| Description |
The purpose of this study is to raise awareness about gender bias, in general, and as it pertains to attorneys in law firms, specifically. This study follows the lead of previous research on the issue of gender bias and goes a step further by narrowing the scope to promotion in law firms. Based on current literature and practices this study investigates the potential influence of gender on promotion. Data were collected with a questionnaire distributed to both male and female attorneys in the Salt Lake area, question items were based on generated hypotheses with input from local female attorneys. The final questionnaire consisted of 70 questions, including demographics. A factor analysis was used to identify major factors. T-Ttests were then conducted on the factors generated by the factor matrix. Gender was used as the independent variable and a coefficient computed by averaging the responses in each factor. T-tests and Chi-squared tests were used to study the effects of gender, age, and experience on promotion. Studies preceding this research found that gender combined with age, too much experience, and firm size affects partnership opportunities. This sample however, did not produce similar results. While male and female attorneys in Salt Lake generally do not feel gender bias is prevalent in promotion practices, two exceptions were noted. First, these same attorneys do perceive differential treatment by others. Second, males and females have different perceptions about how performance is measured. This suggests that subtle discrimination is occurring. The law profession has been dominated by men since its inception. The increasing number of women in this field makes the incidence of gender bias more prominent. Gender bias is often difficult to measure because of the many ways in which it is manifested. Blatant gender bias is decreasing, while more subtle forms may be increasing. The very nature of subtle bias makes it difficult to study empirically. Making people aware that their behavior and policies breed gender; bias may, in itself, be half of the battle against discrimination. |
