Melissa Crouch (edited volume, Cambridge University Press)
The judiciary is an important institution in efforts to overcome and address issues of inequality, discrimination and gender injustice for women. The feminisation of the judiciary – both in its simple meaning of entrance into the profession as well as its more substantive forms of realising gender justice – is a core part of the gender equality agenda. Acknowledging both the diversity of meanings of the feminisation of the judiciary as well as the complexity of its social and cultural realisation, this volume enhances the literature on women and the courts from the perspective of the Asia-Pacific. Containing the first-ever empirical studies for many of the jurisdictions covered, this book offers deeply grounded research of the past and present challenges women face to entering the judiciary and progressing their career, as well as advocating for women’s issues. From individual stories of trailblazing women to sector-wide studies of changes in gender composition of the judiciary over time, the original empirical research in this book offers a timely reflection on the feminisation of the judiciary in the Global South more broadly.
See the following reviews:
(2023) Erika Rackley, <a href="http://‘The Promising Paradox of Women and the Judiciary’ Frontiers of Socio-Legal Studies
(2023) Chien-Chih Lin, ‘Book review symposium: Introduction’ (2023) 21(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 690
(2023) Susan Glazebrook, ‘Achieving holistic feminisation: A review of Women and the Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific’ (2023) 21(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 691–695
(2023) Ayesha Malik, ‘Fair representation and the gender perspective’ (2023) 21(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 696–699
(2023) Wen-Chen Chang, ‘Social and political dynamics in the feminization of judiciary’ (2023) 21(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 700–706
(2023) Surbhi Karwa, ‘Beyond the “usual suspects”: Women judges, feminist adjudication, and Asia Pacific’ (2023) 21(2) International Journal of Constitutional Law 707–712
Endorsements
A/Prof Swethaa Ballakrishnen, University of California, Irvine – “Moving beyond demographic description, Crouch brings together crucial scholarship on the possibilities for thick feminism when the judiciary gets substantially (and sustainably) feminized. Using accounts across [8 sites], this volume considers the structural conditions that realize and resist women’s accession to these positions of power, as well as their complicated individual narratives of success while navigating these conditions. In doing so, it forces us to (re)consider the location of the global south and its actors in legal profession scholarship.
Helen Irving, Professor, University of Sydney – This impressive collection considers a question that continues to challenge feminist legal scholars and practitioners: what role do women in the judiciary play in achieving gender equality? Applying this to a hitherto under-examined field – courts and the legal profession in the Asia-Pacific –it explores both the ‘promise and paradox’ of the work of women judges. In its rich historical and contemporary accounts of multiple countries in the region, it offers a ‘thick’ description of what the ‘feminisation of the judiciary’ may mean, and in doing so will prove indispensable for scholars in the field and fascinating for general readers. Original and illuminating in both its subject matter and its perspective, it brings together a team of country specialists, under the editorship of one of the leading experts in the judicial systems of the Global South. Professor Kim Rubenstein, Co-Director, 50/50 by 2030 Foundation, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of Canberra – While attention has been paid to the growing number of women lawyers in the United States of America, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, and individual judges like Ruth Bader Ginsburg have captured the attention of many non-lawyers around the globe, less is known about women lawyers in the Asia Pacific. Women and the Judiciary in the Asia-Pacific is a timely collection, making a significant contribution to ensuring efforts to overcome and address issues of inequality, discrimination and gender injustice are better understood. This book enables lawyers and legislators, public policy makers and comparative scholars to benefit from the excellent contributions in this collection, and better appreciate the active citizenship of women lawyers around the globe.
Melissa Crouch 