TEXAS JOURNAL OF WOMEN AND THE LAW History of TJWL

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The Texas Journal of Women and the Law was established in 1990, fulfilling the vision of our founding members who sought to create a journal that would inspire dialogue about legal, social, and political issues affecting women—their rights, their bodies, their careers, their families.  Our founders recognized the need for a forum within the University of Texas School of Law in which to confront, discuss, and challenge issues surrounding women and the law. The Texas Journal of Women and the Law  has created such a forum.  Our focus has grown to include all areas of gender and law.  As students of the law and participants in the evolution of the status of women in society, we share a common interest in discovering and conveying a greater understanding of how gender affects the law and is in turn affected by the law.  We realize the extent to which our generation has benefited from the efforts of other feminists, and we strive now to make our contribution to the next generation.

The Journal is a testament to the belief that an independent inquiry into feminist issues will heighten awareness in our communities and accelerate reform in our lives.  Our goal is to expand feminist legal thought as it defines the lives of women.  In pursuing this goal, we recognize that feminist legal inquiry should incorporate a broad spectrum of social equality issues, including issues related to race, ethnicity, class, religion, sexual orientation, and basic human and civil rights.

Texas' rich history and cultural diversity provide a fertile ground for producing innovative approaches to persistent questions of social equality.  We identify with the tradition of progressive women in Texas as well as the generation of unheralded individuals who have fought for gender equality in their own time.