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
- Best Law Firms for Women 2020 Working Mother
- Women in the Profession American Bar Association
- 2020 Vault/MCAA Law Firm Diversity Survey Report Minority Corporate Counsel Association
- Critical Conversations on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Racism Women Lawyers Journal
- Mapping the Representation of Women and Men in the Legal Professions Across the EU European Parliament
How to cite this product: Women in law: Quick Take. (2021). Catalyst.
- Federation of Law Societies of Canada. (2019). 2018 Statistical report of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada [Data set].
- 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].
- Law society of Ontario 2020 annual report: Membership statistics. (2021). Law Society of Ontario.
- In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
- In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
- In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
- In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
- In-house counsel compensation & career report 2020. (2020). The Counsel Network.
- CCBE. (2018). CCBE Lawyers’ Statistics 2018 [Data set].
- Members of the Bar Association as of January 1, 2021. (2021, April 29). Bundesrechtsanwaltskammer.
- How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- Embracing change to succeed: PwC law firms’ survey 2020. (2020). PricewaterhouseCoopers.
- How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- How diverse is the legal profession? Solicitors Regulation Authority.
- American Bar Association. (2020). ABA law school data: JD total FY class enrollment data, aggregate, Fall 2020 [Data set]. ABA annual questionnaire reports, 2020.
- National Association of Law Placement. (2020). Class of 2019 national summary report [Data set].
- 2020 Vault/MCAA law firm diversity survey report. (2020). Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
- 2020 Vault/MCAA law firm diversity survey report. (2020). Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
- 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.
- 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.