Historical Perspective
Historically women were not allowed in the legal field at all, even to vote or serve as a juror. Only two years after they received the right to vote, they broke into the legal field in a big way when Florence Ellinwood Allen became the first female to become a state supreme court judge. It took 37 years for the next female to make it into this position. The journey has been slow, stilted, but they are currently being appointed at close to the same percentages as men. The first female did not become a Supreme Court Justice until 81, the second until 93, and there have only been 2 more since. There has been progress with appointments growing, but it still has a long way to go because of discrimination and views of female judges.