Study: Discrimination against women in law still prevalent

The vast majority (84 per cent) also said they knew of others who had experienced discriminatory behaviour during that time.

US President Donald Trump’s backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives was a cause for concern amongst respondents, with 64 per cent fearing law firms would deprioritise diversity and inclusion initiatives as a result.

While just over half (51 per cent) said their organisation took alleged incidents of sex discrimination seriously, one in five said they did not, and 70 per cent said that they or one of their colleagues had not complained about discrimination for fear it would impact on their careers.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the UK’s Sex Discrimination Act, which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marital status, covering employment, training, education and harassment. It was later superseded by the Equality Act 2010. 

Although 65 per cent of those questioned thought legislation on discrimination had proved an effective catalyst for change when it comes to equality, only two per cent considered sex discrimination in the legal profession to be a thing of the past.

The research suggests the nature of discrimination has changed: 70 per cent of those questioned said that although they witnessed sex discrimination, it was not as overt as in the past.

When asked where sex discrimination came from within the workplace, 47 per cent thought sex discrimination in the workplace came from people across the board with only one third believing it was limited to a few individuals who were outliers.

Leadership was considered a source by a third of respondents while only 14 per cent thought this behaviour was prevalent in their younger male colleagues.

Looking at the future of the profession, only 16 per cent expected women in law to get true equality during their careers with 47 per cent saying it would take another 50 years.

Dana Denis-Smith, founder of the Next 100 Years and CEO of Obelisk Support, said: “It is alarming to see so many women working in the legal profession are still exposed to discriminatory behaviour and that in many cases it appears to come from across the organisation, not just a few rogue individuals. Whilst it is good to see a majority of organisations taking this issue seriously, if women still feel speaking up could impact their career prospects, or suspect their organisation’s leadership to be complicit, we are a long way from seeing the change we need to help women thrive.

“There is clearly more to be done and I hope that initiatives such as the Harman review - an independent review of bullying and harassment at the Bar, which includes sexual harassment - will go some way to addressing the issues women in law contend with.

“Advocates for diversity and inclusion face some difficult headwinds given the Trump administration’s efforts to stymie US companies’ DEI initiatives and the knock on effect that has in the UK. The gains of recent decades have been hard won and the legal profession must redouble its commitment to equality in the workplace and foster a culture where sex discrimination is not tolerated and those who experience it are empowered to speak out.”