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Sexism at the bar may still exist, but women barristers have come a long way
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Sexism at the bar may still exist, but women barristers have come a long way
During pupillage in the 80s, not only did women make the tea, they had to avoid being groped in the process
Maura McGowan
I know I wasn't the only barrister to feel disheartened by this article which appeared on the Guardian's website on Thursday, written by a woman who had been treated unfairly in the way in which tasks were assigned to her and her fellow pupils during their training.
I would not try to claim that sexist attitudes have been eradicated from the bar (or any profession), but it is only fair to acknowledge that the bar has come on leaps and bounds in this respect since I completed pupillage in the early 80s.In fact, by then, most women believed most of the dinosaurs of the bar had become extinct and that we were entering a relatively egalitarian profession. Nevertheless, not only were we expected to make the tea, but we also had to do it looking backwards to avoid being groped in the process.
Since then, the number of women who achieve pupillage (in a highly competitive environment) has increased exponentially. From the male dominated bar of the 1980s, pupillages are now almost evenly split between male and female applicants. In several years over the past decade, the number of successful female applicants has outnumbered that of their male counterparts. The overall percentage of women in practice now stands at 35%, which, while almost double the proportion in 1990, shows that we still have some way to go; this of course includes the less diverse intakes of previous decades.
While the progress made partly reflects general societal trends, the Bar Council, the inns of court, the specialist bar associations, the circuits and chambers can take credit for having improved the bar's attitude to women.
The Bar Council invests significantly in equality and diversity initiatives and our Equality and Diversity Training Course is popular among barristers and chambers' staff. It shows a real appetite for information about best practice. Every set of chambers now has an equality and diversity Officer to ensure that these issues are addressed properly.
It is a demanding profession in which, for many, being self-employed rules out benefits such as fully-paid maternity leave, sick leave and paid holidays. Great efforts have been made to encourage women to stay in or return to practice after having a family. The Bar Council has encouraged chambers to introduce rent-free maternity leave and hopes that it may soon become compulsory. We are also tendering for a business partner to set up a "bar nursery" close to chambers in London. We actively support initiatives such as the Middle Temple Women's Forum.
Despite these efforts and achievements, the experiences of the article's author should not be dismissed. On behalf of profession as a whole, I am sorry that she encountered such anachronistic, chauvinistic behaviour. We really want to recruit and retain the best female talent, to the benefit of both the profession and the public. Thankfully, as the author acknowledges, her experiences do not reflect those of most pupils.
We wondered why the author had not sought advice from one of the many avenues of support available. We realise that any pupil hoping for tenancy wants to avoid alienating their senior colleagues and jeopardising their chances of success, but there are many anonymous sources of advice, including the Bar Council's pupil advice line, which offers confidential support. In addition, the Bar Council provides an equality and diversity helpline, the Association of Women Barristers' can provide support for female practitioners at all levels and the inns of courts' student officers will always help and advise.
As I prepare to take over as chairman of the bar next year, I see a generation of women reaching increasingly senior heights at the bar and in the judiciary. There is always more to be done, but we have come a long way and no one should have to put up with this sort of treatment. If the author of the article, or anyone else, wants advice or support, in the strictest of confidence, my door is always open.
Maura McGowan QC is vice-chairman of the Bar Council
Source: The Guardian UK
