Are paralegals primarily females, or are males equally represented in the field as well?

Answer 1

There are a lot of paralegals who are women, but there are also lots of associates and law students who are women, too. The paralegal sector is, in its own way, as complicated as the bar. There is a segment of paralegals who are in truth super-secretaries.

This is not to denigrate these paralegals. Executive legal secretaries are as scarce as hens' teeth these days, because many firms opened up paralegal as a career "advance" from secretary. There is a spectrum of activities from the mundane clerical (filing, transcription, document generation) to judgmental. Somewhere in the judgmental area, there is a line that segregates the practice of law from the not-practice of law. Paralegals may not practice law, but they can prepare papers of all kinds, so long as a duly licensed lawyer takes professional responsibility for the document.

Da kine paralegal who does what first year associates do tend to be men. Likewise the "sexy" paralegal slots, like appeals. Appeals paralegals assemble the Record on Appeal and the Brief(s). Some few get to help out with the research and writing. And these paralegals tend to be men as well.

While a senior executive secretary who already coordinates the calendars and court/deposition appearances for a group of lawyers can make the jump to managing clerk quite naturally, the plain vanilla (but sharp) legal secretary wannabe paralegal tends to be the most fertile ground for paralegal recruitment. And that is one reason why the demographics in paralegals favor women. Other reasons relate to the growing predominance of women in the lower ranks of the legal profession (some very strong women have overcome the glass ceiling, but it is the new generation of lawyers just out of school that will really empower women in the profession): good law schools in NYC have classes that are at least 55 to 60% women, and the trend is continuing.

Answer 2

Check with census data. I believe they are primarily females. No good reason, but the same holds for other fields. The demographic can be compared to clerical or secretary type work which is usually done by women.

Answer 3

They're primarily females. I'm one of the minority--a male paralegal. I've had people look at me with shock when I tell them my job title.

Answer 4

no gender requirement some males work paralegal as they get their credentials to practice as an attn.