In the Harvard Business Review of September 2019, "Women power and influence, a plan for accelerating gender equality" by Melinda Gates, we are reminded of some startling figures as regards to women in the workplace and in leadership:

• Women have reached 50% of the American workforce but a 20% pay gap remains
• 75% of mothers (three times as many as fathers) have passed up (or are likely to pass up) work opportunities, switched jobs, or left the workforce because of childcare responsibilities
• According to a New York Times article in 2019, there are more men named "James" in the Fortune 500 list of CEOs than there are women.

Looking at the legal profession specifically, Acritas's Transforming Women's Leadership in the Law: Global Report 2020,  has found that gender diversity in law firms positively impacts their success, and there is widespread acknowledgement of the importance of achieving diversity.

And yet, there are not enough women progressing to leadership roles within law firms. The report identified that the main barriers to progression are, firstly, the disproportionate responsibilities of women at home, and secondly enduring unconscious bias.