Launch of the Phase 2 report and recommendations

The Raising the Bar: Women in Law^[1] project is the International Bar Association’s (IBA’s) ambitious global research project on gender parity in the legal profession, focusing on women’s representation at all levels.

Phase 1 focuses on the number of senior women across private, public, judicial and in-house legal sectors. Phase 2 (with the report launched in March 2026) focuses on women’s experiences working in the profession to understand what is and is not working for women in the law. The aim of the project is to identify the statistical disparity between men and women at all levels, with a focus on senior positions in the legal profession on a global scale, and identify whether workplace initiatives introduced to address this disparity are having any impact.

The project stands out as one of the most influential global efforts to address gender inequality in the legal profession. It is the product of extensive work by the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU)^[2] undertaken with the support of the IBA’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and Women Lawyers’ Committee. Supported by the IBA’s extensive global network, the project has achieved significant international reach and credibility helping to move the conversation from an acknowledgment of disparities to a deeper understanding of the root causes. The project’s impact was recognised at the 2024 Global Legal Post Women and Diversity in Law Awards, where it won Gender Equality Initiative of the Year.

Launched in 2021, then adopted in 2023–24 as an IBA presidential priority project, it combines quantitative data with the lived experiences of women in law to deliver a holistic and comparative analysis across jurisdictions, sectors and career stages. Phase 1 has produced 14 country reports and a case study in Nepal, while further studies are currently underway in India and Singapore.

The Phase 2 report has benefited from the guidance and expertise of an IBA Advisory Board comprising members from a range of IBA committees in the Legal Practice Division and Section on Public and Professional Interest, as well as the Bar Issues Commission. Their collective expertise and perspectives have been instrumental in shaping both the analysis and the recommendations contained in this report.

Phase 2 was designed to highlight women’s subjective experiences of working in the profession, across all legal sectors, including academia and non-governmental organisations. The survey gathered responses from over 5,000 women across more than 100 jurisdictions and notably included those who have left the profession within the past five years. Including the data gathered in Phase 1 of the project, the report draws on data relating to approximately 250,000 legal professionals, making it one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind.

The report found that women make up 45 per cent of lawyers, but only 34 per cent of senior roles, with opaque selection processes and 24/7 billable-hour cultures remaining major barriers. While workplace initiatives exist, 32 per cent of women do not access them due to workload constraints, lack of transparency or manager discretion. Solo practitioners face the highest barriers to support. Despite being one of the most popular initiatives, flexible working is undermined by ‘return-to-office’ mandates and a cultural stigma that labels it as a lack of professional commitment. In total, 64 per cent of women balance work with caregiving, yet only seven per cent have access to formal career support, and support for menopause and infertility is almost non-existent. Furthermore, women report significantly lower average wellbeing scores than men and face high rates of burnout and stress.

To address these issues, the report sets out clear and practical recommendations aimed at legal workplaces, professional bodies and individual practitioners, which derive from six key recommendations:

• striving for structural and cultural change around workplace initiatives;
• embedding flexible work practices;
• building sustainable pathways for women;
• supporting women’s wellbeing;
• recognising and supporting life stages and caring responsibilities; and
• support for solo practitioners, smaller workplaces and women in chambers.

These recommendations are intended to assist law firms, bar associations and members of the profession in the practical implementation and cultural embedding of necessary changes, rather than merely offering them on paper. The IBA LPRU has now moved to the implementation stage of the project. While the recommendations are already informing policy discussions and reforms across the profession, actions flowing from the recommendations are already underway, led by different IBA committees, including the Law Firm Management Committee.

The project’s ongoing impact lies in its sustained commitment to dissemination and uptake. Through the LPRU, and in collaboration with its global membership, the IBA is actively supporting the implementation of its recommendations, engaging with professional bodies, regulators and institutions to embed change and promote accountability. This ensures that the initiative is not a one-off study but is continuing to promote and drive reform.

In 2022, the IBA launched the 'Women Lawyers’ Committee: Mentorship Toolkit' to provide guidance for law firms on starting mentorship programmes and to assist female legal professionals addressing the gender representation gap at senior levels. Mentorship promotion efforts led by this Committee, with support from the Law Firm Management Committee, are ongoing in 2026.

This article was prepared by the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit.