The International Day of Women Judges takes place on the 10th of March and is a recent addition to the UN days-list. What exactly does this day entail and why was it, anno 2022, necessary to add such a day to the UN-list?
What is International Day of Women Judges?
International Day of Women Judges was established on March 10 2022 by the United Nations. By the introduction of this day, the UN hopes to create global attention to equal participation of women at all levels within the judiciary, and not just in the lower domains. Although women’s participation in the judiciary has significantly increased over the past few years (from 5% to 40% in the period 2008 – 2017), women are still underrepresented within the judiciary system worldwide.
Why is it important to establish an International Day of Women Judges
The judiciary system is supposed to reflect society. Women’s involvement in public life may have increased, but the decision-making positions do not reflect this change. A relatively small proportion of women are part of the judiciary, but only even a smaller proportion have a leading position in the judiciary system.
The presence of women in the judicial system would therefor increase its legitimacy. The court thus becomes a more open and accessible institution, which can also be seen as more transparent, inclusive and representative. Women in the judiciary system can be seen as pioneers with regard to inclusion and diversity.
However, female judges do also have different experiences and possible a different perspective on certain cases than male judges, so the justice system would be strengthened by the addition of female judges. “To achieve justice, we need more women in justices”, according to the United Nations. Women in leadership roles seem to counter corruption by helping to disrupt networks of collusion. Furthermore, women’s representation in judicial institutions is associated with more effective, victim-centred responses to crime.
Kiara De Prest
