Over the past decade, women have made gains in earning law school degrees, particularly at the University of Utah where women comprise over 50% of the graduating class. However, despite these gains, women’s representation in Utah’s legal profession has remained relatively stagnant.
Women’s Representation in Law, 2010-2020
Women’s Representation in Law, 2010-2020 |
Utah 2010 | Utah 2020 | National 2020 |
% Women law school graduates | 38% | 40% (BYU) 53% (U of U) |
50% |
% Women attorneys | 23% | 23% | 38% |
% Women partner | 11%* | 12% | 24% |
% Women of color partners | <1% | 1% | 3% |
Footnote in graph above [12]
Women’s distribution across occupations has changed in the past decade, particularly in their representation in law firms. Women’s employment in law firms increased by 11% since 2010 while men’s employment in law firms remained relatively stable. Women also increased their employment in in-house counsel positions during this time, achieving parity with men in terms of their employment distribution in that area.
Women’s Representation by Occupation, 2010-2020 (Men’s representation in parenthesis.)
2010 | 2020 | |
Law firm | 30% (47%) | 41% (48%) |
Government agency | 28% (20%) | 28% (23%) |
Solo practitioner | 10% (11%) | 7% (13%) |
In-house counsel | 7% (13%) | 12% (11%) |
Non-legal | 3% (4%) | 1% (2%) |
Other | 10% (5%) | 3% (1%) |
Non-profit | 4% (2%) | 9% (2%) |
In 2010 and 2020, 75% of women reported that they are satisfied with their current jobs. Despite relatively high levels of job satisfaction, however, a substantial proportion of women reported that they do not see a long-term future for themselves at their current employer. In 2010, 75% of women indicated that they would leave their current job within 5 years compared to 57% of men. In 2020, 23% of women and 20% of men said that they do not see a long-term future for themselves at their current job. This change over time suggests that both men and women perceive more stability in their employment over time.
In 2010 and 2020, most men and women reported being satisfied with the quality of their assignments. However, women were more likely to report that they lack the same access to quality assignments as their male colleagues. In 2010, 8% of women reported that they received assignments of lower quality than their peers, while in 2020 24% of women reported receiving lower quality assignments relative to their peers.