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Balancing The Scales

Balancing the Scales, a film about women lawyers and gender equality in the legal profession in the U.S., was broadcast nationwide on public television in 2017. It will be screened internationally during the 2018-2019 season of the prestigious American Film Showcase, sponsored by the US State Department. The film features interviews with 5 generations of American women lawyers, including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and famed activist lawyer Gloria Allred.

In addition to its nationwide broadcast on PBS, the film has been screened for employees and guests of many of the country's largest law firms, corporations and non-profit organizations, including WalMart, Verizon, Prudential Insurance and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

  • Sharon Rowen
    Director
  • Sharon Rowen
    Writer
  • Sharon Rowen
    Producer
  • Zac Adams
    Producer
    IRON WILL: Veterans Battle with PTSD, Autism in America, Hunger in America
  • Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    Key Cast
  • Gloria Allred
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    56 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16.9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • American Film Showcase
    Worldwide
    December 13, 2018
    Not yet known
    Official Selection
  • Diversity Law Institute
    Philadelphia
    United States
    August 13, 2018
    Award from the Diversity Law Institute
Distribution Information
  • American Public Media
    Country: United States
    Rights: Free TV, Paid TV
Director Biography - Sharon Rowen

Attorney/filmmaker Sharon Rowen has been a practicing attorney for 37 years, and has interviewed American Women lawyers for over 20 years, in her quest for answers as to why gender equality for women in the law and in all professions has been elusive in our society.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Why aren't women equally represented at the top of the legal profession, or at the top of any profession? Having practiced law for 37 years and having seen firsthand the hurdles I and other women have had to overcome, this question has personal meaning. Everyone knows of the struggles women had in the past with overt discrimination, but what are the more subtle societal beliefs that make it almost impossible for even the current generation of young women? Is work life balance possible when the partnership track requires an 80 to 100 hour workweek, and when our society, both men and women, continue to view childcare as primarily a woman's role? These are the questions that inspired me to define the problem and propose potential solutions.