggles, so as to inspire the collective need to address disability in more thought provoking ways. Skilfully, Bathseba depicts the complexity of living with disability through her ethnographic account of twenty women students in Kenyan universities. Through this unique research and analysis, the reader comes to know that every experience of disability needs to be understood as a fully social, political, and historical, not to mention valid, way of being-in-the-world. Bathseba has produced a book that is a must read for anyone interested in exploring education as it is interwoven with the meanings of race, gender, class and disability in and through the Kenyan context - " Dr. Tanya Titchkosky Associate Professor, Associate Chair, and Graduate Coordinator, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto."

This book is an outstanding sociological exploration of gender, disability and higher education in the African context. The women's stories come alive in this brilliant and sensitive interpretation of challenges and accomplishments of women students with disabilities in Kenyan universities. By giving voice to those who are rarely heard, Bathseba contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the student experience. - ." Sandra Acker, Professor Emeritus, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto."

About the Author

Bathseba Opini teaches at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and the African Studies Program, University of Toronto. She is the author of the Children's Book "Africans Thought of It: Amazing Innovations" (with Richard Lee). Her other published works can be found in the " International Journal of Inclusive Education, " the " Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research and the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability."

The recognition of the capacity of women entrepreneurs in our global community is no longer a matter of debate, but a realisation that female entrepreneurship is now forming one of the major factors contributing to the development of many countries, and not just countries in transition. Most women entrepreneurs are seen to be more realistic about their commercial prodigies and often make attempts to develop them within a family environment, while men gravitate more towards developing business hierarchies with defined rules and working business procedures. Women in Business: Theory, Practice and Flexible Approaches is a practical book that provides support and practical planning tools to guide both established and aspiring female entrepreneurs. Because self-employment and entrepreneurial activities are decisions that cannot be taken lightly, a number of checklists and tests which could be used to make entrepreneurial decision-making processes easier and more effective are discussed within the framework of feminist theories. Professor Mirjana Radoviae Markoviae - is professor and researcher in the field of Entrepreneurship. She is an author of ten books devoted to business management and entrepreneurship. Professor Radovic holds a Degree in Economics, a Masters Degree in Theoretical Economy and a Ph.D. in Economics from Belgrade University. She has served as guest lecturer at a number of universities, foundations and institutes in Moscow, The Hague, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, St. Paul, Atlanta, Portland, and New Orleans. She has twice won scholarships from the United Nations for her studies in Russia and India. Dr Imani Silver Kyaruzi, an Entrepreneurship and Economic Development analyst, holds a Ph.D. in Economic Geography and Entrepreneurship from The University of Birmingham, an MBA in Entrepreneurship from Birmingham City University and BA (Hons) degree from The University of Wolverhampton. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in Entrepreneurship and Management at London Graduate School of Management. He is also Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Kragujevac, Serbia. He is the editor of African Businesses and Economic Growth: Institutions, Firms, Practices and Policy. His works on entrepreneurship and local economic growth have been published in English and Swahili. His main research interests include entrepreneurship and SME developmen

While feminist legal scholarship has thrived within universities and in some sectors of legal practice, it has yet to have much impact within the judiciary or on judicial thinking. Thus, while feminist legal scholarship has generated comprehensive critiques of existing legal doctrine, there has been little opportunity to test or apply feminist knowledge in practice, in decisions in individual cases. In this book, a group of feminist legal scholars put theory into practice in judgment form, by writing the 'missing' feminist judgments in key cases. The cases chosen are significant decisions in English law across a broad range of substantive areas. The cases originate from a variety of levels but are primarily opinions of the Court of Appeal or the House of Lords. In some instances they are written in a fictitious appeal, but in others they are written as an additional concurring or dissenting judgment in the original case, providing a powerful illustration of the way in which the case could have been decided differently, even at the time it was heard. Each case is accompanied by a commentary which renders the judgment accessible to a non-specialist audience. The commentary explains the original decision, its background and doctrinal significance, the issues it raises, and how the feminist judgment deals with them differently. The books also includes chapters examining the theoretical and conceptual issues raised by the process and practice of feminist judging, and by the judgments themselves, including the possibility of divergent feminist approaches to legal decision-making. From the foreword by Lady Hale 'Reading this book ought to be a chastening experience for any judge who believes himself or herself to be both true to their judicial oath and a neutral observer of the world...If lawyers and judges like me have so much to learn from reading this book, then surely other, more sceptical, lawyers and judges have even more to learn...other scholars, and not only feminists, must also be fascinated by the window it opens onto the process of judicial reasoning: not the straightforward, predetermined march from A to B of popular belief, but something altogether more complicated and uncertain. And anyone will find it a very good read.'

