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structural patterns of privilege and inequality in the legal profession: race and gender
Posted by Dr. Heather Marion D'Cruz on 2008/06/03
There were two articles next to each other on page 10 of The Guardian, 26 May 2008. The weblinks for these articles are pasted in this blog.
They offer two interesting examples of understanding structural inequalities by examining statistical patterns.
The first pattern is the percentage of complaints about ethnic minority solicitors investigated (63%) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the UK, compared with the percentage of solicitors from ethnic minorities (21%).
For white solicitors, who make up nearly 79% of solicitors, the percentage of complaints investigated is 37%.
See the article Solicitor accuses regulator of racial bias in £10m claim, Clare Dyer, The Guardian, Law, May 26, 2008, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/26/law.discriminationatwork, accessed 2 June 2008
The second pattern refers to the inequalities in pay between men and women solicitors, and white and ethnic minority solicitors.
In an article, Pay gap is all too black and white, Marcel Berlins, The Guardian, Writ Large, 26 May, 2008, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/26/law.discriminationatwork, accessed 2 June 2008, Berlins states that the median income for white solicitors was £50,000, and for ethnic minorities, £40,000.
‘Even when variables … such as experience, region, size of firm and area of law practised, the average gap was still 17%.’
When comparing the gender pay gap amongst solicitors, median pay for men was £60,000, and £41,000 for women, ‘a gap of 32%, although the difference was only 7.6% after applying [the relevant] variables.’
There are to be inquiries into the reasons for these pay gaps.
‘Ethnic minority lawyers are loth to attribute inferior earnings to straightforward racial discrimination. But most feel it exists, starting with the difficulties they’ve always encountered in getting jobs with the larger, more prestigious firms, thus forcing them into smaller, lower-paying firms.’
The pay disparity for men and women is explained by Katherine Rake, of the Fawcett Society, as ‘the paucity of senior flexible roles, long working hours culture, and plain old-fashioned discrimination.’
How do these patterns compare in your country or society?
Do you know the statistical patterns?
They offer two interesting examples of understanding structural inequalities by examining statistical patterns.
The first pattern is the percentage of complaints about ethnic minority solicitors investigated (63%) by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) in the UK, compared with the percentage of solicitors from ethnic minorities (21%).
For white solicitors, who make up nearly 79% of solicitors, the percentage of complaints investigated is 37%.
See the article Solicitor accuses regulator of racial bias in £10m claim, Clare Dyer, The Guardian, Law, May 26, 2008, http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/26/law.discriminationatwork, accessed 2 June 2008
The second pattern refers to the inequalities in pay between men and women solicitors, and white and ethnic minority solicitors.
In an article, Pay gap is all too black and white, Marcel Berlins, The Guardian, Writ Large, 26 May, 2008, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/may/26/law.discriminationatwork, accessed 2 June 2008, Berlins states that the median income for white solicitors was £50,000, and for ethnic minorities, £40,000.
‘Even when variables … such as experience, region, size of firm and area of law practised, the average gap was still 17%.’
When comparing the gender pay gap amongst solicitors, median pay for men was £60,000, and £41,000 for women, ‘a gap of 32%, although the difference was only 7.6% after applying [the relevant] variables.’
There are to be inquiries into the reasons for these pay gaps.
‘Ethnic minority lawyers are loth to attribute inferior earnings to straightforward racial discrimination. But most feel it exists, starting with the difficulties they’ve always encountered in getting jobs with the larger, more prestigious firms, thus forcing them into smaller, lower-paying firms.’
The pay disparity for men and women is explained by Katherine Rake, of the Fawcett Society, as ‘the paucity of senior flexible roles, long working hours culture, and plain old-fashioned discrimination.’
How do these patterns compare in your country or society?
Do you know the statistical patterns?
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