LE3 .A278 2020

2020

Crandall, Erin

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

Political Science

Politics

The objective of this thesis is to develop a better understanding of the gender disparity in Canada’s legal profession. Focusing on the province of Nova Scotia, I examine why this province does not follow the trend of the rest of the country in terms of women being under-represented in law. Both qualitative and quantitative data are employed to answer this important question. The qualitative data was collected from four semi-structured interviews with women lawyers currently practicing in Nova Scotia, while quantitative data was collected from Canadian legal associations and the governments. For comparative analysis, countries in which gender quotas are implemented in the legal profession are also reviewed. This provides insight regarding the potential advantages of quota initiatives, as well as providing direction for policy suggestions for Canada’s legal profession. Three hypotheses were posed. Firstly, that despite the trend in Nova Scotia of women outnumbering men in law firms, men will nonetheless hold a larger proportion of executive or partner positions in those firms, which follows with the rest of Canada. Secondly that there is a correlation between the greater proportion of small law firms in Nova Scotia and the number of women who are practicing law in the province. Thirdly, because gender representation in Nova Scotia’s legal field is an exception to the overall trend in Canada, it is anticipated that it has a quota-like initiative in place to ensure a more equal representation of women in the legal profession. The first hypothesis was proven through qualitative and quantitative data collection as was the second hypothesis. The third hypothesis was inconclusive, however data from some European countries provide insight into possible policy options for Canada.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3435