Systematic gender disparities in legal clerks recruitment
Despite forming almost half of the law school graduates, women account for only 18% of the clerkships.
Within the last decade, there has been dramatic decrease in female access to participation in the country’s legal system. In fact, in last 12 years, this is the first time that the number of clerks is in single digit (7 out of 37), and more importantly, the case is even distressing considering that today there are at least 4,000 more female students graduating from law schools!
Volokh Conspiracy comments:
Is the cause possible differences in innate intelligence at the tail ends of the bell curve (what I'd heard called the idiot-genius syndrome, which leads men to be overrepresented both among the very low-IQ and the very high-IQ)? Sex discrimination in law school classes (whether on the exam or before) or in hiring? Social pressures that push some women away from law school? Differences in innate ambition? Social pressures that lead men to be more ambitious than women (for instance, because less ambitious men face more condemnation from parents, peers, or prospective girlfriends than do less ambitious women, or because more ambitious women face more such condemnation than more ambitious men)? The tendency of women to marry at a somewhat younger age than men, coupled with a tendency of married people to on average be less likely than single people to move? (Moving is often needed to get the prestigious appellate clerkship that can help lead to a Supreme Court clerkship.) The greater tendency of women than men to have spouses or lovers who aren't easily movable, which may again make it less likely that women would move to get the prestigious appellate clerkship? A combination of some or all of the above?
(please click on the image)
Prettier Than Napoleon who originally asked the question provided some empirical data from a commenter regarding the number of men and women in Justices’ clerk hiring through 2006-2006:
* Justice Breyer: 13 men, 15 women
* Justice Stevens: 16 men, 12 women
* Justice Thomas: 16 men, 12 women
* Justice Ginsburg: 16 men, 12 women
* Justice O'Connor: 14 men, 10 women
* Justice Souter: 18 men, 10 women
* Chief Justice Rehnquist: 13 men, 5 women
* Justice Kennedy: 25 men, 3 women
* Justice Scalia: 26 men, 2 women
Some reflections needed for Kennedy and Scalia here..
Bookmark: 
