Women in Law in Massachusetts
How women in law fare in Massachusetts — state-adjusted pay gap, state ranking, and the national context that frames the local picture.
The state-adjusted picture
Women in law nationally face the same structural conditions as women in every other field — but the overall wage environment in Massachusetts modifies the baseline by -1.4% relative to the US average. A state where the overall pay gap is narrower tends to reflect narrower gaps within fields too, though field-specific dynamics dominate for specialized professions.
Massachusetts elected its first woman US Senator in 2013.
National context
The legal profession is half female by count and far less than half at the top. This page tracks the current numbers: who enters law school, who makes partner, who leaves, and what the pay actually looks like.
National headline stats (law)
Other fields in Massachusetts
Law in other states
Related pages
Frequently asked
What is the pay gap for women in law in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts’s overall pay ratio is 82.6% — a 17.4% gap. The gap within law follows the national pattern modified by Massachusetts’s overall wage environment. See the full national field data for in-field specifics.
How does Massachusetts rank on pay equity?
Massachusetts ranks #20 of 51 US jurisdictions on pay equity, per Census ACS state ratios.
How are women represented in Massachusetts politics?
31% of Massachusetts state legislators are women (CAWP 2024). 4 women from Massachusetts serve in the 119th US Congress.
Where does the national law data come from?
American Bar Association statistics; NALP Reports on Diversity in US Law Firms; Major, Lindsey & Africa Partner Compensation Survey