Gender, Culture, and the Legal Profession: A Traffic Jam at the Intersection

Abstract

The legal profession is an old and conservative one, which has had difficulty addressing diversity and inclusion, particularly in relation to gender. In this article, the issue of gender, culture, and the legal profession is tackled from two complementary perspectives: Tuanh Nguyen shares her journey as both an Asian Australian and a female in the law, while Reynah Tang reflects on the state of cultural diversity in the Australian legal profession and the reasons for the lack of such diversity. It is argued that the legal profession cannot wait for gender diversity to be solved, but rather that it is vital that cultural diversity be considered in parallel, and that concrete action be taken to address the barriers that exist. It should be acknowledged that this article examines cultural diversity from an Asian Australian perspective, but such issues are not restricted to people from Asian cultural backgrounds, as evidenced by the lack of diverse representation across racial/ethnic groups, and the formation of associations focused on promoting cultural diversity for Hellenic, Italian, Muslim, and French lawyers.