Key points
- ABA’s Mental Wellbeing in the Legal Profession study found women lawyers reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms and lower overall well-being than men lawyers
- Women also reported high stressors like sleep disturbances, family member issues, and loneliness
- The report found that the way women experience stress varies across race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and other characteristics
- Women tied stressors to workplace systems and practices, as well as personal responsibilities, and noted a distrust in workplace well-being resources
- To support employee well-being, the report recommends reviewing workloads and billable hour requirements, providing protected time for healthcare needs, and leading by example, including emphasizing no penalties for using well-being resources
New research from the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession found that women lawyers reported higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms than men lawyers, while also reporting lower overall well-being.
The report, Mental Wellbeing in the Legal Profession, is based on an anonymous survey of 2,915 lawyers, 69% of whom were women, as well as 12 focus groups.
Karol Corbin Walker, Chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, emphasized the importance of addressing mental well-being as part of an effective legal profession.
“Supporting mental well-being is not separate from sustaining excellence in the legal profession—it is fundamental to its very existence,” Walker said.
She added that when lawyers thrive personally, the profession is stronger, more resilient, and better equipped to serve its stakeholders.
Female and male lawyers experience stress differently
Sleep disturbance was the most frequent stressor reported by women lawyers, followed by financial and family member issues, and physical and mental health challenges (e.g., loneliness).
When compared to men, women reported higher levels of stress across nearly every major stressor category. For example, women reported higher rates of financial strain (40.0% compared to 29.5% for men), mental wellness issues (35.9% compared to 26.1%), sleep disturbance (30.6% compared to 18.6%), and family relationship issues (29.9% compared to 18.6%).
Women more often said stress was a result of workplace systems and practices, as well as personal responsibilities (e.g., billable-hour requirements, workplace culture, and caregiving). Moreover, they noted that stress was “ongoing” and not isolated.
Participants agreed that men and women are treated differently in the legal profession, with women describing being second-guessed, minimized, and expected to prove their competence. Participants also described unequal emotional labor and responsibilities, emphasizing that stress is not evenly distributed between men and women.
The survey used a four-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4) to measure participants’ anxiety and depressive symptoms over two weeks. Higher scores indicated that a participant experienced anxiety and depressive symptoms more frequently. While the score is not a diagnosis of anxiety or depression, the report said that scores of 3 or higher may warrant further clinical evaluation for anxiety or depression.
Among women lawyers who completed the PHQ-4, 19.4% had depressive symptom scores of 3 or higher, compared to 15.1% of men. For anxiety symptoms, 36.9% of women had scores of 3 or higher, compared to 22.7% of men.
There were also differences in overall well-being. Using a 0-to-100 scale to report how happy, calm, and peaceful they had been during the past two weeks, men reported an average score of 62.9, and women reported an average of 55.6.
Demographic differences among women
The report found that how women experience stress varies across race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and other characteristics.
Women across racial and ethnic groups commonly cited workload, time pressure, and workplace expectations as stressors.
However, Black women, Hispanic women, and the report’s “Other” category (which included small sample sizes of Asian, South Asian, Middle Eastern/North African, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native lawyers) more frequently described inequitable treatment, pressure to prove their competence, and marginalization, while white women more frequently described workload and the structural demands of legal practice.
How women deal with workplace stress
To manage stress and support their well-being, women most frequently said they talk with family and friends, exercise, listen to music, and spend time outdoors.
Women described these self-care practices as valuable, but not sufficient when workload expectations and other organizational pressures remain unchanged.
Many women said they were aware of well-being resources offered by their workplaces, but noted a lack of trust in these options, particularly counseling services. They also reported concerns about confidentiality and whether using a resource could be perceived as a lack of commitment, particularly in workplaces where long hours and constant availability are valued.
How can law firms support women attorneys?
The report recommends treating mental well-being as an organizational responsibility rather than an individual issue. This includes reviewing workloads and billable hour requirements, providing protected time for recovery, healthcare, and caregiving, and using an equity-informed approach that considers differences.
Participants also emphasized the importance of leadership behavior. The report found that the effectiveness of policies depended less on their existence and more on whether organizational leaders modeled their use, communicated that there would be no professional penalty for using them, and created a culture in which mental well-being is genuinely supported.
For more information and to read the full report, visit the ABA’s website.
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