IBA Phase 2 "Raising the Bar" Report: Women's Wellbeing Scores and the 32% Utilization Gap

The IBA's Raising the Bar: Women in Law Phase 2 report, launched in June 2026 and drawing on responses from over 5,000 women across more than 100 jurisdictions, documents that women report significantly lower average wellbeing scores than men and face high rates of burnout and stress — and that 32 percent of women do not access available workplace initiatives, primarily due to workload constraints, lack of transparency, or manager discretion. The finding that flexible working — the most popular initiative — is undermined by return-to-office mandates and cultural stigma labelling it as a lack of professional commitment is particularly instructive: it identifies a systematic misalignment between stated firm policy and lived experience. The report also notes that women make up 45 percent of lawyers globally but only 34 percent of senior roles, with opaque selection processes and 24/7 billable-hour cultures as primary structural barriers. For wellbeing officers designing program rollouts, the 32 percent non-utilization rate should function as a floor-level benchmark: if a third of the target population cannot access a program due to workload, the program's design — not the participant's motivation — requires revision.