Breaking barriers in law: why gender equality in firms matters for ALL women and girls

Despite progress, women in law still face unequal opportunities. Structural change and inclusive leadership are key to lasting equality.

5 min read

On 8 March 2025, the world celebrates International Women’s Day under the theme ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.’ The message is clear: advancing gender equality is not just about smashing glass ceilings or ungluing sticky floors for those select few – it’s about ensuring equal rights, power and opportunities for all.

For women in the legal profession, these words carry particular weight. While the world’s top law firms pride themselves on fairness, meritocracy and excellence, the numbers tell a different story. Women continue to remain underrepresented in partnerships despite near-equal representation at junior levels.

The legal profession’s gender paradox

Women have been entering the legal profession in record numbers for decades. For example, in Switzerland, approximately 60% of legal interns are female, yet only 16% of partners in the country’s largest law firms are women. A similar pattern emerges globally: while women often match or outnumber men at law school and junior associate levels, the path to partnership remains an uphill battle.

This trend is unfortunately no accident. In fact, the historical exclusion of women from elite legal networks still reverberates today. Take the example of Magic Circle firms – they have gender-equal fee-earners yet only 27% female partners on average. Moreover, the rise of a hyper-competitive meritocratic culture has made it even harder for women to succeed, demanding round-the-clock commitment and high-profile engagement, often at the expense of work-life balance.

For ALL women and girls to have true equality, we must tackle the structural barriers that prevent women from advancing.

Stereotypes that still hold women back

Even as outdated ideas about women’s role in the workplace have faded, bias persists. 

Research identifies three key stereotypes that affect female lawyers’ career progression:

1. The homemaker bias – The belief that women are less suited for demanding legal careers because of family responsibilities.
2. The competency bias – The perception that women lack the assertiveness or business acumen required for high-stakes legal work.
3. The commitment bias – The assumption that women are not fully dedicated to their firms, making them a ‘risk’ for promotion.

Although the first two stereotypes have weakened, commitment bias persists. In a profession where success is often measured by billable hours and client development, individuals, especially those with care-giving duties, are often penalised for balancing multiple responsibilities.

Law firms must actively address this bias by redefining success to extend beyond physical presence, ensuring equitable distribution of work and promoting women into leadership roles. In short, valuable talent and potential will be lost without systemic change.

The power of inclusive leadership

A major factor contributing to the gender gap in law firms is the lack of inclusive leadership, where opportunities and career advancement are not equally accessible to all. Research shows that men are more likely to benefit from informal networks and unspoken endorsements, which often lead to career-defining cases and promotions. In contrast, women frequently have to navigate more formalised paths, where advancement depends solely on performance rather than influence. A 2023 Swiss study found that 10% of women felt overlooked for promotion due to a lack of internal sponsorship, highlighting the systemic barriers that still persist.

If firms are serious about fostering gender equality, they should consider:

• Redefining leadership criteria so that success is not solely measured by billable hours and visibility, but by strategic contributions, client development and team leadership.
• Addressing unconscious bias in performance evaluations to ensure that women are judged on their merits, not outdated stereotypes.
• Building a culture of inclusive leadership by actively encouraging senior leaders to advocate for gender equity at all levels.

True leadership is not just about who rises to the top, it’s about who is empowered along the way.

Why this matters beyond law firms

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – a landmark framework for advancing women’s rights and gender equality, endorsed by 189 governments – it is important to recognise both the progress made and the challenges that remain. Law firms not only shape the business world, but also influence government policies and drive social change. But if the legal profession remains unequal, however can we expect broader society to progress?

Lawyers play a crucial role in shaping policies around equal pay, discrimination and workplace rights. An underrepresentation of women in decision-making positions within the legal system itself risks perpetuating existing inequalities rather than addressing them.

A call to action: for all women and girls

Law firms, legal professionals and industry leaders must take bold steps toward gender equity. This means:

• Advancing women’s rights by challenging discriminatory hiring and promotion practices.
• Promoting gender equality by ensuring that firm cultures do not penalise women for balancing work and life.
• Fostering empowerment by equipping the next generation of female lawyers with leadership opportunities and the chance to thrive in an inclusive legal profession.

The legal world cannot afford to take a step back.

This International Women’s Day, let’s demand not just representation, but power. Let’s move beyond words and take action to make gender equality a reality, for ALL women and girls.

Kick, A., Stoenescu, C., Stanzl, E., Schneidewind, L., Probst, N., & Poetes, R. (2023) Climbing Higher: Fixing the broken rungs on the promotion ladder (Whitepaper). Advance – Gender Equality in Business. 

Sachs, A. & Wilson, J. H. (1978) Sexism and the Legal Profession: A Study on Male Beliefs and Legal Bias in Britain and the United States. Women’s Rts. L. Rep., 5 53.

Wald, E. (2009) Glass ceilings and dead ends: professional ideologies: gender stereotypes, and the future of women lawyers at large law firms. Fordham L. Rev., 78 2245.