According to statistics, in the UK, the split of male to female partners in law firms is 70/30, with the higher towards men. This is compared to an almost 50/50 split of fee earners in the UK. So, the question is: why are women not progressing into higher paid roles? Is it that there are not enough opportunities for them to reach for the top, or is society holding them down?  

Although the employment rate among women of ‘prime working age’ (aged 25-54) is up from 57% in 1975 to a record high of 78% in 2017, the professional workforce still indicates that men are assertive and strong, whilst women may be seen as emotional and bossy. This could stem from many years of women having been portrayed as wives or mothers and staying in the household, and has therefore historically often been a rarity that women are held to such a high standard in the professional industry. This could put pressure put on women to have a professional career and start a family, with the desire to achieve it all, which may deter women from taking on more work that the higher-grade roles would inevitably bring. 

Throughout my journey from law student to paralegal studying the LPC, the only way is up. However, when you the see statistics shown in this article, it is almost disheartening for a female trainee solicitor to see that women are not as represented in higher roles and causes a humdrum sense that the hill is going to be almost impossible to climb.  

However, at MSB, over half of our partners are female including our Managing Partner. Working at MSB promotes a great outlook on career progression and it has been comforting and inspiring to see strong, independent women in higher grade roles, motivating young trainees to strive for the best.  

MSB celebrates International Women’s Day for the whole month of March – not just for the day – as well as championing equality and diversity all year round. I believe that having more women in higher paid roles ignites a stronger passion for serious topics that need to be spoken about regarding issues that women may face, empowers young trainees like myself and in time, can hopefully only increase the number of female partners and CEOs across the world of business.  

If you want to join a firm that truly puts equality, diversity and inclusion first, and that will help you progress in your career, take a look at our vacancies and join us, here.