Russel Sage Foundation

Despite the narrowing of the gender gap in education in developed and to a certain extent in developing countries, and the fact that women account for nearly forty-seven percent of the global labor-force, women’s under-representation in the corporate, financial and legal sectors, especially at the top levels, has been widely documented. However, empirical evidence has mainly focused on gender inequality in labor-force participation and earnings. An important aspect that has been largely neglected is related to career dynamics, which may be important given the fact that, in several professional occupations, gender gaps increase with seniority. In order to fully understand differences in men’s and women’s labor-market outcomes, job mobility, career trajectories, and their determinants must be better understood.

Economic historian Martina Viarengo will examine gender gaps in career dynamics in the legal sector for all lawyers working in one of the largest multinational law firms in the world. The aim of this study is to understand the state and dynamics of gender gaps among professionals in the legal sector and the role of policies and firm practices on these gaps. Viarengo will focus on the following questions: Are there gender differences in job mobility (promotion, exit and transfer)? What are the career stages at which men and women lawyers’ career trajectories diverge? Do gender gaps in earnings (i.e., salary and bonus) vary by country? Do they vary by area of practice? How do firm and country-level maternity policies affect the dynamics of the gender gaps? What is the role of national preferences and beliefs regarding gender roles in affecting these gaps? What is the role of peer effects and role models?