A new survey by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) shows that 38.5% of women lawyers find the legal profession discouraging, revealing serious challenges linked to gender bias, limited leadership opportunities, and the pressures of marriage and motherhood affecting careers.
A survey conducted by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) gathered insights from women advocates regarding their experiences in the legal profession.
Highlighting topics such as leadership opportunities, gender bias, career paths, and the impacts of marriage and motherhood on their work, the findings were shared during the SCBA event titled “We Women Empowerment in Law: A Panel Discussion on Strength, Struggle and Success.”
Out of the 301 respondents, 84.1 percent identified as first-generation lawyers, while 15.9 percent did not. Regarding their professional experiences, 38.5 percent found it discouraging, 25.2 percent encouraging, 17.6 percent noted increasing encouragement over time, and 11.3 percent viewed it as very encouraging; smaller percentages opted for other categories.
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The topic of leadership yielded mixed opinions. Among 296 respondents, 57.8 percent believed that women lack equal opportunities for leadership roles in the Bar, while 42.2 percent disagreed. In a separate inquiry involving 299 respondents, 58.9 percent expressed interest in taking on leadership positions within Bar councils and associations, 30.4 percent said no, and 10.7 percent were still considering.
On the issue of gender bias, 33.1 percent of 299 respondents reported experiencing bias, while 23.1 percent said they had not, 5.3 percent chose not to answer, 29.1 percent experienced it occasionally, and 9.4 percent reported frequent occurrences.
A comparative analysis indicated that 39.6 percent of first-generation women noted occasional bias, compared to 35.1 percent of others.
Marriage and childcare presented significant challenges. Among 249 respondents, 38.2 percent indicated they faced difficulties in continuing their work post-marriage.
Furthermore, when considering parenthood, 33.5 percent of 236 respondents encountered challenges. After childbirth, 56.8 percent reported hardships, and 31.3 percent of 230 respondents faced difficulties in obtaining case deferments during that time.
Support for caregiving responsibilities was divided; among 231 respondents, 52.4 percent reported receiving support, while 47.6 percent did not. Notably, 95.4 percent of 283 respondents favored institutional policies like maternity leave, creche facilities, and flexible working hours.
Work-life balance emerged as the most significant challenge at 34.2 percent, followed by job opportunities at 16.4 percent, pay disparity at 14 percent, inadequate mentorship at 13.7 percent, unrealistic expectations at 9.6 percent, workplace sexual harassment at 6.2 percent, mental health issues at 2.1 percent, inadequate court craft training at 2.1 percent, insufficient drafting training at 1.4 percent, and access to research platforms at 0.3 percent.
Career choices reflected distinct trends. Among 295 respondents asked about transitioning from law practice to the judiciary, 43.1 percent answered yes, 31.2 percent said no, and 25.8 percent were exploring their options.
When asked if they would recommend a career in law to their daughters or girls in their close circles, 64.1 percent of 295 respondents said yes, 20.7 percent said maybe, and 15.3 percent said no.
In terms of preferred career paths, corporate roles attracted 39.6 percent of 288 respondents, litigation accounted for 36.1 percent, judiciary 13.5 percent, and academics 10.8 percent.
For first-generation women, litigation was preferred by 34.9 percent, judiciary by 36.9 percent, academia by 9 percent, and corporate roles by 18.4 percent.
In contrast, second-generation respondents favored litigation at 29.4 percent, judiciary at 39.2 percent, academia at 15.7 percent, and corporate roles at 9.8 percent.