The book is about abuses of the domestic violence laws. I am an attorney in Pennsylvania. I was a victim of domestic violence. As a former victim of Domestic Violence, any violence makes me sad. As a conscientious attorney, the widespread abuse of the Domestic Violence Laws makes me sick. Victims of domestic violence need help! They need more shelters and more counselors. They need a criminal justice system that will punish the abusers and put them in jail! HOWEVER, this has to be done through the criminal justice system and through due process. It has to be taken out of civil court. Men's rights have to be protected as well as the women's rights. The current system is being seriously abused and the potential for continuing abuse is astronomical! Vindictive women and unscrupulous attorneys have made a total mockery out of the current system and way too many innocent men are serving a "life sentence" because of it!

Pacific Colony, a Southern California institution established to care for the "feebleminded," justified the incarceration, sterilization, and forced mutilation of some of the most vulnerable members of society from the 1920s through the 1950s. Institutional records document the convergence of ableism and racism in Pacific Colony. Analyzing a vast archive, Natalie Lira reveals how political concerns over Mexican immigration-particularly ideas about the low intelligence, deviant sexuality, and inherent criminality of the "Mexican race"-shaped decisions regarding the treatment and reproductive future of Mexican-origin patients. Laboratory of Deficiency documents the ways Mexican-origin people sought out creative resistance to institutional control and offers insight into how race, disability, and social deviance have been called upon to justify the confinement and reproductive constraint of certain individuals in the name of public health and progress.

Did you know: women are 59% more likely than men to receive an incorrect diagnosis when experiencing heart attack. Or: women are more susceptible to pain medications than men, leading to higher rates of addiction because doctors simply prescribe pain medication in the same way. Or: among alcoholics, women are almost 100% more likely to die due to alcohol-related diseases than men are? In a field that, for millennia, has been dominated by men. The vast majority of medicines and treatments that we use today were designed for, and by, men and the myth that medicine is gender-neutral has had terrible repercussions for women. In THIS WON'T HURT, Dr Marieke Bigg takes a deep dive into all the ways medicine is not gender neutral, using stories and experiences to demonstrate how these flawed mindsets have paved the way for sub-par treatment, and how prevailing attitudes in a patriarchal world can have unexpected effects far downstream. From sex and reproduction, to female bones and female pain, Marieke explores how women's bodies have been ignored, misunderstood and misdiagnosed, and asks the fundamental question: How can we make sure we do better? Blending fascinating examples with historical and cultural context, and with an eye to a better future, THIS WON'T HURT is a must-read for anyone committed to making this world safe to navigate for all.

"Feminist Legal Theory" is just over a decade old in the United States and is even younger in most other countries. Here, Francis Olsen presents the best articles from within this burgeoning field. Drawing on literature which is extremely rich and varied, these volumes include articles from a range leading legal scholars and feminists. Two volumes.

An innovative collaboration between academics, practitioners, activists and artists, this timely and provocative book rewrites 16 significant Scots law cases, spanning a range of substantive topics, from a feminist perspective. Exposing power, politics and partiality, feminist judges provide alternative accounts that bring gender equity concerns to the fore, whilst remaining bound by the facts and legal authorities encountered by the original court. Paying particular attention to Scotland's distinctive national identity, fluctuating experiences of political sovereignty, and unique legal traditions and institutions, this book contributes in a distinctive register to the emerging dialogue amongst feminist judgment projects across the globe. Its judgments address concerns not only about gender equality, but also about the interplay between gender, class, national identity and citizenship in contemporary Scotland. The book also showcases unique contributions from leading artists which, provoked by the enterprise of feminist judging, or by individual cases, offer a visceral and affective engagement with the legal. The book will be of interest to academics, practitioners and students of Scots law, policy-makers, as well as to scholars of feminist and critical theory, and law and gender, internationally.

Both lionized and vilified, Claire L'Heureux-Dube has shaped the Canadian legal landscape - and in particular its highest court. Only the second woman on the Supreme Court of Canada, L'Heureux-Dube anchored her approach to cases in their social, economic, and political context. This compelling biography takes a similar tack, tracing the experience of a francophone woman within the male-dominated Quebec legal profession - and within the primarily anglophone world of the Supreme Court. In the process, Constance Backhouse enhances our understanding of the Canadian judiciary, the creation of law, the Quebec socio-legal environment, and the nation's top court.

