Using an Intersectionality Framework to Examine Admission and Enrollment at Public Law Schools

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Abstract

The legal profession needs more diversity both among women and people of color—and particularly among women of color. This study applies an intersectionality framework to examine admissions and enrollment decisions at 25 public law schools. We estimate mixed-effect logistic regression models, using interaction terms to examine mutually exclusive categories based on gender and race. While we find that Black and Hispanic women had lower odds of being admitted than White men, Black and Hispanic women were not statistically less likely to enroll than White Men. We also find that admission and enrollment rates vary across law schools. In the full version of the paper, we discuss implications for admissions and enrollment policies and practices.

Authors

• Frank Joseph Fernandez, University of Houston

• Hyun Kyoung Ro, Bowling Green State University