P139. Women in Legal Professions

• In Event: Poster Session & Ice Cream Social

Abstract

This poster presentation explores the representation of women in legal professions in Ghana and the United States, drawing on fieldwork conducted during an undergraduate study abroad trip and a comprehensive literature review. Our findings highlight significant differences in female representation at all stages of the criminal legal system. Ghana has a higher percentage of women in legal professions compared to the US. A key example is that Ghana's Supreme Court is currently led by a woman for the third time, while the US has never had an official female Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. During our study abroad trip, the female Chief Justice shared that she feels supported by her male colleagues in her leadership role and her efforts to promote gender justice. At the Circuit Court level in Ghana, there are currently 37 female judges and 40 male judges, making the gender distribution nearly equal. In contrast, women make up only about 36 percent of sitting Circuit Court judges in the US. This poster analyzes these disparities and discusses the potential impact of such gender representations on future generations.

Authors

• Schaefer Brown, California State University, Sacramento

• Stephanie Guardado, California State University, Sacramento