Law and Human Behavior, Vol. 22, No. 1, 1998 Commentary Approaches to Gender and the Law: Research and Applications Jane Goodman-Delahunty1 Three paradigms for gender research are reviewed, illustrated by examples from employment discrimination law to highlight issues in research on gender and the law. Next, an agenda for research on gender, social science, and the law is outlined, and the five articles in this special issue are reviewed in terms of that agenda. Finally, research ideas for the future and practical applications of the research presented in the five articles are considered, specifically, the use of the reasonable woman standard and expert testimony in sexual harassment cases, and the influence of sex roles and sex stereotypes in producing gender effects. As a point of departure and a framework for the discussion of studies of gender and the law, it is significant to take note of the fact that in almost every state, county, and local court, in every facet of the legal process, procedurally and adju- dicatively, with few exceptions, systemic biases in the courts in favor of male par- ticipants and against female participants have been documented (Schafran, 1987). These biases have been evaluated and observed in formal and informal stages of the legal process, including mediation, as evidenced in the treatment of female ver- sus male attorneys, litigating parties, witnesses, and jurors (Hahn & Clayton, 1996; Riger, Foster-Fishman, Nelson-Kuna, & Curran, 1995). Legal doctrine, too, is replete with policies that reflect beliefs and assumptions about gender differences, some more benevolent in origin, flowing from the parens patriae doctrine, others with a more overtly hostile genesis. In the past, considerable effort has been aimed at eliminating "gendered" laws, while other efforts have been 1Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2407 Calle Madiera, San Clemente, CA 92672 (e-mail: janegedel@aol.com). The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or any other government agency. 129 0147-7307/98/0200-0129$15.00/l © 1998 American Psychology-Law Society/Division 41 of the American Psychological Association