Utah vs. National Trends

How does the experience of women lawyers in Utah compare to the experience of women lawyers nationally?

In this section, we compare 2020 WLU survey findings to findings from the 2018 ABA survey. The ABA conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the experience of implicit gender and racial bias within the nation’s legal community. The national survey included questions about well-documented patterns of bias across a range of workplace practices including hiring, performance evaluations, promotions and compensation.

Our survey replicated many of these questions in order to compare Utah to national trends. This comparison provides important context for understanding the experience of practitioners in Utah’s legal community. We begin by providing an overview of women’s representation in law Utah vs. the U.S. We then summarize the findings in five thematic areas: Prove-it-Again and Tightrope Bias, Motherhood Penalties, Racial Bias, Compensation and Harassment.^[03]

• Overview of Women’s Representation in Law
• Prove-It-Again Bias
• Tightrope Bias & Agency Penalties
• Motherhood Penalties
• Lack of Fit Bias
• Compensation Bias
• Gender-based & Sexual Harassment
• Bias in Recruitment & Retention