Broader opportunities and a strong economy are causing fewer women to seek law degrees.
From 1963 to 1990, the enrollment of women in law schools rose each consecutive year, according to the ABA. In 1963, just 3.7 percent of law school students were women, compared with 42.5 percent in 1990. In 1992, for the only time, women outnumbered men at 50.4 percent. And from 1994 to 2001, female enrollment again began to climb steadily.
One reason for the reversal now may be the media attention that law firms have received about the scant number of women partners and the problems firms have in retaining women, said Elizabeth Pederson, a graduate of Stanford Law School last May and president of Ms. JD, an online community for women attorneys.
Many legal trade and general print publications recently have reported that few women become partners in the nation's law firms. In 2006, just 17.9 percent of partners in law firms were women, according to NALP, a nonprofit organization that tracks legal careers. Meanwhile, 44.3 percent of associates were women.
Law firms are trying to become more friendly to women, providing flex-time schedules, on-site daycare, better maternity leave, and breastfeeding rooms. But you can't get around the grueling schedule young lawyers are expected to keep at a time that many women are wanting to get married, start families and have careers.
After I had my son at the end of my first year of law school, I knew the lawyer's life was not for me. I had no intention of paying someone else to raise my children for me while I worked massive hours. I finished my degree more so I could have the sense of accomplishment than because I intended to become an attorney. It sounds to me like more women are opting for other career paths because of the workload.
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