What percent of law school students are male?

Asked by: Barton Zieme  |  Last update: November 9, 2025
Score: 4.3/5 (25 votes)

The gender gap at ABA-accredited law schools continued to widen in 2023. For the sixth straight year, most students pursuing a juris doctor degree were women — 56.2%. The number of male students at the 196 ABA-accredited law schools has dropped every year for the past 13 years — from 78,516 in 2010 to 50,096 in 2023.

Are most of the lawyers male or female?

Lawyers by gender

Over the past decade, the percentage of lawyers who are women has grown. It stood at 36% in 2014 and grew to 41% a decade later in 2024. In other words, male attorneys still outnumber female attorneys (58% to 41%), but the gap is narrowing.

Do men have an advantage in law school admissions?

Regarding law school acceptance rates, the rate was 68% for women, and it was 71% for men. The report does not show an admissions rate for people with another gender identity.

Is it easier to get into law school as a woman?

Men continue to be admitted to law school at higher rates than women, even though women make up a larger percentage of the applicant pool. According to the ABA Journal, in 2022, women made up 56% of applicants, while men made up 42%. And yet the acceptance rate for women is 68% and for men, it is 71%.

Is law school male or female dominated?

Today, 56% of students in ABA-accredited law schools are women — and the gap between the number of men and women in law school has flipped and grows every year. The change started around 1970. That year, just 9% of all U.S. law students were women.

What I Wish I'd Known When Starting Law School

26 related questions found

What is the hardest year in law school?

Law school is an academic challenge; most students agree the first year (“1L” year) is the most difficult. In part, this is because law school is taught using methods entirely different than the lecture method used in most college classrooms.

What GPA do most law students have?

The average GPA for law school is between 3.91. However, like LSAT scores, it's important to understand that the specific average GPA can differ depending on the law school and its level of competitiveness. Top-ranking law schools often expect higher average GPAs, typically ranging from 3.8 to 4.0 or even higher.

Why do male lawyers get paid more?

One of the reasons there is such a significant gender pay gap among lawyers is that women are underrepresented at the uppermost tiers of law firms. According to one study, only 23 percent of equity partners in law firms are women, even though women have made up at least 40 percent of law students for decades.

Does a Masters make you more competitive for law school?

The LSAT is one of the most important factors in law admissions, even more so for applicants who have been out of college for some time. In contrast, earning a graduate degree is more of a soft factor that gives applicants an edge, like military service or impressive work experience.

Who are lawyers most likely to marry?

Of course, the first profession I looked at was lawyers. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that most lawyers marry other lawyers. But male lawyers also marry schoolteachers, secretaries, and miscellaneous managers. And lesbian lawyers marry people in other computer occupations.

How many lawyers are LGBTQ?

Fast fact: 8.4% of law firm summer associates describe themselves as LGBTQ – more than double the percentage of all law firm lawyers who describe themselves as LGBTQ (3.7%)

How old are lawyers when they graduate?

What Is The Average Age Of Law Students? The average age of law students is 25 or younger. Only 20% of law students are 30 or older. While only a small percentage of law students are above the age of 40, there have been several successful older graduates.

Is law a male dominated field in Canada?

According to the Law Society of Ontario 2020 Annual Report on membership statistics, although the percentages of males to females practising law in Ontario were roughly balanced (55.94 per cent to 44.06 per cent, respectively), the report demonstrated a greater retention of men over the years as well as significantly ...

What is the average black LSAT score?

The average score for Black test takers is 142 out of 180, compared to 153 for White and Asian students (most law schools require a score of 150, with that number rising to 170 for the top 14).

What are the most male-dominated professions?

In 2022, it was 68%. Various studies show the most male-dominated industries include construction and building, vehicle technicians or mechanics, or carpenters, where the share of women is only 1–2%. Female-dominated jobs include preschool and kindergarten teachers, nursing, or secretarial positions.

Do top lawyers make millions?

How Much Do Top Lawyers Make? According to ALM Global's 2023 Global 100 Ranked by Profits Per Equity Partner, Kirkland & Ellis LLP (the highest-paid lawyers in the United States) pays their equity partners a whopping $7.52 million per year.

What is the gender pay gap?

In the United States, for example, the non-adjusted average woman's annual salary is 79–83% of the average man's salary, compared to 95–99% for the adjusted average salary. The reasons for the gap link to legal, social and economic factors. These include having children (motherhood penalty vs.

Why are big law salaries so high?

Why does Big Law pay so well? Big Law firms pay well in part because of the extremely competitive market, in which firms are raising salaries to keep up with each other and capture top talent. That competition is creating a wider divide between the largest firms and the midlevel and small firms.

Is 163 a good LSAT score?

From your raw scores, the test is graded on an LSAT score scale from 120-180. The average LSAT score is about 150. To get into a top 14 law school, you need to score above 166, and to get into a top 50 law school, you need 153 or above.

What is the average debt for law students?

The average law school graduate owes $130,000 in student loan debt. 71% of law school students graduate in debt. $119,292 is the average amount students borrow just to attend law school. $92,267 is the average amount borrowed to attend one of the top 10 law schools in terms of salary-to-debt ratio.

What LSAT score do I need for Harvard?

So let's take a look at what it actually takes to have a chance of being admitted to the most prestigious and preeminent law school in the world. As you can see from these numbers, an LSAT score of 170 or higher and a GPA above 3.75 will give you a chance of gaining admission to Harvard Law School.

Is law school harder than med school?

Each path demands extensive education and a commitment to rigorous training before becoming a qualified professional. Although both law and medical schools present their unique challenges, it's generally accepted that medical school demands a higher level of intense coursework and thorough training.

What type of lawyer makes the most money?

Patent Attorney Salary

Patent attorneys are the highest-paid type of lawyers, with an average salary of $185,351, ranging from $119,88 to $285,530. Various factors contribute to a patent attorney's average salary, including experience, firm, location, and subject matter expertise.

What is the hardest subject in a law degree?

Some of the hardest classes in law school, according to current and former students, are:
  • Constitutional Law.
  • Civil Procedure.
  • Contracts.
  • Federal Courts.
  • Federal Income Tax.
  • Administrative Law.
  • Partnership Tax.