WOMEN are set to outnumber men in the legal profession for the first time, after a huge influx of 2,000 females began practising law over the past decade.
Figures published by the Law Society of Scotland has shown that a record number of solicitors - 11,000 - are at work in the country, 49 per cent of whom are female.
As increasing numbers of women are entering the profession, they will soon outstrip males for the first time. The statistics reveal that of lawyers aged under 45, 61 per cent are female and it is expected that there will be more women solicitors than men within two years.
Among younger age groups, the difference becomes more profound, with two-and-a-half times as many female solicitors aged between 25 and 30 compared to men. Historically a male-dominated arena, females outnumbering men in the world of law would have been unthinkable even a generation ago. In 1980, fewer than one-quarter of lawyers were female, but in little more than a decade, the number of female lawyers has risen by two-thirds.
While the profession becoming more representative of society was welcomed, it was warned that work is still needed to ensure women face a level playing field, with many of the top jobs still dominated by men.
Christine McLintock, who has worked as general counsel at international law firm Pinsent Masons, said the profession had seen remarkable change since she started her career 30 years ago.
"It's taken quite a while to get to this stage, but if you look even at the last six years, the pace of change has really escalated," Ms McLintock, vice-president of the Law Society of Scotland, said. "I suspect it's due to schools encouraging more pupils to aspire to a university education, and law is seen as a good career. It is a marvellous profession and there are some fantastic role models for young women.
"There are still some issues to be addressed, there is a genuine gender pay gap for example and we do have concern about the impact of career breaks and flexible working, but we're trying to raise awareness of these issues and a lot of the larger firms are looking to encourage women into senior management positions. I think we'll see more women moving into these jobs."
In 2001, there were about 3,300 practising female solicitors in Scotland, compared to almost 5,500 men. While the number of males in the profession has remained consistent, the gap in numbers between the sexes has effectively been wiped out in less than 15 years, with just 130 fewer females currently.
More than half of all solicitors - 56 per cent - are under the age of 45, with almost one-fifth qualifying in the past five years. The statistics also showed that more than one-quarter of solicitors now work in-house for organisations in the private and public sectors, compared to one-third who are employed by large law firms. Six per cent work as sole practitioners.
The developments in law are similar to those in the medical profession, which has also seen a rise in the proportion of women in recent years. Between September 2010 and June this year, there was an increase of more than 11 per cent in female doctors working for the NHS in Scotland. In the same period, the number of males in the same jobs rose by just 1.5 per cent.
Alistair Morris, President of the Law Society said: "I am very pleased that the legal profession in Scotland is continuing to grow and that so many young people see their future in law.
"The latest statistics are a good indicator of the improving health of the profession and that despite the difficulties experienced by many as a result of the downturn, we are making progress as the economy recovers."
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