Women request flexible working hours more frequently than men but proportionally receive fewer full approvals, the International Bar Association’s latest report on women in law has revealed.

Raising the Bar is based on a survey of 4,933 women from more than 100 countries. Respondents worked throughout the legal sector including in private practice, in-house, the self-employed bar and judiciary. It concludes that return-to-office expectations 'disproportionately affect women with caring responsibilities, especially in private-practice settings’ - with one-third of respondents stating that flexible working had the greatest impact on their career.

However only 59% had access to flexible working arrangements, 40% to coaching and mentoring programmes, and just 20% to leadership training.

The bar was the sector ‘least likely to have workplace initiatives available’ - 20% of barristers/advocates stated they had no initiatives available while 90% of those working in a firm did. 

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‘Respondents’ feedback reflected a growing expectation that legal workplaces adopt clearer, more structured carers’ policies,’ the report states. ’This included requests for expanded parental leave for all parents, childcare assistance and structured support for those returning from parental leave or managing other caring responsibilities.’

Some 308 respondents had left the sector within the past five years. Their reasons included unhappiness with workplace culture (50%), seeking better support for mental or physical health elsewhere (49%)exp, erience of bias or discrimination in their role (24%). 

Under half (45%) of women asked were very satisfied or satisfied with opportunities for promotion or advancement, while 41% said they felt very satisfied or satisfied with the support available for work-life balance.

‘Many respondents highlighted chronic overwork, high billable-hour expectations, and a perception that long hours remain an entrenched norm across many legal workplaces,’ the report adds. ’Several reported that while flexible working exists in policy, high workloads make these arrangements difficult to utilise in practice.’

The report states: ‘It is evident from the survey responses that structural change to support women’s progression across all sectors is still needed, as is cultural change within the profession.’

It makes six recommendations ‘to advance women’s progression, inclusion and wellbeing’, including embedding flexible work practices, publishing clear, accessible information about available workplace initiatives, incorporating workplace initiative participation into performance and promotion discussions, and establishing structured mentorship and sponsorship programmes.