It’s not a particularly surprising fact that there are significantly more men than women in the global judicial system, as lawyers, advocates, consultants, and judges. The same can be said for a majority of professions. But what is really surprising is the statistics – more women than men enter into and graduate from law schools than men, in the US. Yet, law is a male-dominated profession in the US, so much so, that there have been cases where cabinets of only male lawyers have been consulted for the preparation of pro-choice and pro-life bills, which is ironic considering how this topic largely affects women.

Women comprise half the population but less than a third of state judges in that country. Women have entered law schools and the legal profession in large numbers for the last 40 years and they are doing significantly well in their professions, but are severely under-represented in state courts.

The international courts and arbitration centres show a little less disparity when it comes to gender-based discrimination, but it is still hard to deny the blatant truth that though women are equally qualified to become judges, their male counterparts are constantly seen as a better fit for the same position.

Lack of representation of women in law-making and law-enforcing bodies leads to unbalanced laws that the whole population is compelled to follow. Most of the judges deciding on and upholding healthcare bills or hearing pro-choice cases are men. They are inherently deciding on fundamental factors that are never going to actually affect them.

In India, there is a very wide gap between male and female judges, and consequently India’s justice system often fails to deliver adequate hearings on sexual assault and abortion cases and other cases that are primarily concerned with the welfare of women. It becomes increasingly hard to break antiquated notions that prevent women from getting comprehensive healthcare and work-field protection, when those implementing and formulating these legislations are predominantly male.

We need more women in courts as judges and senior judges, to make sure that our voices are heard when it comes to legislations that directly affect us. We need to close the gavel gap.

— The reader is a student based in Dubai.