Gender Stereotypes in Law and Women’s Work

The issue of gender stereotypes in contemporary law is not a novel question and may be addressed following the approach of feminist legal critique. This process requires examining the persistence of discriminatory structures within legal practices and engaging in further reflection in order to deconstruct the sexist forms and methods embedded in the law. This essay will first summarize the feminist legal critique of stereotypes, focusing on their discriminatory function. It will then explore the invisibilization of women’s work as a case study, examining how gender stereotypes have historically influenced and continue to influence law broadly—not merely in judicial decisions or jurisprudential practices—and how they are constantly repositioned and redefined.