Women make up nearly half of all lawyers across 11 countries
Just 38 percent of women lawyers worldwide hold senior roles in the profession, revealed the International Bar Association’s “50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in the law project progress report.”
This was observed across the private practice sector, in-house legal teams, public sector institutions and the judiciary. The finding is also accompanied by the statistic showing that women comprise 47 percent of lawyers worldwide.
Economic and cultural barriers to gender equality in society were cited as a factor, but the report also shared findings regarding effective workplace measures to drive gender equality in senior positions.
“The report confirms what we sensed: the glass ceiling to reach senior positions in the legal profession is powerful. We must continue dedicating efforts to this crucial field, advocating for gender equality at all levels and becoming a credible example for other sectors,” said IBA President Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama, who initiated the study, in a statement. “The benefits of a diverse environment have been proven for decades, the measures needed to achieve it have been identified and there is widespread awareness of this issue in many countries. What we truly need to do is increase action and accelerate progress. We have the opportunity to achieve gender equality in our profession at all levels within this 21st century. We must not let it slip away.”
Gender equality was among Aldama’s five key priorities for the IBA during her 2023-2024 run as president. Over this period, the organization presented the “Ten Directives to Break the Glass Ceiling in the Legal Profession” and held a 2023 Showcase on Female Leadership in Paris. Female leadership summits were also conducted in New York and London.
The IBA 50:50 by 2030 Progress Report examined the gender disparity in senior roles within the legal industries in 11 countries across 5 continents. The report noted that Chile, the Netherlands, and Ukraine reported the highest percentage of women lawyers, with Ukraine, Türkiye, Nigeria and the Netherlands having the highest percentage of women lawyers in senior roles.
The Republic of Korea, Mexico and Nigeria had the fewest women lawyers, while the Republic of Korea, Mexico and Spain had the lowest percentage of women lawyers in senior roles.
“Advancing gender parity at the highest levels of the legal profession is not just a matter of fairness; it is essential for building a more just, diverse, and effective legal system. Understanding the obstacles is the first step towards implementing the change required to establish equitable positioning,” IBA legal projects director Sara Carnegie said.
The IBA 50:50 by 2030 Progress Report was published by the IBA’s Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) in partnership with the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation. The 11 countries involved in the 9-year project include England and Wales, Uganda, Spain, Chile, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Brazil, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Ukraine, and Türkiye; reports on Taiwan, Australia, and South Africa are also set to be released.
The report findings were discussed at a launch event held on December 3 in London, which was hosted by law firm Travers Smith.
