First published in 1998, this book explores the links between theories of feminism and the practice of law, and does so through an examination of a number of contemporary themes in feminist legal studies.

Part 1. Perspectives on Sex, Gender and the Legal Profession. 1. The Gendering of the Professional Subject: Commitment, Choice and Social Closure in the Legal Profession. Hilary Sommerlad. 2. (Un)Sexy Bodies: the Making of Professional Legal Masculinities. Richard Collier. Part 2. Interdisciplinary and Theoretical Perspectives. 3. Fabled explanations of Bias. Katherine O’Donovan. 4. When Mercy Seasons Justice: Shakespeare’s Woman Lawyer. Ian Ward. 5. Rape Law: Harbouring an Implicit Relation between Law and Psychology. Fiona E. Raitt and M. Suzanne Zeedyk. 6. The Business of Equality. Clare McGlynn. Part 3. International, European and Comparative Perspectives. 7. Contextualising International Women’s Rights: Canadian Feminism, Race and Culture. David S. Berry. 8. Women and Water Law: from Theory to Practice. Elizabeth A. Kirk and Jenny A. Tooze. 9. Women’s Law and Cultural Understandings of Gender in Finland. Any Pylkkänen. 10. Special Protection of Women’s Rights in China. Junping He. 11. A Place for Maternity in the European Union. Eugenia Caracciolo di Torella. 12. The Construction of Women in the Non-Consensual Sterilisation Debate: Why a Feminist Analysis is Needed. Mary Donnelly.