8 March marks 115 years of International Women’s Day – a moment to pause, reflect, and recommit to advancing gender equality across our society and workplaces.
The business case for gender equality has long been established. More inclusive workplaces are consistently linked to stronger business performance, higher employee engagement, improved productivity, and greater innovation. Yet despite this evidence, progress is not only slowing in the UK—it is, in some areas, going backwards.
A Worrying Picture for Gender Equality in the UK
Across the UK, key markers of gender equality are deteriorating. The gender pay gap remains at 12.8%, women continue to be underrepresented in positions of power, and they are disproportionately concentrated in low-paid or insecure work. Workplace harassment and discrimination also remain persistent challenges.
More concerning still is a growing perception that the issue has already been “solved”. Nearly half of Britons – and a majority of men surveyed – now believe that gender equality has gone far enough. According to World Economic Forum estimates, at the current rate of progress the UK will not reach gender parity for another 123 years—five generations from now.
The Legal Sector: Progress, But Persistent Structural Barriers
Nowhere are these structural inequalities more visible than within the UK legal profession.
Women now make up over half of practising solicitors – 57% in Scotland and 53% in England & Wales – yet they remain significantly underrepresented in senior roles. Representation falls further for women from ethnically diverse backgrounds, lower socio-economic groups, and those with disabilities.
Over the past 13 years, Fides has supported the legal sector through periods of meaningful progress. We have seen firms begin to measure and publish gender representation and pay data, set diversity targets, introduce more flexible working arrangements, and enhance parental and carers’ leave policies. These steps matter—and they are making a difference.
However, substantial challenges remain.
Key Barriers to Gender Equality in Law
1). Persistent vertical segregation
Only 32% of full equity partners in England and Wales are women, and the likelihood of a woman reaching partnership is less than half that of a man (13% compared with 28%). Women and minoritised groups remain clustered in lower-paid and less prestigious roles, reinforcing long-term inequality.
2). An amplified gender pay gap
The legal sector’s average gender pay gap stands at 26%—roughly double the UK national average. This gap is driven largely by the underrepresentation of women in senior, equity-holding positions, illustrating how general pay inequalities are intensified within the profession.
3). The disproportionate impact of unpaid caring responsibilities
Women continue to shoulder the majority of unpaid care across the UK. In legal practice, long-hours cultures exacerbate this imbalance. Career breaks, parental leave, and part-time working are still too often interpreted as a lack of commitment, slowing progression and reinforcing pay disparities.
4). Persistent bias and discriminatory workplace cultures
Structural gender bias remains deeply embedded within legal professional culture, with 63% of women in law reporting gender-based discrimination in the past five years. Individual decisions continue to shape work allocation, promotion decisions, and perceptions of competence, while the profession itself remains organised around a “prototypical lawyer” model that disproportionately benefits those who conform to traditional, male‑dominated norms.
5). Attrition driven by structural and cultural pressures
The legal sector mirrors wider workforce trends, with women leaving mid-career due to inflexibility, lack of sponsorship, and unsustainable expectations of constant availability. Emotional labour and “office housework”—disproportionately carried by women—remain largely invisible and unrewarded.
6). Early-career inequalities that compound over time
Structural disadvantage often begins at entry level. Early-career pay gaps, unequal work allocation, and barriers to access shape long-term outcomes. In Scotland, for example, only 4% of the legal profession comes from ethnic minority backgrounds, with even fewer reaching senior roles—reflecting broader educational and socio-economic inequalities.
What Law Firms Can—and Must—Do
Meaningful progress requires sustained, intentional action. We encourage law firms to:
- Continue to collect, scrutinise and publish diversity data, setting clear targets for improvement
- Ensure policies are genuinely fair and consistently applied, not just well intentioned
- Listen to your people, using inclusion surveys, employee networks and exit interviews to identify barriers
- Embed flexible working without penalty, particularly in work allocation and progression decisions
- Invest in line manager training, recognising the critical role managers play in shaping culture and opportunity
- Consider the future impact of today’s decisions, including how emerging technologies and AI tools may either reinforce or help dismantle existing inequalities
Looking Forward
International Women’s Day is not just a moment for reflection—it is a call to action. Progress in the legal sector is possible, but it will not happen by accident. Structural inequalities require structural solutions, sustained leadership commitment, and a willingness to challenge long-standing norms.
The question for firms is not whether gender equality matters—but whether the actions taken today will meaningfully shape a more equitable profession for the next generation.
Sources & further reading
- UK gender pay gap (12.8%): Office for National Statistics – Gender pay gap in the UK (2025)
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/genderpaygapintheuk/2025 - Gender parity still 123 years away: World Economic Forum – Global Gender Gap Report 2025
https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2025/ - Women in the legal profession & senior representation: Solicitors Regulation Authority – Diversity in law firms’ workforce
https://www.sra.org.uk/sra/equality-diversity/diversity-profession/diverse-legal-profession/ - Structural barriers & vertical segregation in law: Legal Services Board – Mapping Systemic Barriers to EDI in the Legal Professions
https://legalservicesboard.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mapping-Systemic-Barriers-to-EDI-in-the-Legal-Professions-Final-1.pdf - Liberty Towers, Women in Law in the UK: The Illusion of Progress and the Reality of Persistence (July 2025). https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/women-law-uk-illusion-progress-reality-persistence-liberty-towers-rqfje
- Legal sector gender pay gap (~26%): BDBF LLP – On Equal Pay Day 2025, the legal sector’s gender pay gap is double the average
https://www.bdbf.co.uk/on-equal-pay-day-2025-the-legal-sectors-gender-pay-gap-is-double-the-average/ - Gender‑based discrimination in law (63%): Law Society of Scotland – Gender inequality and the uncomfortable truth
https://www.lawscot.org.uk/members/journal-hub/articles/gender-inequality-and-the-uncomfortable-truth-at-the-heart-of-legal-profession/ - Unpaid care, part‑time work & career penalties: Centre for Progressive Policy – What Women Want
https://www.progressive-policy.net/downloads/files/WiW-2-final-report.pdf