Female Supremacy Articles - Page 12

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Gilleard said the huge change in the number of women entering the law had been 'quite remarkable', and could force change. 'With over half of qualifying lawyers being women, what's the sector doing to ensure that women who take career breaks come back? There's going to be serious issues if they don't find solutions.'

Recent AGR research has, however, shown one obstacle to female success: online applications appear to put women off. Gilleard said the tendency to list required skills or characteristics, inviting applicants to weed themselves out appeared to be dissuading more modest female candidates: 'The girls say, "I don't think I'm that good" and the boys say, "I can do that and more besides".'

The figures also reflect the fact that more women than men are graduating from university: in 2002-3, they made up 56 per cent of first-degree graduates. Figures released last week by the Higher Education Statistics Agency showed however male graduates were more likely than women to be unemployed.

In the US, experts estimate that within five years 61 per cent of college entrants will be female - prompting reports that some Ivy League universities are already manipulating their admissions procedures against women.

Katherine Kelsey has known since she was 10 that she wanted a career in the law and, far from holding her back, she believes being female can be an advantage in what was once a heavily male-dominated profession.