Anna Ysabelle A.

Veluz OBLICON
10090
Reflection Paper: On the Basis of Sex
Before Ruth Ginsberg was able to become a lawyer, she had to overcome obstacles that
hindered her from pursuing the profession. As Harvard Law School was considered one for the
prestige, Ginsberg was looked down upon just because she was only one of the few women in her
batch. Harvard didn’t see her as on par with the other aspiring lawyers in her class, and even
considered her as unworthy; saying that her spot could’ve been given to another man. Its gender
stereotyping and patriarchal view hindered her from reaching her full potential. Although she was
consistently top of her class, she wasn’t accorded the significance the school would have given if
a man was in her place. Her abilities were considered as trivial just because she didn’t conform to
the discriminatory and unidealistic standards set by the institution.
In one of the scenes, Ruth appeared before her former professors from both Columbia and
Harvard, the Dean of the latter said that he was pleased she found a use for her Harvard education.
In response, she politely disagreed and said that everything she’s doing now stems from what she
learned in Columbia. Although I believe that both schools played an important role in her law
school endeavors; Harvard not only founding her initial knowledge about the law but also giving
her the purpose to pursue and practice it in the first place, I believe that it was Columbia that truly
allowed her to flourish as a lawyer. After experiencing Harvard’s stereotypical prejudices
firsthand, Ruth’s eyes were truly opened to the unequal treatment between men and women,
especially in the legal profession. Being able to escape the constrains imposed by Harvard,
Columbia was where she learned how and what it truly means to become a lawyer. It was able to
provide her true knowledge of the law without constantly reminding her of the fact that she was
only a woman and not worthy of the privilege of being a law student. With this institution, she was
able to see the nuances in the application of the law and how it unjustly favors men and
discriminates against women without reasonable justification. Harvard may have given her the
purpose to practice by showing her the ill treatment present in society, but Columbia was the one
that showed her the means available in order to question and possibly remedy such laws. It
provided her with the proper training and skills required in order to share the same ideas and
principles to the women of the new generation. In conclusion, Harvard merely seen and treated her
as a woman but Columbia, regardless of the stereotypes in society, acknowledged her being a
woman but accorded her the respect and recognition as one engaged in the law.