1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«Beyond an analysis of the difficulties encountered by lawyers in managing their time outside of work, our study also examined lawyers’ experiences with the view to contributing to the more comprehensive, organizational discourse of the profession, and to thereby bring about change for a better well-being of women lawyers. As a matter of fact, work-family balance is gradually ceasing to be a mere private matter and increasingly recognized as a shared stake by various professions.» (p. 345)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon compte quarante-six avocats, dix-sept hommes et vingt-neuf femmes. Les participants ont été recrutés à l’aide du Barreau du Québec.

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«We saw that the lawyer profession is governed by a set of formal rules alongside informal regulations or expectations that together constitute professional ethics. Many lawyers come to question the long hours required by this ethic when they begin to plan for children. However, the standards imposed by the professional culture and ethics are nevertheless well anchored in the profession, and the ability to meet high expectations are clearly what characterizes the image of the lawyer as well as the professional ethics more generally. We also saw that professional advancement is difficult and that for some this can mean either to scale back or postpone their professional engagement or to postpone the time when they have children. […] Our research thus confirms that it is still difficult today to access both the status of parent and of lawyer simultaneously, and that this leads a certain number of lawyers, especially women, to opt for other career forms. While remaining very engaged in their profession, they opt for careers that are less demanding with regard to time, for example, by going to smaller firms or by undertaking public functions in order to find the time required for work-family balance.» (p. 356-357)