Half of women in law say their working patterns are unsustainable for their health

Half of women working in legal services say their current working pattern is unsustainable for their long-term health, while 67% have considered moving job or taking a career break due to health and wellbeing issues, according to a new report by Next 100 Years project supported by international law firm RPC.

New research from the Next 100 Years project, supported by RPC, LawCare, and Goodbody Wellness, surveyed over 500 women in the profession and found that 85% had experienced health and wellbeing issues over the past five years that had impacted their work. This included stress (83%), burnout (53%) and anxiety (71%) with many respondents dealing with multiple issues.

Almost a third (29%) had been affected by the menopause and a quarter by menstruation related symptoms, while baby loss, fertility issues, and pregnancy-related symptoms were also cited. The majority – 70% – had experienced frequent, ongoing exhaustion or low energy, not fully relieved by rest over the last year.

Despite the scale of the health and wellbeing issues experienced, 43% of women said they did not feel they could openly discuss them at work without negative consequences. Less than half felt their employer took the health and wellbeing of female employees seriously and a third felt it was not a significant focus for their organisation.

The biggest health and wellbeing challenge identified was balancing work with caring responsibilities. Poor leadership or line management came a distant second followed by long hours and a lack of understanding of women's health issues.

Support on offer

The majority of legal workplaces appear to be offering support but often this is not being accessed or is seen as a 'benefit' rather than being integral to firm culture.

• Employee assistance programmes were reported by 60% of respondents
• Over half (58%) offered confidential counselling services
• Access to mental health first aiders was provided by 61%
• Most offered flexible working options (80%) with 41% offering support for working parents
• Specific support for maternity returners was provided by 39%.

Policies specific to women's health were by no means adopted across the board – just under half reported their organisation had policies on menopause and only 36% of respondents were aware of policies on fertility support and miscarriages.

Recommendations

The report makes a series of recommendations, the most fundamental of which is that legal services organisations treat wellbeing as a structural issue, not a benefits question, stating that "wellbeing programmes, apps, and workshops are not a substitute for structural change. Organisations should audit the working patterns, billing models, and cultural expectations that drive health challenges".

Critical to women's wellbeing was the ability to openly discuss health issues, with the report citing the need to "create genuine psychological safety for disclosure" including training for managers and anonymous channels for reporting concerns.

It recommends reviewing billable hours models, the implementation and enforcement of menopause, fertility, and pregnancy loss policies, flexible working as default, structured support for maternity returners, extending paid carers leave and providing financial wellbeing support.

Leadership, the report argued, "should have explicit responsibility for the wellbeing of those in their teams, with outcomes tracked and reported" while professional bodies should work together to establish sector-wide minimum standards for women’s health and wellbeing in legal workplaces.

Rachel Pears, Associate Director and Responsible Business & Employment Counsel at RPC, said: "The research demonstrates a pattern: exhaustion that becomes normalised; health and wellbeing concerns that are managed quietly and alone; and working practices that feel increasingly hard to sustain. When talented professionals start to question whether their career is compatible with good health, that is a collective problem that requires a collective response. We must create clear and trusted routes to support, equipping leaders to respond with compassion and confidence while building more sustainable ways of working. This isn't about lowering standards; it is about creating the conditions in which people can do excellent work without sacrificing their health."