Espinosa Garcés: It matters profoundly who holds power in the justice sector
Global justice is “disproportionately shaped” by high-income countries like the UK and USA, with men making up the majority of top office-holders – particularly in the legal profession, a report has found.
Across a range of global organisations, women occupied 40% of top roles, but the percentage was much lower in the courts and legal profession.
Researchers from independent thinktank Global 50/50 found that only a fifth of top office-holders were female in the law firms it studied, 29% in the courts and 30% in the Bar associations.
Meanwhile, nationals from high-income countries accounted for more than eight out of 10 of the highest office-holders – with 32% were occupied by men from the US or UK. Just 1% of the highest offices were occupied by women from low-income countries.
A majority (54%) of the organisations featured in the report made a public commitment to gender equality. The proportion was higher among courts (50%) and Bar associations (44%) that it was among law firms (26%).
Researchers studied 171 major organisations involved in global law and justice for The Global Justice 50/50 Report, including 38 law firms, 11 Bar associations, 22 courts, 51 international non-governmental organisations, and 19 funders and philanthropists.
They said that despite “decades of rising numbers of women law graduates” since the 1970s, advancement into leadership remained “more limited”.
Women were often overly represented in lower-status and lower-paid specialisations such as family law – in the UK almost 77% of the members of family law group Resolution were female.
“Men are more represented in higher-prestige and often higher-earning fields such as commercial law.
“These inequalities are global. In Africa, women increasingly enter law but may confront entrenched ‘old boys’ clubs’.
“Latin America has also experienced rising female judicial participation through enhanced equity policies and training, though outcomes vary.
“In Asia, women join the profession in growing numbers but rarely reach court or ‘elite’ firm leadership.
“In the Middle East and North Africa, despite more women choosing a career in the field and the first appointments of women judges, leadership roles held by women remain limited.”
All but one of the 38 law firms studied by researchers were US or UK headquartered. Only quarter of them had made “a formal, public commitment to gender equality – most of which were found on pro bono pages”.
Eight out of 10 of the highest office-holders were men, and men outnumbered women in 82% of firms. In only 5% of firms were there more women than men.
In her foreword to the report, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, former president of the UN General Assembly, said the report’s findings highlighted how global justice was “disproportionately shaped” by high-income countries.
“It matters profoundly who holds power in the justice sector and how decisions are made. Institutions may aspire to neutrality, yet they are rooted in history and culture.
“When inequality exists within systems designed to deliver justice, their legitimacy and the trust they depend on are called into question.
“We see this pervasive thread of inequality not only in outcomes of legal processes, but also inside organisations that purport to serve justice; in hiring and promotion, in pay and workplace safety, and in governance and practices that often overlook women’s experience, blocking entry, retention, advancement, and leadership.”
Mark Ellis, executive director of the International Bar Association and member of Global 50/50’s advisory council, said justice systems were strongest when they reflect the societies they served.
“Expanding women’s leadership across law and justice, from all regions of the world, supports better decision-making, fairer outcomes, and public confidence.”
Matt Meyer, managing partner at City firm Kingsley Napley and member of the advisory council, added: “Clients demand diversity in the firms and teams they use, inclusive workplaces are more successful at attracting and retaining the best talent and gender equality in leadership drives wider priorities, greater innovation and better decisions.
“Transparency and better data are essential if the legal sector is serious about addressing gender inequality – and that’s what Global Justice 50/50 aims to deliver.”