Research

Women in Law (Quick Take)

Aug 26, 2021

CANADA

Nearly Half of Practicing Lawyers in Canada Are Women

In 2018, there were 48,982 practicing women lawyers and 57,636 practicing men lawyers.1

While the overall profession consists of more men than women, there tends to be more parity for lawyers who entered the profession more recently.

Percentage of Lawyers Who Are Women in Canada by Province or Territory:2

Region 0-5 Years Practicing Overall Percentage
Alberta 48.8% 40.3%
British Columbia 50.6% 40.8%
Manitoba 47.9% 38.1%
New Brunswick 56.7% 41.5%
Newfoundland and Labrador 55.0% 42.5%
Northwest Territory 40.1% 33.8%
Nova Scotia 52.1% 41.3%
Ontario 52.8% 43.5%
Prince Edward Island 35.2% 41.1%
Barreau du Québec 63.5% 53.7%
Chambre des Notaires du Québec 76.9% 65.8%
Saskatchewan 47.7% 39.0%
Yukon 47.6% 42.1%
Significantly Fewer Women Make It to Senior Leadership

Employment by Level for Women and Men, Ontario Lawyers, 2020:3

Percentage Women Percentage Men
Law Firm Partner 26.5% 73.5%
Law Firm Associate 49.0% 51.0%
In House 52.1% 47.9%
Paralegal 65.9% 34.1%
In-House Counsel Were at Parity in Representation in 20204

In 2020, women made up 51% of In-House Counsel positions compared to men at 46%.5

Gender differences in pay are especially pronounced in higher wage levels, however women make less at all job levels:6

  • Average in-house counsel base salary for women is $158,000 CAD, compared to $177,000 CAD for men.7
  • 19% of women in-house counsel earn $200,000 CAD or more, compared to 30% of men.8

EUROPE

Women Lawyers Remain Underrepresented in Many European Countries

Women Lawyers in Select European Countries:9

Country Percentage of Lawyers Who Are Women
France 55.4%
Germany10 35.9%
The Netherlands 44.0%
Spain 43.0%
Switzerland 29.2%

In the United Kingdom, women were 49% of all lawyers in law firms in 2019.11

  • Women made up 34% of partners at all firms, but just 29% of partners at firms with 50 or more partners,12 and only 21.8% of partners at the top ten UK law firms.13
  • 3% of lawyers identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual in 2017.14
  • 2% of solicitors and 1% of partners reported a gender identity different than that assigned at birth.15​​
  • 3% of lawyers in the largest firms reported being disabled.16

UNITED STATES

Women Outnumber Men in First Year Enrollment and Graduation

Women accounted for 54.5% of first-year law students in Fall 2020, and women of color accounted for 19.9% of first-year students.17

Women were 51.5% of law school graduates in Spring 2019, with women of color accounting for 19.5% of graduates.18

Women Are Almost Half of All Associates, but a Much Smaller Share of Partners

The percentage of women drops by over half between associate and equity partner positions in law firms nationwide.19

Law Firm Demographic Data:20

  Associates Of Counsel Non-equity Partners Equity Partners All Lawyers
All Women 47.3% 40.4% 30.6% 22.3% 36.9%
Women of Color 15.2% 7.4% 5.3% 3.3% 9.4%
Openly LGBTQ 4.4% 2.1% 2.1% 2.0% 3.1%
Individuals with Disabilities 0.7% 0.8% 0.8% 0.5% 0.7%
The Gender Wage Gap in Law Persists in the United States

In 2020, women lawyers’ weekly salary as a percentage of men lawyers’ salary was 71.6%.21

  • Median weekly earnings for women were $1,665 USD while men earned $2,324 USD.22

LEARN MORE

How to cite this product: Women in law: Quick Take. (2021). Catalyst.

 

  1. Federation of Law Societies of Canada. (2019). 2018 Statistical report of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada [Data set].
  2. Nunavut does not report numbers broken out by gender so it has not been included in this list. Federation of Law Societies of Canada. (2019). 2018 Statistical report of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada [Data set].
  3. Law society of Ontario 2020 annual report: Membership statistics. (2021). Law Society of Ontario.
  4. In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
  5. In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
  6. In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
  7. In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
  8. In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
  9. CCBE. (2018). CCBE Lawyers’ Statistics 2018 [Data set].
  10. Members of the Bar Association as of January 1, 2021. (2021, April 29). Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer.
  11. How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  12. How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  13. Embracing change to succeed: PwC law firms’ survey 2020. (2020). PricewaterhouseCoopers.
  14. How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  15. How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  16. How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
  17. American Bar Association. (2020). ABA law school data: JD total FY class enrollment data, aggregate, Fall 2020 [Data set]. ABA annual questionnaire reports, 2020.
  18. National Association of Law Placement. (2020). Class of 2019 national summary report [Data set].
  19. 2020 Vault/MCAA law firm diversity survey report. (2020). Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
  20. 2020 Vault/MCAA law firm diversity survey report. (2020). Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
  21. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 39: Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex [numbers in thousands]. [Data set]. Current Population Survey.
  22. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). Table 39: Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by detailed occupation and sex [numbers in thousands]. [Data set]. Current Population Survey.