I wanted to become a judge, now I’m not so sure

If I am honest, the answers are not particularly complicated.

First, I would want greater transparency about career progression. Not a guarantee that I would eventually become a High Court judge. That would be unrealistic. But I would want to understand how the judicial career progresses, what the relevant institutional criteria are and what professional opportunities are realistically available.

Second, I would want confidence in workplace-safety mechanisms that already exist. My question is not simply whether a mechanism exists on paper. It is whether a woman judicial officer would feel sufficiently secure to use it when the complaint involves someone senior, someone who may have administrative authority over her, or someone whose position gives them influence within the institution. A formal mechanism can tell a person where to complain. It cannot, by itself, tell her whether she will feel protected after she does. Would I have confidence that speaking up would not affect my professional life?

Third, I would want better gender-disaggregated data. The judiciary should track not only how many women enter, but how many remain, progress, leave and reach higher positions. If there is a significant drop at any particular stage, that should be investigated rather than merely observed. Regular exit surveys could reveal concerns that recruitment statistics cannot.

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