Work-family balance for women 20 lawyers today: A reality or still a dream?

Abstract

Applying a theoretical approach centered on the professional ethos, we examine the possibilities for men and women lawyers mainly in Quebec to balance their profession with a family life and to have a good quality of life or well-being. The lawyer profession is governed by a set of formal rules alongside informal expectations and professional ethics. Many lawyers come to question the long hours required by this ethic when they begin to plan for children. However, the standards imposed by the professional culture and ethics are nevertheless well anchored in the profession. Professional advancement is difficult for women; this can mean either scaling back or postponing their professional engagement or postponing having children. Even when they postpone births, it is difficult for these women to commit sufficiently, and sufficiently soon, to access the career status of associate at a large firm.