In 1986, the American Bar Association adopted Goal IX as one of its association goals. That goal supported "the full and equal participation in the legal profession by minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and persons of differing sexual orientations and gender identities." In 2008, the ABA revised its goals, and Goal IX became Goal III, to eliminate bias and enhance diversity. Its objectives are to promote full and equal participation in the association, our profession, and the justice system by all persons and to eliminate bias in the legal profession and justice system.
In 1991, the Commission on Women created the Goal IX Report Card to measure women's progress throughout the ABA. Based on a self-reporting questionnaire completed by ABA entities, this report (now the Goal III Report) offers a statistical overview of women's participation in leadership positions throughout the various entities of the ABA.
