Survey reveals women lawyers' desire for cultural change at the top

High numbers of female lawyers feel that the profession must undergo serious cultural change in order to increase the representation of women in partnership positions and stop female lawyers from deserting law altogether, a survey has revealed. The survey, conducted by the Law Society and LexisNexis, received 1,144 responses (90% from women in the profession) - a clear sign that diversity and equality remains an important and much-to-be-improved-upon issue in the legal world.

As reported in Legal Week, the majority of respondents said that the main reason that such low numbers of women are reaching partnership positions is the difficulty of balancing a family life with the long-hours culture of many law firms. As reported by the New Law Journal, this culture was also highlighted as being resistant to flexible working, and many respondents believed this to be exacerbated by unconscious gender bias. One respondent highlighted the problems: "Flexible working only works if it is not considered an alternative to career progression. Where firms adopt flexible working, and many do not in any way encourage it, it is at the sacrifice of partnership."

Nearly a third of respondents believed that radical measures such as a quota system are necessary to force change at the top. One survey respondent said: "A cultural change is required and would not happen without quotas - the numbers coming out of law school and starting in the legal profession have been at least 50% female for some considerable time now, but this is not at all reflected at senior levels within the profession. It was previously thought that this would change with time but it has not done."