What causes women lawyers to hit a glass ceiling? A suggestion for legal education and professional institutes in Sri Lanka

Abstract

A very few women lawyers have been represented in senior positions even though many women enrolled in the profession, reflecting a severe problem in women career advancement in the legal profession of Sri Lanka. In this context, psychological factors such as perceived gender ideology predicting women’s career advancement have rarely been studied. Hence, this study aims to investigate the role of perceived gender ideology, and career choice on the career advancement of women lawyers. Data from a purposive sample of three hundred and sixty women lawyers in mid and late-career stages representing ten different job categories in the legal profession were analysed deploying Structural Equation Modeling. It was revealed that women lawyers’ perceived gender ideology impacts their career advancement, while their career choices mediate the relationship between perceived gender ideology and career advancement. Further, career choice has shown no significant impact on career advancement. The study’s findings suggest that the problem of slow and low women career advancement in the legal profession can be remedied through perceived gender ideology. It is established that such remedies are by means of improving appropriate personality traits within women lawyers to meet professional expectations by legal education and professional institutes. The study recommends legal education institutes to review and revise the existing law curricula to include relevant courses that guide the careers of future lawyers. In contrast, professional institutes are recommended to initiate career development programmes enabling women lawyers to connect with expectations of the profession.