Women in the United States

Introduction to Women and the Law

With the growth of the feminist movement, the published information in the subject area of women and the law has grown. Issues of labor, domestic relations, education, economics and health have always been of interest to the public and for both social and biological reasons, these have a special impact on women.

Legal Materials

Call Numbers

Not all books on a subject will find their way to a specific call number. Topics of interest and all call numbers assigned to those topics are listed below:

• Abortion K2000 and K5181
• Discrimination in Housing KF 5740
• AIDS KF 3803 and RC 607
• Domestic Relations KF 501-553 (Alimony, divorce, marriage and child custody)
• Birth Control KF 3771
• Rape KF 9329
• Consumer Credit KF 1030-1040
• Right to Die KF 3827
• Contraceptives KF 9445
• Victims of Crime KF 1313 and KF 9763
• Discrimination in Employment KF 3464
• Wife Abuse KF 9322

Directories

• Encyclopedia of Associations: This multi-volume set has a listing of organizations that may be involved with women and legal problems.
• Directory of Women’s Organization.
• Directory of Non-Traditional Training and Employment programs Serving Women
• Statistical Record of Women Worldwide. 2nd ed. Schmittroth, Linda, ed. DPL

ORGANIZATIONS OF INTEREST

• Displaced Homemakers Network National Resource Center on Women and AIDS
• Institute for the study of Matrimonial Laws / National Committee for Fair Divorce and Alimony National Women’s Law Center
• National Abortion Federation NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund
• National Center on Women & Family Law Planned Parenthood
• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Pro-Choice Defense League
• National Committee on Pay Equity Women for Racial & Economic Equality
• National Federation of Business & Professional Women Women’s Law Project
• Women’s Legal Defense Fund

JOURNALS

• Berkeley Women’s Law Journal
• Canadian Journal of Women and the Law
• Texas Journal of Women and the Law
• Women Lawyers Journal
• Women’s Rights Law Reporter

Matrilineal in the U.S. Legal History

Summary

Unlike European nations that were male-based, or patrilineal, in organization, many Native American societies structured tribal and family power and authority through women. Quite often use rights to land and personal property passed from mother to daughter, and the eldest women chose male chiefs. Matrilineal societies thus placed great importance on the capacities of women to provide for the long-term welfare of their tribes.

Finding the law: Women in the U.S. Code

A collection of general and permanent laws relating to women, passed by the United States Congress, are organized by subject matter arrangements in the United States Code (U.S.C.; this label examines women topics), to make them easy to use (usually, organized by legal areas into Titles, Chapters and Sections). The platform provides introductory material to the U.S. Code, and cross references to case law. View the U.S. Code’s table of contents here.

Resources

Further Reading

• Information about Women in the Gale Encyclopedia of American Law.
• DeCostae, F.C. Feminist Legal Literature: Selected Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland Publishers
• “Battered Women Syndrome” gaining legal recognition. 27 Trial (Apr 91) 17 (1991).
• Regulating women’s bodies: the adverse effect of fetal rights theory on childbirth decisions and women of color. 26 Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 525 (1991).
• Surviving the spouse: accommodating the wives’ concerns. 125 Trusts & Estates 29 (1986).
• The future of comparable worth: looking in new directions. 37 Syracuse Law Review 1189 (1981).

Women in the Criminal Justice System

This section covers the topics below related with Women :

Victims

Special Populations in relation with Women

Women

Women & Girls in the Justice System Spotlight

Matrilineal in the U.S. Legal History

Summary

Unlike European nations that were male-based, or patrilineal, in organization, many Native American societies structured tribal and family power and authority through women. Quite often use rights to land and personal property passed from mother to daughter, and the eldest women chose male chiefs. Matrilineal societies thus placed great importance on the capacities of women to provide for the long-term welfare of their tribes.

Resources

See Also

• Victims
• Special Populations
• Women
• Women & Girls in the Justice System Spotlight