대형 로펌, 여성변호사 차츰 늘지만 아직 유리천장은 여전<br /><br />The proportion of female lawyers in South Korea is on the rise, but there still appears to be a "glass ceiling" that is hindering career advancement at the country's top law firms.<br />Our Kim Do-yeon met with female professionals from major law firms to see what the problems are and how the industry is trying to fix them.<br />The presence of women in South Korea's legal sector continues to grow.<br />Last year, 41.1% of people who passed the bar were women.<br />But even though more women are being employed by the country's top law firms, it's still tough for them to reach the top of the career ladder.<br />"In a survey of 18 of the biggest law firms in the country, women made nearly a quarter of all the attorneys; but only 5% of executive board members were women."<br />And it's a similar situation in the U.S.<br />Women make up 45% of the associates at America's top 200 law firms... a much higher percentage than in Korea... but the proportion of women decreases for higher positions within the firms.<br />A female attorney at a major firm who is in charge of creating equal opportunities for women in the legal profession says factors other than a knowledge of law make it difficult for women.<br />"Ability to get cases from clients is a skill separate from practicing law, and it is affected by other factors such as one's network. This is a hard problem for women to overcome."<br />Ms. Jeon, an associate at a big law firm says she's not at a level to consider the systematic issues for promotion, but she still sees personal life getting in the way.<br />"There's going to be a hiatus after giving birth, so there will be a period with no experience... I'm worried that this could negatively affect my reviews and promotions in the future."<br />However, she says at least her firm is making efforts to accommodate the situation.<br />"Many female associates have childbirth coming up, so the firm's culture allows use of paid time off for hospital visits and working from home."<br />As for other industries, laws have been passed recently to make sure women make up a certain portion of a company's executives.<br />But as well as changes in the law, cultural changes are needed to reach full gender equality.<br />Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.<br />
