Of course the woman in question, one Sian Massey, actually does know the offside rule and was spot on in her call. To be an assistant referee in a Premiership match indicates not only does Ms Massey understand the offside rule, but indeed all of the laws of the game. In fact, to be in such a position at the relatively-tender age of 25 implies that she may even have something of a flair for it.
There is an urban legend which states that, traditionally, the best way to explain the offside rule to a woman is to liken it to a shopping queue, with someone throwing a bag from the back to the front as you step forward to be served. Of course ever since FIFA introduced the controversial inactive/active player clause there doesn’t seem to be too many people who understand the rule at all, shopping queue analogy or not, as proven when even a former international player like Andy Gray can call the decision wrong.
Irrespective of whether you feel the comments were unintentional yet inoffensive banter or if you are of the opinion that Messers Keys and Gray should be hung out to dry for their opinion, the furore which has been kicked up has again raised the question of whether sexism is still prevalent within the game, or indeed life in general.
The percentage of female lawyers within the UK has risen steadily over the last forty years or so; in 1971 only 3% of lawyers were women, and in 1987 this figure still only stood at 16%. Over the next decade this doubled to nearly 33% and last year stood at around 40%. However within Top 100 practices less than 20% of partners are women, with this figure dropping to under 15% at the Magic Circle, perhaps suggesting that there may still be some element of a glass ceiling. As yet there has not been a woman managing partner at a Magic Circle practice; is this evidence of sexism in the workplace?
Frankly it’s difficult to put a definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’ argument forward for this. On the surface of things it would appear that if 40% of the workforce is female then 40% of the partnership should be as well.
However to say so skips over the fundamental point which is that men and women are different. Certainly in terms of potential, ability and ambition there is no difference between the sexes, and anyone who commits wholeheartedly to their career should expect to achieve a similar level of progression and reward, irrespective of gender. In fact, in a world where partnership potential is often judged as much by business development capability as by technical ability it is entirely feasible for a woman to progress quicker than a man if she has the nous to turn contacts into revenue.
In a less-than-startling revelation, even the most rudimentary grasp of biology will make you aware that only women can bear children, and often with motherhood there is a reassessment of where you either want to be in your career. As was recently revealed in the legal press Ashursts are now expecting 50 billable hours per week from its partners, which is unlikely to conform to the requirements of many mothers of young children. Consequently it may simply be that many women who are not willing to make that kind of sacrifice for the sake of their career opt instead to remain outside of the partnership whilst their children are young, hence it is their choice and not a glass ceiling which has put such a slant on the statistics.
Bear in mind also that whilst the number of women solicitors continues to grow (around 60% of NQs) we still have to consider that it takes some time to reach the top of the partnership tree. Assuming a time period of ten years from qualification to make partner, a further five to get equity and then another five to ten years to stand a chance of making Managing Partner, you are therefore looking at potential candidates having around twenty years PQE. This then takes you back to 1991 qualifiers which as proven above stood somewhere around the 20% bracket; therefore it is perhaps not quite as surprising that so few women have held the Managing Partner title.
There is growing recognition for female lawyers which is bound to see this eventually becoming more common. With the likes of Nabarro and Pannone already headed by women, around 40% of The Lawyer’s recent Hot 100 lawyers being female there’s no doubt that any glass ceilings which may remain are under serious threat.
Perhaps there are still one or two boundaries to be crossed yet, but looking at the bigger picture the market has undoubtedly come a long way since Carrie Morrison was admitted as the first female solicitor less than 90 years ago.
Debate still rages over whether she knew the offside rule.
To discuss opportunities within the market, irrespective of gender, contact one of our specialist consultants at VG Charles & Co on 0121 233 5000 / 020 7649 9094 or visit out website www.vgcharles.com. For enlightenment on the offside rule and whether a player is active or inactive.......your guess is as good as ours.
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