Women are no longer shackled to the kitchen, but have they achieved equality in society?
Law is a profession that is still seen as a boys’ club. Despite the statistics that approximately 56% of law students are female, they are drastically under represented in senior ranks at law firms. Less than 20% of all partners in law firms are female. Of the members of the NSW Bar Association, women represent 17% of total membership and only 5.6% of all members that are Senior Counsel. On average, women continue to receive lower remuneration than males, for the same job at the same level. Women hold CEO or Chairperson positions in approximately only 3% of the Top 200 ASX listed companies. There is speculation whether flexible working conditions (or lack thereof) inhibit women’s working options or career progression.
The Australian Law Students’ Association promotes women’s rights by hosting an Equity Breakfast at their National Conference in July. The inaugural breakfast was held at the 2009 National ALSA Conference with guest speaker, the Honourable Justice Roslyn G Atkinson. There is also a Women in Law page on the ALSA website that contains resources and links to promote access and awareness of the issues faced by women in law in Australia and on an international scale.
We live in a society with a female Deputy Prime Minister, a female Commonwealth Governor-General and three female High Court judges. Female law students of this generation are among the best placed to break through the glass ceiling (whether it is real or perceived) and rectify the gender imbalance in the top ranks of the legal profession and business.
International Women’s Day is celebrated on the 8th March and is a day for both men and women to celebrate girl power!
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