In 1953, there were 11 women who received a J.D and two who received an LL.M. No women were on the faculty. In 1975, when I graduated, about 13% of the class was female. We had to stick together and support each other to survive the slightly hostile environment. There were one or two women on the faculty, but their presence was more of an accident than a breakthough. Today, in 2013, almost half of the J.D. students are women, as are more than half of the LL.M. students. Dean Martha Minow is the second woman to serve as dean. But even though three women now sit on the Supreme Court, only 15-16% of the partners in large law firms are women. Not everything has changed.
Why did I attend Celebration 60? I am retired and not interested in the networking and career enhancement opportunities. I came to see my classmates, who have become my good friends. We would see each other at class reunions every five years, and at Celebration 25, 35, 40, 45, 50, and 55. Somewhere along the way we started a tradition of having a sleepover concurrently with the HLS events. Between the reunions and the Celebrations, we got to see each other two out of every five years. This wasn't enough, and we started having our sleepovers in other locations in the non-reunion years. Our sleepovers have become legendary among alumnae of other classes, but as far as I know, our class is the only one that has created such a sorority. It has been said by more than one person that attending one of our sleepovers is like being in a Wendy Wasserstein play.
After listening to "Welcome Remarks" by the down-to-earth Martha Minow, we had a choice of panels from among three concurrent offerings. The first session I chose was called "My Brilliant but Unusual Career." The panelists included Susan Estrich, Silda Spitzer, and one of my classmates, Jamienne Studley. All of the panelists were terrific speakers and it was quite interesting to hear their stories.
For the second panel, I selected "The Diversity Among Us." Patricia Williams, also a classmate, was one of the panelists. Again, it was an interesting discussion. There was so much energy flowing through the room in both of the programs I attended, and it was especially satisfying to see so many younger women participating. Things really do seem to have improved since 1975.
Next we had a "Speed Networking Reception". I thought this would be of zero interest to me, but there was an opportunity to network with people interested in non-profits, so I actually have to commend the inclusiveness of the event organizers.
The recption was held in the newest addition to the campus, Wasserstein Hall (2012). It is a gorgeous and "green" building with clean lines and inviting spaces. Somehow it manages to harmonize with Harkness Common(1950), an ugly Bauhaus structure designed by Gropius (that has been improved since my day by interior remodeling) and also with Richardson's Romanesque Austin Hall (1883).
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| Wasserstein Hall |
Now, when I was at HLS, all of the buildings were named for prominent professors and deans. The new buildings all seem to be named for Big Donors. Wasserstein Hall is named for Big Donor Bruce Wasserstein, an alumnus and investment banker who was worth over $2.5 billion when he died suddenly in 2009 at age 61. Money can't buy everything. By the way, Wendy Wasserstein was Bruce's sister.
The final event of the day was a dinner in a huge tent set up next to Langdell Hall. The keynote speaker was Susan Cain '93, author of the bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. (This is an excellent book that questions why our academic and business institutions value extroversion so highly.) I was very interested to hear what she had to say because I liked her book so much. Let's just say she should stick to writing.
I didn't know about the Wendy Wasserstein connection! And I've always said our class of '75 group meetings were like a GOOD Wasserstein play!! (I actually don't know if she wrote any bad ones, but just in case!)
ReplyDeleteAnother area where things haven't changed as much as they should: the Harvard Law FACULTY is less than 20% women today. See http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/5/6/hls-gender-part-one/ for more. As I recall, these numbers have NOT gotten much better during Kagan's and Minow's tenures as dean. I remember distinctly one year during Kagan's time as dean where HLS hired 7 male professors and 1 woman - and seemingly no one even noticed or commented. I had started giving a little money to HLS at the beginning of Kagan's deanship (probably after Celebration 50 in 2003, right after Kagan was named dean). When I saw little to no progress in hiring women faculty, I stopped and will never give again. My charitable donations are better spent elsewhere.