Mexico: IBA report on gender equality in the legal profession finds women hold only 17 per cent of senior positions in law firms
Despite 39 per cent of lawyers in law firms in Mexico being women, they only occupy 17 per cent of senior roles a new report reveals. Published by the International Bar Association (IBA) during its 2024 Annual Conference, held in Mexico City, the 50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law – MEXICO RESULTS REPORT is the latest in the series of a global project initiated by IBA President Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama.
President Arpón de Mendívil, commented on the broader picture in Mexico – taking in law professionals in the public sector and judiciary as well as firms: 'The most striking thing about the study on Mexico is the very low numbers of women who graduate as lawyers, only 34 per cent. This means that the important thing in Mexico is not so much how many lawyers reach senior positions where the proportion is not bad: of 34 per cent, 30 per cent reach those senior positions. The most relevant thing is how many women can overcome economic and cultural barriers to be able to go to university and complete their law studies. The benefits of a diverse environment have been proven for decades and a country with the enormous potential of Mexico should not waste so much female talent in the legal sector. The IBA study invites us to reflect on the obstacles faced by Mexican women in completing these studies so that later, from the IBA and together with representatives of the legal sector in Mexico, we can identify the best formulas to help overcome them.'
Overall the study, conducted in Mexico and released by the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) in collaboration with the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation (LNROLF), found that women make up 34 per cent of all lawyers in this jurisdiction and 30 per cent of senior lawyers. In comparison, the percentage of senior female lawyers and judges in the Netherlands and Nigeria is higher, standing at 46 per cent. Uganda also surpasses Mexico, at 40 per cent. While, Chile, England and Wales and Spain have only a slightly higher percentage of women in senior roles at 34 per cent, 32 per cent and 31 per cent respectively.
The Mexican public sector has the highest proportion of female lawyers at a senior level (33 per cent), followed by the judiciary (30 per cent), while law firms have the lowest percentage of senior female lawyers (17 per cent). In the judiciary, the report found no drop in the percentage of female lawyers overall or at senior level, both standing at 30 per cent.
Norma Lucía Piña Hernández, President of the Supreme Court of Mexico, commented in the report’s foreword: ‘The “50:50 by 2030” Gender Project contributes to the generation of gender-perspective data enhancing our understanding of the challenges faced in the legal field. Today, in the Supreme Court and the Federal Judiciary Council, we have moved beyond the reductionist idea that gender equality is achieved through the mere enactment of institutional regulations. We have aimed to base ourselves on accurate, evidence-based diagnostics to develop comprehensive programmes and coordinated actions that translate into real and effective measures to improve the lives of women.’
Additional findings in the Mexico results report include:
- In the public sector there is a small percentage decrease between women overall (35 per cent) and women in senior roles (33 per cent).
- 85 per cent of respondents monitor gender balance overall, but only 73 per cent monitor gender balance within senior positions;
- flexible working, despite being the most popular initiative, is perceived as only the fourth most effective by respondents;
- leadership training for women and coaching and mentoring were regarded as the most effective initiatives; and
- quota setting for senior positions was the least popular initiative by a significant margin.
The 50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law project examines gender disparity in senior roles across the legal profession, including in: private practice, in-house legal teams, public sector institutions and the judiciary. Unique in scope and duration, this nine-year global project aims to uncover the root causes of gender disparity at the top of the legal profession and examine the impact of equality initiatives in order to produce a blueprint for gender equality at all levels. Eight reports, outside of the new report on Mexico, have been released to date. In order of publication they are: England and Wales, Uganda and Spain in 2022; Chile, the Netherlands and Nigeria in 2023; and in 2024, report on the Brazil and the Republic of Korea. Also published in 2024 was a case study on Nepal.
ENDS
Notes to the reader:
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Click here to download a PDF of 50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law – MEXICO RESULTS REPORT.
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Click here for information on the IBA’s 50:50 by 2030: A longitudinal study into gender disparity in law project.
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The International Bar Association (IBA),the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of theUnited Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
The IBA has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community, and through its global membership, it influences the development of international law reform and helps to shape the future of the legal profession throughout the world.
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