As the 80th anniversary of the Women's Law Association
of Ontario comes to an end all women lawyers in the province of Ontario
can be proud of our accomplishments over the near past century. To
commemorate our history Women's Law is having an 80th anniversary
dinner on January 14, 2000 with special guest speaker Madam Justice
Louise Arbour. We expect that evening to be a very special event and
are extremely pleased that Madam Justice Arbour will join us in celebrating
Women's Law. Women's Law is also commissioning a special historical
essay on the activities and accomplishments of Women's Law over the
years and is soliciting bequests for a foundation to fund special
projects.
We salute the
10th anniversary of the Ottawa Chapter of WLAO where Kathleen Fawcett
is the local Chair and we cheerfully announce the creation of a
new Women's law chapter in London under the leadership of Maura
Helsdon.
At one time
every women lawyer in Ontario was a member of Women's Law. Approximately
10% of the provinces approximately 6000 women lawyers are on our
membership lists. Today there are number of organizations across
Ontario which focus on various issues of concern to women lawyers.
The challenge for Women's Law in the upcoming century is to regain
that focus and solidarity among women lawyers in the province.
While the accomplishments
of women in the legal profession are numerous, the failure of the
profession to welcome women lawyers into its hierarchical structures
remains a major challenge. On the whole, female lawyers earn significantly
less than male lawyers and the number of women in positions of influence
is proportionately low. We only need to review the low numbers of
women as partners in law firms, in senior positions in corporations,
amongst the judiciary and and elected as benchers of the Law Society.
The high numbers of women who leave the profession after law school
are staggering. Do we know why? Women lawyers from diverse backgrounds
and smaller communities are particularly marginalized. How shall
we include their interests in our legal associations?
The profession
could show more interest in issues related to maternity leave and
child care responsibilities and gendered perspectives. We need courageous
and innovative leadership supported by a informed membership. There
is today, as in 1919, a need for a strong coordinated approach to
issues effecting women lawyers in this province. We believe that
the WLAO is uniquely suited to advancing the professional, practice
and equity interests of all women lawyers in Ontario.
An Anticipatory
Happy New Century and Millennium!
Barb Hendrickson
|
