FAMILY, PLACE, AND CAREER - THE GENDER PARADOX IN LAW-SCHOOL HIRING

The percentage of women on law school faculties grew steadily during t he last two decades. Women, however, still begin teaching at significa ntly lower ranks than men and are significantly less likely than men t o obtain jobs at the most elite schools. Observers often blame these d iscrepancies on women's commitment to their families and on their unwi llingness to relocate for academic appointments. Drawing upon data obt ained from 738 law school professors who began tenure-track appointmen ts between the fall of 1986 and spring of 1991, the Authors of this Ar ticle demonstrate that neither family ties nor geographic constraints fully explain women's failure to attain the most prestigious law schoo l positions. In addition, they show that family ties and mobility rest raints often are associated with positive career outcomes for men-a re lationship overlooked by most prior researchers. These findings sugges t that the glass ceiling in academia is not simply a meld of family co mmitments and geographic limits. Instead, the effects of gender, famil y ties, and mobility constraints on law school hiring are far more com plex than previously thought.