Abstract
This study is conducted in response to the national attention to the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the legal profession and judicial systems. In order to better understand the work experiences of women and minorities, data from a longitudinal national survey, After the JD (AJD) Study, are used to examine individuals’ satisfaction with their decision to become lawyers through the lens of Bourdieu’s theorization of cultural, social, and economic capitals. The goal is to understand how the underrepresentation of women and minorities was related to their career progress within the structural norms of the legal practice through a comparison with their White male counterparts. The results indicated satisfaction with a legal career depends on individuals’ social origins and the credentials related to the origins, and also on the extent to which the possibilities and potentials produced by the professional career meet the individuals’ expectations. The findings revealed that women and minority lawyers reported similar levels of satisfaction with their decision to enter the legal profession in comparison to their White male counterparts, and presented a challenge to the well-accepted argument that women and racial minorities are underrepresented in legal professions partly due to their low satisfaction and the conscious choices to opt out of their investments in and commitments to a legal career. It is hoped that this study can stimulate further examinations of the structural and organizational practices of the legal profession and promote equal opportunities for women and minorities in the legal profession. Keywords: Career satisfaction, legal professional, gender and racial inequalities DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-18-05 Publication date: June 30 th 2021
Highlights
Gender- and race-related inequalities have been pervasive in the U.S labor market
This study focuses on the factors that lead to career satisfaction and how they may contribute to a better understanding of diversity from a psychological perspective
After the JD (AJD) is the first national survey of law graduates in the U.S The initial sample consisted of over 10 percent of all individuals who were admitted to the bar in 2000 (Dinovitzer et al, 2004) and was considered as being representative of the national population of lawyers who graduated from law school during the time period from June, 1998 to July, 2000
Summary
Gender- and race-related inequalities have been pervasive in the U.S labor market. Over the years, a large number of studies have confirmed gender- and race-related segregation and wage differences in the general labor market (Joy, 2000; Oaxaca, 1973; Toutkoushian & Conely, 2005; Umbach, 2007). Limited empirical research is available investigating the specific reasons leading to the attrition of women and minorities in the pipeline of law professions. Women and racial minorities account for roughly 35% and 9%, respectively, of over 1,300,000 licensed lawyers nationally, (ABA, 2015), which is in stark contrast to the fact that they represent 50% and 32% of the U.S population (U.S Census Bureau, 2014). Both groups are distributed disproportionately in less prestigious positions and earn less than their white male counterparts
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