Gender Parity in the Legal Industry – 2023

Gender parity has finally been reached in the once heavily male dominated legal industry! Female representation in the legal industry has grown by 67% since 2011.  As a young aspiring female working within the corporate world, I’m proud to be a part of this statistic. 

The legal industry reached gender parity for the first time ever in 2016 with equal distribution of male and female solicitors. A revolutionary change from a once heavily male dominated profession.  The latest statistics from June 2022 illustrate women account for 53% of all solicitors in Australia, which is consistent across all states. The number of female solicitors has increased to 21,284 compared to 18,026 males. It should also be celebrated as of 2020, amongst Australian and Torres Strait Islander solicitors, 55% are women!

Unfortunately, there is still a small pay gap in mean weekly cash earnings by 28%,  according to ABS. However, these pay gaps are gradually reducing year by year. Additionally, 35.2% of Australian females are obtaining a bachelor degree or higher, compared to only 28% men. Going via these figures, the future of women in the legal industry and corporate world is looking bright and powerful.

At Greenhalgh Pickard, we are proud to accept and empower this integral social change in the professional world. Our firm encompasses a solid female team of 53%, amongst all our law services, management, marketing and administration services. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to work in an empowering and blossoming female-led corporate world and I am excited to see what the future holds for us all. 

Everyday this company encourages me to learn, grow and flourish, pushing the limits on what young women can achieve. I am proud to be a part of a company that actively balances gender ratios and allows each and every employee to thrive in a mature and progressive environment. Our team believes in aligning ourselves with causes that matter, giving purpose to the working day and inch by inch aligning ourselves with the rapidly progressing corporate landscape, while diminishing stagnated parameters.  This team inspired me to aim high and succeed beyond what I thought was possible for myself. I encourage you to find passion, energy and love for a workplace like I have and let it drive you into 2023.