Research
Professor Barker's research takes a feminist perspective on several aspects of family law and human rights law, with a particular focus on LGBT families and LGBT rights under the ECHR in the UK and its overseas territories.
Family Law
My research in this area has included work on same-sex marriage, civil partnerships, gender equality in marriage, feminist critiques of marriage, the legal recognition of non-conjugal relationships, assisted reproduction, and domestic abuse.
LGBT and Women's Rights
I am currently writing a feminist critique of the UK's Human Rights Act 1998 and the various proposals to repeal and replace it with a British Bill of Rights. This research was funded by a BA mid-career fellowship 2018-2019 and continues with an analysis of the impact of the ECHR and HRA on women's and LGBT rights. This project also includes extensive work on the revocation of same-sex marriage in Bermuda and the intersection between religious rights and LGBT rights.
British Overseas Territories Constitutional Law
I am particularly interested in the history of Bermuda's Constitution Order 1968, and two aspects of the contemporary relationship between Bermuda and the UK: LGBT rights in particular and the protection of human rights in general; and the UK's reserved powers in relation to Bermuda.
Research groups
Research grants
From the Human Rights Act to the British Bill of Rights: A Feminist Perspective
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
October 2018 - December 2021
Research collaborations
ASW Law (Bermuda)
Challenging the Revocation of Same-Sex Marriage in Bermuda
Consultancy to work on an application to the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of eight applicants who sought to challenge the revocation of same-sex marriage in Bermuda.
UNWomen
The Evolution of Marriage
Provided a background paper on the evolution of marriage in Western jurisdictions.
Centre for Justice
Bermuda Constitution Project
A project evaluating the Bermuda Constitution and making recommendations for reform based on public consultation.