Introduction

• Jurisdiction: New Hampshire,United States
• Citation: Vol. 51 No. 1 Pg. 0006
• Publication year: 2010
• Pages: 0006
• Year: 2010

New Hampshire Bar Journal 2010.

2010 Summer, Pg. 6. Introduction

New Hampshire Bar Journal
Volume 51, No. 1
Summer 2010

Introduction

By Attorney Beth A. Deragon

The New Hampshire Bar Association's Gender Equality Committee (GEC) latest 10-year survey sought to poll the widest population in its quest to assure that any conclusions reached and inferences drawn were well supported by the results obtained. For the first time, the survey was made available electronically to all members of the NH Bar, including the judiciary. While the average response rate for surveys of this type is approximately 25 percent, we were fortunate to gain a 35 percent response rate that was evenly split between the genders. In order to ensure the integrity of the process and of the results, the GEC did not collect or interpret the raw data; rather, a professional survey firm conducted the survey and an economist, Dennis Delay, synthesized and analyzed the raw data and presented the results to the GEC.

In addition to our presentation of the survey results, this issue provides a fuller picture of issues involving women and the profession in New Hampshire. While we are closer than ever before to the ultimate goal of equality, the articles in this issue, recounting stories by more experienced female judges and lawyers, describe acts of disrespect and inequality that while predictable then, rarely exist today. Data from this survey shows an almost negligible amount of such overt conduct. If all this is so, why should the GEC continue to exist? Sadly, the survey also revealed patterns of...