Gender Differences in Career Satisfaction and Well-Being of Lawyers
Gender Differences in Legal Profession
Keywords:
Lawyers, Gender, Financial well-being, Career Satisfaction, Mental well- beingAbstract
The purpose of this study was to understand the gender differences in the financial, mental well-being and career satisfaction of lawyers. For this study, a total of 220 lawyers (110 male and 110 female) associated with different legal firms in Lahore were selected. For data collection, three scales—the Financial Well-Being Scale by Ortiz (2016), the Career Satisfaction Scale (CSS) by Greenhaus et al. (1990), and the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS, 2007)—were used and analysed later by using inferential statistics. The findings found the roles of field of specialisation, family type, educational level, and marital status influential in determining the significant differences in the career satisfaction, financial, and mental well-being of lawyers. Moreover, a positive correlation was found between financial and mental well-being, age, monthly income, and years of experience. The findings highlight the need for inclusive policies to reduce gender disparity and improve the status of lawyers.
References
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Willem, A., Buelens, M., & De Jonghe, I. (2007). Impact of organizational structure on nurses’ job satisfaction: A questionnaire survey. International journal of nursing studies, 44(6), 1011-1020.
Weresh, M. H. (2014). The Chicken or the Egg-Public Service Orientation and Lawyer Well-being. University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review, 36(3).
Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2000). Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance. Journal of occupational health psychology, 5(1), 84.
Young, M. C., & Wallace, J. E. (2009). Family responsibilities, productivity, and earnings: A study of gender differences among Canadian lawyers. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 30(3), 305-319.
Aumir, Z. (2015). Women in the Legal Profession. Retrieved from http://courtingthelaw.com.
Auturupane, H., Gunatilake, R., Shojo, M., & Ebenezer, R. (2013). Educational, Economic Welfare and Subjective Well-Being in Afghanistan.
Barrett, I. C. (1980). A comparison of life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and happiness demographic variables.
Brenner, H., (2014). Expanding the Pathways to Gender Equality in the Legal Profession. Legal Ethics. 17(2). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.5235/1460728X.17.2.261.
Calaguas, G. M. (2017). Satisfied and happy: Establishing link between job satisfaction and subjective well-being. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 5(1).
Chan, J., Poynton, S., & Bruce, J. (2014). Lawyering stress and work culture: An Australian study. UNSWLJ, 37, 1062.
Diener, E., & Oishi, S. (2000). Money and happiness: Income and subjective well-being across nations. Culture and subjective well-being, 185-218.
Golberstein, E. (2015). The effects of income on mental health: evidence from the social security notch. The journal of mental health policy and economics, 18(1), 27.
Graham, B., & Paul, C. (2010). Does higher education really lead to higher employability and wages in the RMI. US Census Bureau Report.
Greenhaus, J. H., Parasuraman, S., & Wormley, W. M. (1990). Career Satisfaction Scale (CSS).
Hill, B. (2011). What are the factors Affecting Job Satisfaction? Retrieved from http://smallbussiness.chron.com.
Hori, M. (2010). Gender differences and cultural contexts: psychological well-being in cross-national perspective.
kriti, P., Shekhar, R., & Jayashree, N. (2012). Occupational Stress and burnouts as predictors of job satisfaction amongst lawyer in district Sangli. National Journal of Medical Research, 2(1), 141-144.
Larcombe, W., Finch, S., & Sore, R. (2015). Who's Distressed-Not Only Law Students: Psychological Distress Levels in University Students across Diverse Fields of Study. Sydney L. Rev., 37, 243.
Lerman, R. I. (2002). Marriage and the economic well-being of families with children: A review of the literature.
Levinson, J. D., & Young, D. (2010). Implicit gender bias in the legal profession: An empirical study.
Locke, E. A. (1976). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology. The nature and causes of job satisfaction: Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology.
McNabb, R., & Wass, V. (2006). Male-female earnings differentials among lawyers in Britain: a legacy of the law or a current practice? Labor Economics, 13(2), 219-235.
Medlow, S., Kelk, N., & Hickie, I. Depression and the Law: Experiences of Australian barristers and solicitors. (2011). Sydney Law Review, 33, 771.
Menard, L. A. (2014). Educational Attainment and Financial Satisfaction: The Changing Economic Value of a College Degree. Online Submission.
Mokomane, Z. (2012). Role of families in social and economic empowerment of individuals. In United nations expert group meeting on “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all. pp. 10-12.
Omer, R. (2016). Gender imbalance in the Law. National Commission on the Status of Women. Retrieved from http://www.ncsw.gov.pk/ncsw-in-the-news/gender-imbalance-in-law.
Ortiz, H. (2016). Financial well-being scale.
Rhode, D. L. (2011). From platitudes to priorities: diversity and gender equity in law firms. Geo. J. Legal Ethics, 24, 1041.
Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of personality and social psychology, 69(4), 719.
Singh, M. P., & Sinha, J. (2013). Job satisfaction in organizational executives. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3(4), 2250-3153.
Shaheen, S & Ali, K. (2017) The Justice Prelude: A Socio?Legal Perspective on Women’s Access to Justice. Retrieved from https://www.spopk.org.
Sheron, H., & Kaji, S. M. (2014). Job Satisfaction among Employees in Relation to Marital and Family Status in Industry. The International Journal of Indian Psychology. 2(1).
Smithey, J. (2017). Women and the Legal Profession: Four Common Obstacles Faced by Female Lawyers. Retrieved from https://ms-jd.org/blog/article.
Trivedi, J. K., Sareen, H., & Dhyani, M. (2009). Psychological aspects of widowhood and divorce. Mens sana monographs, 7(1), 37.
Vasu, M. L., & Vasu, E. S. (1990). Gender stereotypes and discriminatory behaviors towards female attorneys: The North Carolina case. Campbell L. Rev., 13, 183.
Vaingankar, J. A., Abdin, E., Chong, S. A., Sambasivam, R., Seow, E., Jeyagurunathan, A., ... & Subramaniam, M. (2017). Psychometric properties of the short Warwick Edinburgh mental well-being scale (SWEMWBS) in service users with schizophrenia, depression and anxiety spectrum disorders. Health and quality of life outcomes, 15(1), 153.
Willem, A., Buelens, M., & De Jonghe, I. (2007). Impact of organizational structure on nurses’ job satisfaction: A questionnaire survey. International journal of nursing studies, 44(6), 1011-1020.
Weresh, M. H. (2014). The Chicken or the Egg-Public Service Orientation and Lawyer Well-being. University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review, 36(3).
Wright, T. A., & Cropanzano, R. (2000). Psychological well-being and job satisfaction as predictors of job performance. Journal of occupational health psychology, 5(1), 84.
Young, M. C., & Wallace, J. E. (2009). Family responsibilities, productivity, and earnings: A study of gender differences among Canadian lawyers. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 30(3), 305-319.
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2025-03-07
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