Topic > Gender and Gender Stereotypes - 1475

Sexism is alive and well in the courtroom, even when there are so many women in the justice system, the problem still exists. In the past, it was difficult for women to work as prosecutors because they were mostly assigned to juvenile cases, drafting appeals, or assisting trial lawyers. Female prosecutors are known to face sexism from defense lawyers, experts and judges, nicknames such as “little lady”, “young lady”, “lawyer” were labels given to female prosecutors. Additionally, some prosecutors have been accused of dressing inappropriately in court, false accusations intended to distract from the trial. Sexism in the criminal justice system exists just like any other profession, women have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously and complete the same job as their male counterparts. The bias against female prosecutors impacts her clients, cases and causes. A trial could be lost or won just because of sexual bias. In the media, female prosecutor characters are stereotyped as employees who work in tight clothing to expose their bodies. Their characters are generally caustic and vindictive and show the difficulties women face in finding a balance between work and personal life. Many themes are introduced into the characters of female attorneys, such as: personal/professional