Women outperform men in some judicial appointments
updated on 19 June 2012
Women are outperforming men in relation to some judicial appointments up to and including the High Court, statistics published by the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) have revealed. The news will be welcomed by those who have criticised the profession's lack of diversity, especially at its top end.
The figures reveal that in some appointments between October 2011 and March 2012, the representation of women far exceeds the gender ratios in the available pools of applicants. Here we reprint the key statistics, courtesy of the JAC:
- 43% of district judge (civil) selections were women, when the eligible pool was 19% female.
- 50% of deputy immigration and asylum judge selections were women, when the eligible pool was 20% female.
- 54% of salaried social entitlement judge selections were women, when the eligible pool was 37% female.
- 56% of fee-paid immigration and asylum judge selections were women, when the eligible pool was 39% female.
Lord McNally, the justice minister, said "This report is very encouraging and I am pleased progress is being made. We are keen to see a more diverse judiciary that is more reflective of our society, without diluting the very high quality of judges we already have. However, we must not rest on our laurels and it is important that all involved in the appointments process continue to build on the achievements to date. The government is in the process of making a range of changes to help remove obstacles to this, such as extending part-time working patterns for senior judges to help them better balance work and family lives. I hope that this welcome trend encourages more women and BME members of the legal professions to consider the judiciary as a realistic career ambition."
