Law Commons^™

The Reasonable Woman And The "Warrior Code", Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky

UF Law Faculty Publications

In the provocative book A Law of Her Own: The Reasonable Woman as a Measure of Man, Caroline Forell and Donna Matthews argue that existing law systematically undervalues women's experiences of sexual harassment and sexual violence. In essence, the authors contend that law is a "warrior code" that is unduly forgiving of sexual aggression and violence, and they support this contention by showing how "male-centered values" permeate the law of sexual harassment, stalking, domestic violence, and rape. This critique alone would make this work worthy of serious consideration by anyone concerned with the law's treatment of women.