Before Men Just as the number of women entering law school is expected to outpace men for the first time in 2001, a new study from Catalyst explores the reasons why legal employers are not retaining women in equal numbers with men, much less advancing them to partner. Although over 40 percent of law school students since 1985, women still make up less than 16 percent of law partners nationally and 14 percent of Fortune 500 general counsels. Catalyst's latest research, however, indicates that losing women lawyers is not a foregone conclusion. And last, but not least, they want a mentor who can help them figure it all out. Women are less satisfied with advancement opportunities than men.
Women of color are the least satisfied of any group on all fronts.
More than two-thirds of women and nearly half of men agree that the most significant barrier to women's advancement is commitment to family responsibilities. But women's careers are affected in ways men's are not because they make different choices. Thirty-four percent of women have worked part time, compared to 9 percent of men. However, men are beginning to make the same career decisions as women. The law firms and corporate legal departments that want to be successful in the future need to focus on recruitment, retention and advancement of women.