The Status of Women’s Representation in American Law School Faculty

The Association of American Law Schools and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago have recently released the American Law School Faculty Study, providing a snapshot of the demographics and characteristics of law teaching and law faculty today.

In an analysis of 117 law schools and 1,890 faculty during the fall 2023 semester, the study authors found the majority of law school faculty who have 20 years of teaching experience or less are women. Among professors who have more than 20 years, but less than 30 years of academic experience, women and men’s representation is on par. However, there is a large disparity among the most senior level law professors, with women representing only a third of law faculty with over three decades of academic experience. The study also found that women law school faculty are more likely to hold clinical or legal writing positions.

Despite their majority representation among early to mid-career faculty, women law professors comprise only 42 percent of tenured faculty positions. On average, the majority of tenured law professors included in the study earned tenure within five to seven years. However, the study found tenured women law professors were significantly less likely than their male peers to have earned tenure within four years (13 percent versus 21 percent) and more likely to have earned tenure after seven years (26 percent versus 16 percent).

The highlights from the American Law School Faculty Study can be accessed here. The complete version is available for purchase here.