yeah it's a complicated dynamic. just to give an example of one problem with it is that, to make it as a partner, you really need to have strong, personal, mentorship connections with other partners, so that you can "inherit" some of their business. but there are a lot of male partners who are wary of having these relationships with younger female associates. the "mike pence rule" is a real thing, and it really does hold women back. part of that is because of sexual harassment and i'm sure we could go all day on that. but the underlying point is, if men and female partners were 50/50, it would make it much easier for female associates to have an equal shot at partnership, because a lot of these problems wouldn't matter as much.

i'm not saying just randomly promote female associates. i'm saying we need to do whatever it takes to make sure they get an equal shot because right now it ain't equal. supportive maternity leave policies is a big issue in the legal field, and a lot of firms compete with each other to have better maternity-related reputations. because ultimately they know their talent pool is maximized (i.e., $$$) when they get the best men and women as employees.