Samoa has the second highest number of women lawyers in the Pacific Islands, according to a survey conducted by the South Pacific Lawyers Association.
Overall, Samoa is second only to Nauru, in a survey released last week by the regional association.
However, recent events mean that Samoa has the largest number of female lawyers in a functioning judiciary, after the justice system in Nauru imploded with the controversial intervention of government, cancelling the work visa of the Chief Justice.
According to the SPLA survey, Nauru had 60 per cent women lawyers, with Samoa a close second at 58 per cent.
One surprising – if not astonishing – finding of the survey is that the Pacific Islands who responded to the survey show a higher percentage of female lawyers than the United States.
Of the 11 jurisdictions in the SPLA, seven responded to the survey.
“The SPLA recognises the importance of gender equality and equal opportunity in the law,” the survey reads.
“The SPLA believes that the legal profession has a key role to play in supporting initiatives to advance the status of women in member countries and advocating for changes to laws that discriminate against or adversely affect women.”
Samoa has 92 registered lawyers, of which 53 are women. Government has been a major source of employment, with 32 in the public sector and 21 in the private sector.
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The survey records Samoa as having one female judicial officer – which includes magistrates and judges – but again recent events means the country has a higher ranking.
There are now three women judges in Samoa, giving equal ranking with Papua New Guinea which has more than six million people.
Based on research in other jurisdictions, the association states that possible reasons for the significant difference between private and government sector employment could include:
• Working conditions in government / in-house practice compared with private practice, particularly maternity leave, access to flexible hours/part time work;
• Greater opportunities for promotion in a larger organisation;
• Opportunities for mentoring more accessible in government/in- house positions;
• Due to increased mobility within the large organisation, ability to gain a wide range of experience and pursue specialties of interest.
“Further research is needed to determine underlying reasons for differences in the representation of women in private practice and the government / in-house sector,” states the survey.
Surveyed for attitudes among members, Samoa women lawyers said there were equal opportunities for women to study law, receive equal pay for equal work and that there were no cultural practices which discriminate against women.
“A comprehensive study examining wages of legal professionals across the private and public sectors is needed to accurately record wage equality in the legal profession,” the survey states.
“It would also be desirable to examine data on the post admission experience of women and men at different levels within the government and in-house sector to determine whether actual inequities exist in terms of experience and qualifications of female and male lawyers.”
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