January 6, 2016

Sneddon on Gender Bias in the Language of Wills

Karen J. Sneddon, Mercer Law School, is publishing Not Your Mother's Will: Gender, Language, and Wills, in volume 98 of the Marquette Law Review (Summer 2015). Here is the abstract.
“Boys will be boys, but girls must be young ladies” is an echoing patriarchal refrain from the past. Formal equality has not produced equality in all areas, as demonstrated by the continuing wage gap. Gender bias lingers and can be identified in language. This Article focuses on Wills, one of the oldest forms of legal documents, to explore the intersection of gender and language. With conceptual antecedents in pre-history, written Wills found in Ancient Egyptian tombs embody the core characteristics of modern Wills. The past endows the drafting and implementation of Wills with a wealth of traditions and experiences. The past, however, also entombs patriarchal notions inappropriate in Wills of today. This article explores the language of the Will to parse the historical choices that remain relevant choices for today and the vestiges of a patriarchal past that should be avoided.
. Download the article from SSRN at the link.

No comments: