Women in the robes: up the numbers but up the cancellations

The legal profession is increasingly female, with the percentage of female lawyers increasing as age decreases: there are more and more young professionals (among those registered with the Bar, the age group up to 34 years old has 57.2% women, against a professional average of 49%). And yet, they are also the most penalised: it is no coincidence that they represent the largest proportion of cancellations to the Fund.

In fact, the 2024 balance between enrolments and drop-outs is clearly more negative for women, who record a -2,140 (vs. a -263 for men). A trend that, looked at over the long haul, constitutes not only an issue of gender, but of the sustainability of the entire category.

The reason for leaving the profession is mainly the difficult work-life balance, especially for women facing maternity leave. Nowadays there is an allowance, but it has to be calculated on the incomes of the previous two years, which are often very low in the case of young people. It is not only an economic issue, but also a welfare issue: heavy workloads, deadlines, customer management and responsibilities hinder the creation of a family or the possibility of taking care of a relative.

Not to mention the stress caused that often leads to abandoning the profession, to seek more tranquillity in other jobs, perhaps with fixed salaries and protections. And then there is the well-known pay gap: while men reach the average income of the category above the age of 40, for women this is, on average, never achieved.

This clearly has effects on career opportunities: 'In structured law firms, the path towards gender equality has been underway for some time, but is not yet complete. The data available to us indicate that female lawyers still face significant obstacles, including under-representation in senior roles and maternity-related penalties," explains lawyer Barbara de Muro, head of the Women section of the Association of Associated Law Firms (Asla).