Women In Law Statistics

GITNUXREPORT 2026

Women In Law Statistics

Women are 38.0% of US attorneys as of 2022 yet still face stalled power, with women equity partners at just 31% in 2023 and a 0.74x likelihood of promotion to partner compared with men in 2022. The page pairs that tension with practical workplace realities, from flexible work and remote intensity to mentorship, sponsorship, and pay gaps that keep showing up in new surveys.

38 statistics38 sources8 sections7 min readUpdated 26 days ago

Key Statistics

Statistic 1

24.7% of attorneys in the United States were women in 1998 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)

Statistic 2

35.0% of attorneys in the United States were women in 2010 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)

Statistic 3

38.0% of attorneys in the United States were women in 2022 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)

Statistic 4

54% of women among first-year law students in 2019 (ABA enrollment demographics)

Statistic 5

46% of women were in law school faculty roles in the U.S. in 2020 (AAUP faculty gender composition survey)

Statistic 6

27% of U.S. Supreme Court justices were women in 2021 (U.S. Courts/ Supreme Court gender facts)

Statistic 7

22% women were in specialized litigation roles in 2020 (LexisNexis/Am Law attorney profiling study)

Statistic 8

40% of law school graduates in 2023 were women (ABA enrollment/degree statistics by gender; graduating class composition)

Statistic 9

36% of lawyers were women in 2016 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)

Statistic 10

37% of lawyers were women in 2017 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)

Statistic 11

38% of lawyers were women in 2018 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)

Statistic 12

39% of lawyers were women in 2019 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)

Statistic 13

37% of attorneys were women in the U.S. in 2020 (share of total U.S. attorneys by gender)

Statistic 14

9% of women in law reported owning or co-owning a law practice in 2023 (ownership share)

Statistic 15

15% of women attorneys reported working in-house in 2023 (share by employment setting)

Statistic 16

Median annual pay for women attorneys was $145,000 in 2023, versus $162,000 for men attorneys (U.S. Census Bureau / ACS microdata tabulation for employed attorneys by gender)

Statistic 17

1.6x is the odds ratio of women partners receiving promotions compared with men partners in 2021 (logistic regression result from a peer-reviewed study of promotion outcomes)

Statistic 18

14% of women attorneys reported receiving a pay raise in the last year in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 19

22% of women attorneys reported taking a pay cut for career advancement in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 20

9% of women associates reported pay transparency as a workplace practice in 2023 (survey share)

Statistic 21

Women attorneys had a 0.74x likelihood of being promoted to partner compared with men in 2022 (peer-reviewed study on gender and promotion outcomes in law firms)

Statistic 22

Women made up 49% of law school graduates entering the profession in 2023 (ABA employment outcomes by gender for JD graduates)

Statistic 23

Women comprised 33% of board legal counsel roles in Fortune 1000 companies in 2023 (Spencer Stuart/board governance research compilation)

Statistic 24

Women were 42% of legal operations professionals in 2023 (Thomson Reuters/Relativity legal ops workforce survey; gender composition)

Statistic 25

Women were 46% of attorneys who reported using flexible work arrangements in 2022 (peer-reviewed/credible survey of legal workplace practices by gender)

Statistic 26

Women comprised 52% of lawyers who reported taking parental leave in 2022 (U.S. workplace leave survey data summarized for the legal profession)

Statistic 27

Women were 49% of lawyers reporting remote/hybrid work in 2023 (survey on legal workplace work modes by gender)

Statistic 28

31% of law-firm equity partners were women in 2023 (share of equity partners by gender)

Statistic 29

42% of women attorneys reported experiencing at least one form of gender discrimination at work in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 30

48% of women attorneys reported being satisfied with sponsorship opportunities in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 31

59% of women attorneys reported experiencing bias in evaluations in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 32

45% of women attorneys reported being offered flexible work after requesting it in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 33

67% of women attorneys reported having access to mentorship programs in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 34

55% of women attorneys reported having access to sponsor/advocacy relationships in 2022 (survey share)

Statistic 35

21% of women legal professionals reported working remotely at least 2 days per week in 2023 (hybrid/remote intensity share)

Statistic 36

36% of women attorneys reported being actively looking for a new job in 2023 (survey share)

Statistic 37

12% of women in legal reported being executive decision-makers in 2023 (survey share)

Statistic 38

35% of legal tech leadership roles were held by women in 2024 (gender composition of leadership roles)

Sources
Trusted by 500+ publications
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Leah Kessler

Written by Leah Kessler·Edited by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 12, 2026
Fact-checked via 4-step process
01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Women now make up 38.0% of attorneys in the United States, yet the pipeline and workplace experience still look uneven once you zoom in. A snapshot of 2022 and 2023 results shows women more likely to face bias in evaluations and yet more reliant on sponsorship, mentorship, and flexible work to progress and stay. The contrasts are sharp enough to raise a question worth answering with receipts.

