Latest IBA report on gender equality in the law is focused on Türkiye and yields insightful results
Wednesday 27 November 2024
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The latest research by the International Bar Association (IBA) Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) into gender disparity in the law is focused on Türkiye (Türkiye Gender Report) and reveals that the number of women occupying senior roles (47 per cent) outstrips the overall number of practising women (45 per cent). The 50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law – TÜRKIYE RESULTS REPORT is the eleventh report released in collaboration with the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation as part of the 50:50 by 2030 project: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law (the ‘Gender Project’).
Research found that the corporate sector in Türkiye has the highest percentage of women both overall – at 62 per cent – and at a senior level, where the figure increases to 66 per cent. In the judiciary, the numbers follow the same pattern: women make up 42 per cent overall, with 47 per cent of senior positions occupied by women. The results are repeated within the public sector despite it having the lowest number of women, both overall (21 per cent) and in senior roles (36 per cent). However, in law firms, women make up 61 per cent of lawyers overall, but only 45 per cent at a senior level. In all sectors, with the exception of law firms, the percentage of senior women outstripped the percentage of women overall.
Ufkay Demirci, former Judge at the Supreme Court of Türkiye and Honorary Member of the Court of Cassation, commented in the report’s foreword: ‘The findings of this report are of great importance. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that talent and dedication are recognised and nurtured regardless of gender, paving the way for a more just and equitable legal system. I hope that this report will be an inspiring resource in advancing these goals, encouraging dialogue and bringing about meaningful change.’
Associate Professor Seda Kalem, Istanbul Bilgi University Faculty of Law, stated in the report’s foreword: ‘The absence of a woman president throughout the history of the Istanbul Bar Association underscores the persistent presence of the glass ceiling effect within the profession. Despite improvements at the legislative and practical level, public life remains male-dominated. The Gender Project is noteworthy for its commitment to identifying causes of gender inequality within the legal profession on a global scale. In learning from each other's experiences, countries can more effectively address gaps in gender parity.’
Additional findings in the Türkiye Gender Report include:
- coaching and mentoring programmes are the most popular initiative in place to address gender disparity, followed by leadership training for women and flexible working arrangements;
- unconscious bias training was perceived to be the most effective in efforts to improve gender representation;
- 95 per cent of respondents reported that they monitored gender balance overall, and 91 per cent monitored it at a senior level;
- part-time working is rare: only four respondents in law firms/in-house positions reported senior lawyers employed on a part-time basis; and
- in the public sector and judiciary, part-time working is not an option.
The report is being translated into Turkish and will be available in early 2025.
The Gender Project examines gender disparity in senior roles across the legal profession – private practice, in-house legal teams, public sector institutions and the judiciary. Unique in scope and duration (nine years) this global project aims to uncover the root causes of gender disparity at the top of the legal profession and examine the impact of equality initiatives, to produce a blueprint for gender equality at all levels. Ten reports have been released to date. In order of publication, they are: England and Wales, Uganda and Spain in 2022; Chile, the Netherlands and Nigeria in 2023; and Brazil, the Republic of Korea, Mexico and Ukraine in 2024. Also published in 2024 was a complementary case study on Nepal undertaken by the Nepal Bar Association.
The nine-year global project, launched in 2021, was conceived by Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama, IBA President and a partner at law firm Gómez-Acebo & Pombo in Madrid, Spain. She stated at its inception: ‘Despite good intentions, despite the merits and talent of so many women, we still don’t reach the most senior positions across the legal sector, mainly due to discriminatory obstacles placed in our paths. This directly clashes with the principles defended by our profession. The legal sector cannot afford this contradiction and should lead by example. With the benefit of raised general awareness around discrimination, it is time for increased action. Through the “50:50 by 2030” global study the IBA aspires to build global empirical evidence on the barriers causing the disparity in figures between women and men in senior roles and to put forward remedies to rectify the situation in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality. We are committed to developing solutions that will bring about lasting change to reflect the broader profession and society as a whole.’
ENDS
Contact: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org
Notes to the reader:
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Click here to download a PDF of 50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law – TÜRKIYE RESULTS REPORT
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Click here for information on the IBA’s 50:50 by 2030 – A Longitudinal Study into Gender Disparity in Law project
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The next reports in the series will be South Africa and Australia. Research is currently underway in these jurisdictions.
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The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
The IBA has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community, and through its global membership, it influences the development of international law reform and helps to shape the future of the legal profession throughout the world.
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