What Women Want is a trenchant examination of the struggle for women's equality, and a prescription for what to focus on next in order to ensure maximum success. Feminism today is a movement that lacks leadership, unity, and definition, and it has gotten stuck in a boom and bust cycle when it comes to public opinion and action. Despite significant progress over the last fifty years, equality is still a distant goal in the political, social, and economic spheres. Only by identifying the barriers (both internal and external) that remain, Deborah Rhode argues, can we begin to identify solutions. A rigorously researched and well-written answer to the glut of gender-related books that have come onto the market recently, What Women Want comprehensively analyzes the challenges the feminist movement faces today. Combining sharp academic analysis and interviews with notable figures such as Sheryl Sandberg, Rhode focuses on five main topics: employment issues such as pay discrimination, work-life balance and the government's pitiful response, the assault on women's reproductive rights and the limits it places on their economic mobility, sexual harassment and violence, and the detrimental effect that the unfashionable label "feminist" can have, especially in attracting young women to the movement. Despite these formidable obstacles, the goals and principles of feminism are widely accepted by the American mainstream, and Rhode, herself a pathbreaker in the fields of law and education, offers effective strategies for redefining and advancing the feminist agenda, thereby creating a movement that truly recognizes, and is responsive to, what all women want.

Women's Legal Landmarks commemorates the centenary of women's admission in 1919 to the legal profession in the UK and Ireland by identifying key legal landmarks in women's legal history. Over 80 authors write about landmarks that represent a significant achievement or turning point in women's engagement with law and law reform. The landmarks cover a wide range of topics, including matrimonial property, the right to vote, prostitution, surrogacy and assisted reproduction, rape, domestic violence, FGM, equal pay, abortion, image-based sexual abuse, and the ordination of women bishops, as well as the life stories of women who were the first to undertake key legal roles and positions. Together the landmarks offer a scholarly intervention in the recovery of women's lost history and in the development of methodology of feminist legal history as well as a demonstration of women's agency and activism in the achievement of law reform and justice.

Pacific Colony, a Southern California institution established to care for the "feebleminded," justified the incarceration, sterilization, and forced mutilation of some of the most vulnerable members of society from the 1920s through the 1950s. Institutional records document the convergence of ableism and racism in Pacific Colony. Analyzing a vast archive, Natalie Lira reveals how political concerns over Mexican immigration-particularly ideas about the low intelligence, deviant sexuality, and inherent criminality of the "Mexican race"-shaped decisions regarding the treatment and reproductive future of Mexican-origin patients. Laboratory of Deficiency documents the ways Mexican-origin people sought out creative resistance to institutional control and offers insight into how race, disability, and social deviance have been called upon to justify the confinement and reproductive constraint of certain individuals in the name of public health and progress.

If you say nothing, the system is working. It took Julie Macfarlane a lifetime to say the words out loud-the words that finally broke the calm and traveled farther than she could have imagined. In this clear-eyed account, she confronts her own silence and deeply rooted trauma to chart a remarkable course from sexual abuse victim to agent of change. Going Public merges the worlds of personal and professional, activism and scholarship. Drawing upon decades of legal training, Macfarlane decodes the well-worn methods used by church, school, and state to silence survivors, from first reporting to cross-examination to non-disclosure agreements. At the same time, she lays bare the isolation and exhaustion of going public in her own life, as she takes her abuser to court, challenges her colleagues, and weathers a defamation lawsuit. The result is far more than a memoir. It's a courageous and essential blueprint for going toe-to-toe with the powers behind institutional abuse and protectionism. Macfarlane's experiences bring her to the most important realization of her life: that no one but she can make the decision to stand up and speak about what happened to her.

Focusing on femicide, this book provides a contemporary re-evaluation of Carol Smart's innovative approach to the law question as first outlined in her ground-breaking book, Feminism and the Power of Law (Routledge 1989). Smart advocated turning to the legal domain not so much for demanding law reforms as construing it as a site on which to contest gender and more particularly, gendered constructions of women's experiences. Over the last 30 to 40 years, feminist law scholars and activists have launched scathing trans-jurisdictional critiques of the operation of provocation defences in hundreds of femicide cases. The evidence unearthed by feminist scholars that these defences operate in profoundly sexed ways is unequivocal. Accordingly, femicide cases have become critically important sites for feminist engagement and intervention across numerous jurisdictions. Exploring an area of criminal law that was not one of Smart's own focal concerns, this book both honours and extends Smart's work by approaching femicide as a site of engagement and counter-discourse that calls into question hegemonic representations of gendered relationships. Femicide cases thus provide a way to continue the endlessly valuable discursive work Smart advocated and practised in other fields of law: both in articulating alternative accounts of gendered relationships and in challenging law's power to disqualify women's experiences of violence while privileging men's feelings and rights.