Women and Law:
Contrary to what is assumed, history shows that women lawyers have actually been around for quite a long time. Margaret Brent was the first documented woman of the court, serving the new colony of Maryland, in 1968 and Arabella Mansfield was the first admitted to the bar in 1869. As times changed, more women became immersed into the field of law but they still did not hold a candle to the amount of men in the field. Today, male lawyers still make up the majority of law firms. According to Catalyst.com and it’s 2012 statistics, women lawyers made up 31.1% of all lawyers. The website CATALYST is a great resource for statistical differences between men and women lawyers, including salary, juris doctor enrollment, race, etc. Rates of hire continue to rise with all of the new graduating students.
Women Lawyer's Salaries and the Gender Gap:
Women’s lawyer salaries still do not compare to men. A study by “The National Association of Women Lawyers” (NAWL) stated that in 2009, there was an 11.6% difference in men and women’s compensation. Women equity partners only made 86% of men’s salary, compared to non-equity partners who made 95% of the men’s salary. The official monetary difference between men and women equity partners is $66,000. Equity partners are those who have money invested in the firm and non-equity do not have any ties holding them down. It is estimated “that it will take more than a woman lawyer’s lifetime to achieve equality” in the gender gap concerning lawyers. (Catalyst 2011) There is always hope for a speedier timeframe in achieving all types of gender equality, not just in law firms, but also in every other workplace.
The National Association for Women Lawyers is a great place to find information useful for excelling in the field of law and a serves as a voice for all women lawyers: NAWL