Women attorneys and gendering processes in law firms in Helsinki

Abstract

This article provides an in-depth analysis of how gender dynamics are narrated by women attorneys practising law in law firms in Helsinki. It draws on Joan Acker’s theory of gendered organisation and the theories of agency to examine how women engage with the processes that are gendering their career choices and life in general. This study draws on the narrative framework applied to interview data with nine Finnish women attorneys who are pursuing their careers in a highly competitive work environment. The findings point towards four processes, specifically increasing the recruitment of women, the ideal of a flexible lawyer, the norm of having it all and women’s use of flexible work arrangements, which provide women with a sense of agency in devising their own methods of combining career and family. Yet, they do not challenge the male advantage instilled in the prerequisites for career advancement in this work environment.