This comprehensive survey sheds light on law faculty views regarding law school realities and policies concerning discrimination in hiring, tenure, assignments, and the desirability and effectiveness of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The study gives hard data, based on a survey of 134 law school faculty from more than 80 law schools in the USA and Canada, about the level and kind of discrimination found in law schools today. The report enables its readers to track with precise data the extent to which faculty feel that discrimination based on gender, age, sexual preference, ideological affiliation, religiosity and religion and other factors, are problems at their law schools.
Faculty also opine on the desirability of DEI programs, and comment on how they feel their law schools should promote, limit, eliminate or expand such programs. Data in the report is broken down by a broad number of personal and institutional variables such as gender, academic title, number of courses taught, age, political convictions, approximate law school ranking and other factors. Readers can compare data from male and female faculty on the perception of gender bias for or against women, or for or against men – and make many other variable based comparisons. For law school administrators, the report will help them to spot problem areas and emerging issues.
Just a few of the Key Findings from this 89 page report are:
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Approximately 75% of faculty disagree with the elimination of diversity programs, while 13.5% believe they should be eliminated.
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Emeritus faculty and those over age 60 are more likely than others to oppose DEI programs.
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Only 10.5% of faculty felt that men had a gender-based advantage in hiring, promotion, assignment, and tenure decisions, with 21.64% unsure.
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Interestingly, 24% of Assistant/Associate professors felt men had an advantage, while less than 3% of those over age 60 felt the same.
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The majority (64.93%) believes transgender individuals at their law school are generally not discriminated against. However, 14.18% feel they are occasionally discriminated against.
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Reports of discrimination related to political beliefs are significant, with 23.13% feeling it is a problem at their law school. This perception is highest among full professors and faculty under-age 40.