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Flexible work can help improve diversity in law, research says
New research shows that an overwhelming majority see shake-ups to traditional workplace structures and environments as being key to improving diversity in the legal profession.
Jerome Doraisamy
Source: blogs.kent.ac.uk
The Law Society of England and Wales has released its Advocating for Change: Transforming the Future of the Legal Profession Through Greater Gender Equality report which, it said, “designed and compiled the largest ever global survey on women in the law”, boasting a total of 7,781 respondents.
It found that 91 per cent of respondents feel that a flexible working culture is critical to improving diversity in the legal profession, with 88 per cent of men and 93 per cent of women in favour.
These figures have increased in recent years, with 86 per cent of both men and women perceiving flexibility as key for diversity in 2012.
In overcoming gender inequality in legal workplaces, this finding was supported by a separate one from the report: traditional network routes to promotion was the third most cited barrier to women’s progression in law, “since these are mostly male-dominated”.
“Flexible working is not an available option for many female lawyers, despite the technological progress that facilitates working remotely and the numerous benefits to business and employees,” the report said.
“In many jurisdictions, flexible working is not culturally acceptable and those who work flexibly commonly feel dismissed as uncommitted to their roles. This is primarily due to an office-based mindset and their presenteeism.”
The research also found a large disparity in perception by gender on the level of progress in advancing equality in the legal profession across the globe, with 74 per cent of men perceiving progress in advancing gender equality, but only 48 per cent of women said the same.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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