Watching the Barbie Movie as a Law Student

Image © Warner Bros. Pictures, 2023.

The Barbie movie has taken over feminist discussions as of late and has heavily influenced younger audiences through social media avenues. Greta Gerwig and Margo Robbie’s film has encouraged a new wave of female empowerment, with the two-dimensional character becoming a ‘real feminist icon’, as explained by Lucy Broadbent.

Over time, different barbies have evolved, such as medical doctor Barbie, firefighter Barbie, and even President Barbie. Within the 2023 film, we see a new Barbie emerge: Supreme Court Justice Barbie, played by Ana Cruz Kayne. Barbie Land features a full-female bench, which becomes a full-Ken bench, ultimately representing the lack of female representation in the legal system. While this may just be a film, unfortunately, the greater message rings true for many women in the field.

In 2016, the legal system was no longer dominated by men, with female solicitors comprising 53% of the legal profession and women outnumbering men in law school for several years. On the face of it, this has been interpreted as not only a great improvement but as if we have finally reached a once-unattainable milestone that we did not believe would be achieved so quickly. A quick interpretation of this single statistic sends the message that we have finally achieved gender equality within the legal sector and that little work is left to be done.

While this improvement is incredibly positive, it does not represent the reality of the experience for women within the force, no matter if we are equal in number. As women climb the career ladder, numbers drop off significantly the further they climb. For example. Only 29% of the female legal force lead firms in partner or principal positions, with the remaining 71% being solicitor-employees. In contrast, of the male solicitor cohort, over half of male solicitors are partners or principals.

Not only do women in law continue to be underrepresented in leadership, but the gender pay gap remains a significant issue. More full-time female solicitors earn under $150,000 than men, with 59% of women under that figure compared to 48% of men. A similar difference is found at the $200,000 mark as well, with parental leave and inflexible work named the main contributing factors to this disparity. Now known as the ‘motherhood penalty’, women’s earnings have been found to fall by approximately 55% in the first five years of parenthood.

While positive statistics may give false hope to the extent of equality in the legal field, we cannot deny that positive change has occurred and is on an upward trajectory. Large firms are implementing progressive parental leave programs for both parents to address underlying inequalities in career and family life balance. When it comes to representation, while current leadership is difficult to alter, there is heavy female representation in law school and early years of practice. On average, 21% of female solicitors were aged under 30 years, compared to 14% of male solicitors. Over time, as new generations of solicitors emerge, we have the potential to create a genuinely equal workplace; our own version of the Barbie Land Supreme Court.