Investing in Women Building the Future of Law #investinher
Image: LJI via DALL-E
Lady Justice Initiative research reveals that a staggering 43% of 100 women in law-related entrepreneurship across 30 countries report barriers and challenges in resourcing their entrepreneurial initiatives. Women face challenges across diverse types of finance: venture capital, loans, grants, and corporate sponsorship. Challenges are present across geographies and in higher, middle, and lower-income countries.
Bias and inequitable treatment are common, often intersectional and layered with women of color, younger women, and older women facing additional barriers.
Structural and enabling environment barriers amplify these challenges and include a lack of legal protections against discrimination and sexual harassment in investment in many jurisdictions. Data gaps surrounding allocation of investment to women and minorities and procurement spend for their services and products mask stark disparities and undermine policy reform.
While many women entrepreneurs in law achieve great success despite all they must overcome, the challenges, barriers, and lack of support they face limits opportunity for some, unnecessarily lengthens the runway for others, and exacts a substantial financial and psychological toll on many. As digital transformation, AI and other innovation in law fuel historic opportunities for economic benefit and heighten the imperative to effectuate more equitable and diverse leadership in law, digital transformation, and AI, robust global action is urgently needed.
Act and #investinher by:
- Supporting policy reform to strengthen legal protections around fair investment and against discrimination and sexual harassment in investment.
- Catalyzing diversification in Finance. Invest in women-led funds and others committed to using gender lens.
- Helping more women to engage in investing and support organizations working in this area.
- Encouraging companies and law firms to commit to gender lens and Gender Smart approaches in innovation, AI, and other lawtech-related investment and legal spend.
- Strengthening gender disaggregated data on investment and public procurement involving law related AI, other tech and related services.
- Supporting women through your personal spending on legal products and services.
Boost women building the future of law: #investinher