Feminisation of the legal profession in Malta : an analysis of the impact of the female lawyers in a predominantly male profession

Abstract

The history of women lawyers is a powerful story of discrimination, integration and women's search of equality and autonomy all over the world. Some may say that women lawyers are distinct from women in all other professions. The legal sphere is one of the most engendered profession closed to women and especially difficult to integrate because of sexual discrimination? As lawyers, women encounter various barriers in their careers that hinder and prevent them from full participation in the work, responsibilities and rewards of the profession. The issues in this long essay are concerned with whether women who enter the profession should conform to a "male" model of what it means to be a legal professional. Or perhaps the profession will innovate and adapt to new, previously excluded entrants who may have new perspectives to offer on how the practice of law can be conducted