IBA marks International Women’s Day with launch of Phase 2 of its 50:50 by 2030 gender equality project
Phase 2 of the International Bar Association’s (IBA) global project addressing the lack of gender parity at senior levels across the law launched today as International Women’s Day (8 March) is commemorated around the world. The overall aim of the project is to achieve equal representation of men and women at the top of the profession.
A worldwide survey is the primary component of Phase 2 of the 50:50 by 2030 – A Longitudinal Study into Gender Disparity in Law project – undertaken by the IBA in collaboration with the Lexis Nexis Rule of Law Foundation. Phase 1 was conducted on a country-by-country basis to understand the law firm/institution/company position – with one survey per entity across the four key sectors of private practice, in-house counsel, the public sector and the judiciary.
Click here to participate in the survey available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish
Alternatively, scan the QR code
Through survey responses, the aim is to understand the experiences of individual women practitioners, including: obstacles to practice; reasons for thinking about leaving or having left the field; opinions on diversity initiatives and their efficacy; the effects of menopause; as well as the impact of caring responsibilities on women’s careers.
As part of the Phase 2 launch, a free webinar titled Empowering progress: launch of the 50:50 by 2030 project Phase 2 took place on 7 March 2025. It was hosted by the IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit (LPRU) and supported by the IBA Women Lawyers’ Committee and the IBA Diversity and Inclusion Council.
Click here to watch the video.
Sara Carnegie, IBA Director of Legal Projects, moderated the discussion, which explored the experiences of women in the law and asked whether initiatives in place to recruit and retain women are working and what more needs to be done. She was joined by colleagues from across the legal profession.
A strong proponent of gender equality, and the ambitious 50:50 by 2030 longitudinal study, was the immediate past president of the IBA, Almudena Arpón de Mendívil Aldama, who made it one of her key priorities during her tenure (2023–2024). Since the project’s launch on International Women’s Day 2021, 11 reports have been released covering jurisdictions across five continents, in addition to a mid-way Progress Report comparing the findings of the project to date and identifying key themes and initial recommendations.
IBA President, Jaime Carey, said: ‘One of my presidential priorities is to build on the work of my immediate predecessor regarding the lack of gender parity in the legal profession. This includes the start of the second phase of the 50:50 by 2030 project. By gathering data from individual women on the various aspects that impact their careers in the legal profession, we can better understand the results of Phase 1 that demonstrated that the glass ceiling preventing women's advancement to senior roles is very powerful. Our ultimate goal is to enhance and broaden strategies that will accelerate the advancement of gender equality.’
Additionally, in celebration of International Women’s Day, the IBA LPRU has launched the podcast series Inspirational Legal Women, which features conversations with IBA members sharing their thoughts and experiences about what it means to be a woman in the legal profession, and how they have navigated different types of workplaces and challenges over the course of their careers. The series is linked to the IBA LPRU’s Sustainable Law in Action series.
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Contact: IBApressoffice@int-bar.org
Notes to the reader:
- Click here for information on the IBA’s 50:50 by 2030 – A Longitudinal Study into Gender Disparity in Law project.
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The International Bar Association (IBA), the global voice of the legal profession, is the foremost organisation for international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Established in 1947, shortly after the creation of the United Nations, it was born out of the conviction that an organisation made up of the world's bar associations could contribute to global stability and peace through the administration of justice.
The IBA acts as a connector, enabler, and influencer, for the administration of justice, fair practice, and accountability worldwide. The IBA has collaborated on a broad range of ground-breaking, international projects with the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, The Commonwealth, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, among others. It has considerable expertise in providing assistance to the global legal community, and through its global membership it influences the development of international law reform and helps to shape the future of the legal profession throughout the world.
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Full link: https://www.ibanet.org/IBA-marks-International-Womens-Day-with-launch-of-Phase-2-of-its-50-50-by-2030-gender-equality-project