Why Are Paralegals Mostly Female In The 21st Century?

Although gender differences in most careers are closing, the answer to the question are paralegals mostly female is still yes. Paralegals came from the ranks of legal secretaries and legal assistants, traditionally jobs that were and still are held mostly by women. Men are making headway into the paralegal field, but progress is still slow. Like nursing and teaching women still outnumber men in the paralegal field. The latest figures from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics report that in 2005 over 80 percent of paralegals were women. Although the answer to are paralegals mostly female is yes, this answer may be no in the future.
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One of the greatest reasons why are paralegals mostly female is the view of women in the workplace. Women have traditionally held support positions and this may be why are paralegals mostly female. It was not until the 1970's that women began to make strides in the workplace and broke out of the mold of being a secretary, teacher or nurse. As women's rights began to be on the forefront of the news and women in the nation started realizing they had other options, more women began to enter job areas that were traditionally held by only men. This affected the job market and opened up new opportunities for women. But in some areas women were still in the majority and this still holds true today and why are paralegals mostly female.

There is a positive side to question of why are paralegals mostly female. The paralegal field offers women many opportunities to make a good living and provide for themselves and their families. Training to become a paralegal can be done online and if a woman has a family to care for while she is getting her education, online classes are the perfect way for her to gain the education she needs for a new career, another reason why are paralegals mostly female. If a woman works in a legal office she may be able to gain training and experience on the job. With the amount of legal secretaries in the field, the transition to paralegal is very easy and may be one of the answers to why are paralegals mostly female.

A woman may become a paralegal first to make sure that she likes the field of law before she dedicates the time and money it requires to become a lawyer. The availability and relatively low cost of the education it takes to become a paralegal makes it an attractive career choice for anyone and is one of the answers to why are paralegals mostly female. In 2004 only 11 percent of the paralegals working were men. By 2005 this number had grown to over 13 percent. It is expected that the percentage of men becoming paralegals will steadily increase closing the gender gap in this field of work.

There are no simple answers to why are paralegals mostly female still in the 21st century. Woman's perceived place in the workplace, family obligations and the opportunity that the paralegal field presents to women may be contributing factors to why are paralegals mostly female. As gender gaps in all fields close, the answer to are paralegals mostly female will possibly have a different answer in the near future.