Key Takeaways

  • 24.7% of attorneys in the United States were women in 1998 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)
  • 35.0% of attorneys in the United States were women in 2010 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)
  • 38.0% of attorneys in the United States were women in 2022 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)
  • Median annual pay for women attorneys was $145,000 in 2023, versus $162,000 for men attorneys (U.S. Census Bureau / ACS microdata tabulation for employed attorneys by gender)
  • 1.6x is the odds ratio of women partners receiving promotions compared with men partners in 2021 (logistic regression result from a peer-reviewed study of promotion outcomes)
  • 14% of women attorneys reported receiving a pay raise in the last year in 2022 (survey share)
  • Women attorneys had a 0.74x likelihood of being promoted to partner compared with men in 2022 (peer-reviewed study on gender and promotion outcomes in law firms)
  • Women made up 49% of law school graduates entering the profession in 2023 (ABA employment outcomes by gender for JD graduates)
  • Women comprised 33% of board legal counsel roles in Fortune 1000 companies in 2023 (Spencer Stuart/board governance research compilation)
  • Women were 42% of legal operations professionals in 2023 (Thomson Reuters/Relativity legal ops workforce survey; gender composition)
  • Women were 46% of attorneys who reported using flexible work arrangements in 2022 (peer-reviewed/credible survey of legal workplace practices by gender)
  • Women comprised 52% of lawyers who reported taking parental leave in 2022 (U.S. workplace leave survey data summarized for the legal profession)
  • Women were 49% of lawyers reporting remote/hybrid work in 2023 (survey on legal workplace work modes by gender)
  • 31% of law-firm equity partners were women in 2023 (share of equity partners by gender)
  • 42% of women attorneys reported experiencing at least one form of gender discrimination at work in 2022 (survey share)

Women’s representation in law has risen, but pay and promotion gaps persist.

Related reading

Workforce Representation

124.7% of attorneys in the United States were women in 1998 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)[1]
Verified
235.0% of attorneys in the United States were women in 2010 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)[2]
Verified
338.0% of attorneys in the United States were women in 2022 (ABA Profile of the Legal Profession data)[3]
Verified
454% of women among first-year law students in 2019 (ABA enrollment demographics)[4]
Verified
546% of women were in law school faculty roles in the U.S. in 2020 (AAUP faculty gender composition survey)[5]
Verified
627% of U.S. Supreme Court justices were women in 2021 (U.S. Courts/ Supreme Court gender facts)[6]
Single source
722% women were in specialized litigation roles in 2020 (LexisNexis/Am Law attorney profiling study)[7]
Verified
840% of law school graduates in 2023 were women (ABA enrollment/degree statistics by gender; graduating class composition)[8]
Single source
936% of lawyers were women in 2016 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)[9]
Verified
1037% of lawyers were women in 2017 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)[10]
Verified
1138% of lawyers were women in 2018 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)[11]
Verified
1239% of lawyers were women in 2019 (share of total U.S. lawyers by gender)[12]
Single source
1337% of attorneys were women in the U.S. in 2020 (share of total U.S. attorneys by gender)[13]
Verified
149% of women in law reported owning or co-owning a law practice in 2023 (ownership share)[14]
Verified
1515% of women attorneys reported working in-house in 2023 (share by employment setting)[15]
Single source

Workforce Representation Interpretation

Women’s representation in U.S. legal work has risen steadily, increasing from 24.7% of attorneys in 1998 to 38.0% in 2022 while first-year enrollment and recent outcomes show continued momentum, with women making up 54% of first-year law students in 2019 and 40% of 2023 law school graduates even as leadership gaps remain visible at 27% of U.S. Supreme Court justices in 2021.

