The table illustrates the distribution of male and female lawyers across various industries in a specific country between 2001 and 2016.
Overall, government roles consistently attracted the highest percentage of both male and female lawyers during the given period. However, while gender differences were minor in 2001, by 2016 women had surpassed men in the three major sectors: private practice, business, and government.
In 2001, the majority of lawyers, 45% of men and 41% of women, were employed in government positions. Business was the only sector where the share of male and female lawyers was equal, each accounting for 14%. Slightly more women than men worked in the private sector (17% versus 15%) and in other sectors (28% compared to 26%).
By 2016, female representation in private and business sectors rose to 21% each, while the figures for males stood lower at 19% and 14%, respectively. In government roles, the proportion of female lawyers edged up to 42%, surpassing that of males, which dropped significantly to 38%. Conversely, the percentage of women employed in other industries fell sharply to 13%, while the proportion of men in this category slightly increased to 29%.