Post by account_disabled on Mar 4, 2024 22:26:06 GMT -5
Gender inequality is a structural problem that affects the legal services market in Mexico; Despite the modernity and sophistication that large firms exhibit with their institutional image, an organizational culture that is reluctant to change prevails behind them.
One of the main causes is the expectation of permanent availability and unquestionable loyalty that national firms demand, where women have no place due to the “family role” that society itself has imposed.
According to the analysis “Inclusion Chile Mobile Number List of Women in Leadership Positions”, today 48% of lawyers in Mexico are women, however, very few are promoted to higher positions in their jobs.
This study , carried out by the non-profit association Abogadas MX among 313 women in the sector, indicates that 40% of junior lawyers in offices do not want to raise their hand to occupy positions of more responsibility due to insecurity in their abilities, lack of "role models” who occupy those positions and fear of neglecting the family.
“Unconscious biases and gender stereotypes constitute invisible and powerful symbolic barriers for women's access and permanence to certain spaces, positions and sectors of the economy. In many cases, they become leadership models associated with the masculine and stereotypes of women that exclude them from formal and informal decision-making spheres,” the document details.
On the other hand, it stands out that factors such as the legal framework or public policies, in which organizations have no or limited influence, received less importance from the respondents, which could even speak of a lack of interest in the topic.
In this sense, Carlos Viesca Lobatón, director and founding partner of the Sustainability Intelligence Network (RINTERS), carried out an initial diagnosis (rapid assessment) where he evaluated and compared the status of gender equality of law firms in Mexico, with a first analysis in 2016 and an update of the figures in 2020.
The measurement, he explained, was carried out based on the public information of the offices, which included their websites and communication with some of the offices.
The document highlights that, of the 28 legal firms in Mexico included in the diagnosis (9 international and 19 Mexican), only three are above international standards of best practices and almost 40% of the firms do not have a single female partner.
In accordance with international standards, the participation of women must reach at least a third on the boards of directors and senior management of legal firms.
It points out that far from registering an improvement in the situation, over the years it has worsened, since between 2016 and 2020, 71% of the firms included in the study reduced or remained unchanged in their proportion of partners; Even half of them lost members.
In an interview for Expok, Viesca Lobatón lamented the country's situation in terms of gender equality, “we are not even halfway to the levels found in the best US firms,” which are even below other countries. like Germany.
“The absence of transparency is evident, none of the 19 national firms mentioned makes their code of ethics public and only three have statements regarding gender diversity, without them being supported with policies or programs,” explained the director of RINTERS.
Based on interviews with partners from some of the firms analyzed, a very precise collective vision is shown of the main challenges that legal firms face today.
Viesca Lobatón did not specify in which of the offices he conducted interviews for analysis, because not all the information is public. The study was carried out for the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE).
Among the challenges revealed are competition from new legal service models, changes in client expectations about service characteristics, talent attraction and retention, and excessive operating costs.
It all adds up to the pressures that female lawyers experience in firms, mainly harassment and discrimination, whose actions end up forcing them to abandon these spaces of professional practice, even when they find other ways to maintain their legal practice.
It is worth mentioning that the diagnosis was based on an analysis of international references, through which the best practices in gender equality of the main global law firms (such as Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women ) were identified. and served as a basis to evaluate them in Mexico.
One of the main causes is the expectation of permanent availability and unquestionable loyalty that national firms demand, where women have no place due to the “family role” that society itself has imposed.
According to the analysis “Inclusion Chile Mobile Number List of Women in Leadership Positions”, today 48% of lawyers in Mexico are women, however, very few are promoted to higher positions in their jobs.
This study , carried out by the non-profit association Abogadas MX among 313 women in the sector, indicates that 40% of junior lawyers in offices do not want to raise their hand to occupy positions of more responsibility due to insecurity in their abilities, lack of "role models” who occupy those positions and fear of neglecting the family.
“Unconscious biases and gender stereotypes constitute invisible and powerful symbolic barriers for women's access and permanence to certain spaces, positions and sectors of the economy. In many cases, they become leadership models associated with the masculine and stereotypes of women that exclude them from formal and informal decision-making spheres,” the document details.
On the other hand, it stands out that factors such as the legal framework or public policies, in which organizations have no or limited influence, received less importance from the respondents, which could even speak of a lack of interest in the topic.
In this sense, Carlos Viesca Lobatón, director and founding partner of the Sustainability Intelligence Network (RINTERS), carried out an initial diagnosis (rapid assessment) where he evaluated and compared the status of gender equality of law firms in Mexico, with a first analysis in 2016 and an update of the figures in 2020.
The measurement, he explained, was carried out based on the public information of the offices, which included their websites and communication with some of the offices.
The document highlights that, of the 28 legal firms in Mexico included in the diagnosis (9 international and 19 Mexican), only three are above international standards of best practices and almost 40% of the firms do not have a single female partner.
In accordance with international standards, the participation of women must reach at least a third on the boards of directors and senior management of legal firms.
It points out that far from registering an improvement in the situation, over the years it has worsened, since between 2016 and 2020, 71% of the firms included in the study reduced or remained unchanged in their proportion of partners; Even half of them lost members.
In an interview for Expok, Viesca Lobatón lamented the country's situation in terms of gender equality, “we are not even halfway to the levels found in the best US firms,” which are even below other countries. like Germany.
“The absence of transparency is evident, none of the 19 national firms mentioned makes their code of ethics public and only three have statements regarding gender diversity, without them being supported with policies or programs,” explained the director of RINTERS.
Based on interviews with partners from some of the firms analyzed, a very precise collective vision is shown of the main challenges that legal firms face today.
Viesca Lobatón did not specify in which of the offices he conducted interviews for analysis, because not all the information is public. The study was carried out for the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE).
Among the challenges revealed are competition from new legal service models, changes in client expectations about service characteristics, talent attraction and retention, and excessive operating costs.
It all adds up to the pressures that female lawyers experience in firms, mainly harassment and discrimination, whose actions end up forcing them to abandon these spaces of professional practice, even when they find other ways to maintain their legal practice.
It is worth mentioning that the diagnosis was based on an analysis of international references, through which the best practices in gender equality of the main global law firms (such as Working Mother & Flex-Time Lawyers Best Law Firms for Women ) were identified. and served as a basis to evaluate them in Mexico.