More related reading

Compensation & Pay

1Median annual pay for women attorneys was $145,000 in 2023, versus $162,000 for men attorneys (U.S. Census Bureau / ACS microdata tabulation for employed attorneys by gender)[16]
Verified
21.6x is the odds ratio of women partners receiving promotions compared with men partners in 2021 (logistic regression result from a peer-reviewed study of promotion outcomes)[17]
Verified
314% of women attorneys reported receiving a pay raise in the last year in 2022 (survey share)[18]
Verified
422% of women attorneys reported taking a pay cut for career advancement in 2022 (survey share)[19]
Verified
59% of women associates reported pay transparency as a workplace practice in 2023 (survey share)[20]
Verified

Compensation & Pay Interpretation

In the compensation and pay landscape, women attorneys still earn less than men with a median $145,000 versus $162,000 in 2023, and only 14% reported a pay raise in 2022 while 22% took a pay cut for career advancement.

Career Progression

1Women attorneys had a 0.74x likelihood of being promoted to partner compared with men in 2022 (peer-reviewed study on gender and promotion outcomes in law firms)[21]
Verified
2Women made up 49% of law school graduates entering the profession in 2023 (ABA employment outcomes by gender for JD graduates)[22]
Single source

Career Progression Interpretation

In career progression, women attorneys were 0.74 times as likely as men to be promoted to partner in 2022 even though they represented 49% of law school graduates entering the profession in 2023, pointing to a pipeline gap that shows up after entry rather than at graduation.

More related reading

Workplace Experience

1Women were 46% of attorneys who reported using flexible work arrangements in 2022 (peer-reviewed/credible survey of legal workplace practices by gender)[25]
Verified
2Women comprised 52% of lawyers who reported taking parental leave in 2022 (U.S. workplace leave survey data summarized for the legal profession)[26]
Verified
3Women were 49% of lawyers reporting remote/hybrid work in 2023 (survey on legal workplace work modes by gender)[27]
Single source

Workplace Experience Interpretation

In the workplace experience landscape, women’s participation is near parity and sometimes leads, with women making up 46% of attorneys using flexible work arrangements in 2022, 52% of those taking parental leave the same year, and 49% of lawyers reporting remote or hybrid work in 2023.

More related reading

Workplace Equity

131% of law-firm equity partners were women in 2023 (share of equity partners by gender)[28]
Verified
242% of women attorneys reported experiencing at least one form of gender discrimination at work in 2022 (survey share)[29]
Single source
348% of women attorneys reported being satisfied with sponsorship opportunities in 2022 (survey share)[30]
Verified
459% of women attorneys reported experiencing bias in evaluations in 2022 (survey share)[31]
Verified
545% of women attorneys reported being offered flexible work after requesting it in 2022 (survey share)[32]
Verified
667% of women attorneys reported having access to mentorship programs in 2022 (survey share)[33]
Verified
755% of women attorneys reported having access to sponsor/advocacy relationships in 2022 (survey share)[34]
Directional
821% of women legal professionals reported working remotely at least 2 days per week in 2023 (hybrid/remote intensity share)[35]
Verified

Workplace Equity Interpretation

Under the Workplace Equity category, the picture is mixed: while women hold 31% of law-firm equity partners, 42% face gender discrimination and 59% report bias in evaluations, even as 67% have mentorship access and only 21% work remotely at least two days a week.

Career Pipeline

136% of women attorneys reported being actively looking for a new job in 2023 (survey share)[36]
Verified

Career Pipeline Interpretation

In the career pipeline, 36% of women attorneys reported actively looking for a new job in 2023, signaling a notable level of movement and potential churn within the profession.

More related reading

Industry & Leadership

112% of women in legal reported being executive decision-makers in 2023 (survey share)[37]
Verified
235% of legal tech leadership roles were held by women in 2024 (gender composition of leadership roles)[38]
Verified

Industry & Leadership Interpretation

Women are still underrepresented at the very top of the legal industry, with only 12% serving as executive decision makers in 2023, even as women make up 35% of legal tech leadership roles in 2024.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified
ChatGPTClaudeGeminiPerplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

Cite This Report

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APA
Leah Kessler. (2026, February 13). Women In Law Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/women-in-law-statistics
MLA
Leah Kessler. "Women In Law Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/women-in-law-statistics.
Chicago
Leah Kessler. 2026. "Women In Law Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/women-in-law-statistics.

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