Women’s day

1) Women in Judiciary

Women in law have seen great progress over the last 100 years in India. The first woman lawyer, Cornelia Sorabji, was entitled to practice in 1924.

Since then, the number of women lawyers has increased, several women have been designated Senior Advocates, and there have been many women judges in the lower judiciary.

The share of women judges in the High Courts is only 14.27% (109 out of 764).

The High Courts of Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, and Tripura have no woman judge.

The Allahabad High Court, which is the largest High Court in the country with 79 judges at present, has only three women judges.

One of the main causes for the exclusion of women from the higher judiciary is deep rooted and systemic inequality, where women are seen as inferior within the legal profession.

Women lawyers nominated for judgeship face heightened scrutiny. Far from compromising on merit, women are almost always required to prove merit more than men

We also have the collegium system of appointments, which is opaque and non transparent. There are no clearly stated criteria for eligibility or merit and there is no transparency in the process. This also works against women.

Changes needed in our Judiciary

First, the collegium could frame a transparent process and provide clear criteria for appointment.

Second, there has to be a focus on gender diversity while making appointments. Diversity and merit are not contradictory; rather, in a pluralistic society such as ours, diversity makes the judiciary more representative, thus fostering impartiality and enhancing the moral legitimacy of the institution.

2) Initiatives by Govt of India which have empowered women

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) - an initiative that was aimed not just at building toilets but also at improving the dignity, the safety and the well being of women across the country.

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was introduced to ensure that every household had access to safe and reliable drinking water. Studies show that access to water has led to a 7.4% increase in women’s participation in agriculture and allied work, particularly in States such as Bihar and Jharkhand, where female labour force participation was historically low. Between 2017 and 2023, rural female participation in the workforce jumped from 24.6% to 41.5%, with the JJM cited as a key driver of this positive change.

Stand-Up India Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana – promote entrepreneurship among women by giving them very low interest loans. Due to this, women are able to earn their livelihood by setting up their own business

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana - more than 300 million bank accounts have been opened for women, fostering financial independence and economic participation.