
Law is regarded as one of the noble professions on Earth, and The Hall of Justice never discriminates against anyone who walks through its doors. Law and justice are two man-made concepts with naturalness; however, the irony of this profession is very immaculate. It is the pathway through which people from different sides of society seek justice and it should not be a subject of criticism for unfair and ill treatment of women.
Women are the subject of constant scepticism when it comes to the question of their competence and ability to be on par with men. Same is the question when it comes to the profession of law. Female lawyers and judiciary aspirants are being questioned upon their ability to hold a profession which has excessive workload, little or no flexibility in the working hours and conflict of work life balance. The glass ceiling effect is very much prevalent in every other profession nonetheless, the legal profession which is home for future jurists is plagued by it. Law is the ancient profession known to man, it has gracious tales of courage to talk about alone of and these tales will definitely talk about Cornelia Sorbaji – the first woman to study law in Oxford and eventually India’s first female lawyer who devoted her life to serve justice to women like her with no access to justice.
Perception of law being a man’s profession should change. And it will change only when people start recognizing that women are equally capable of handling court proceedings as a lawyer, giving a substantial judgement as a judge and standing strong as a woman. Still, after all the discussion of women and law, the legal profession for women is considered a taboo. The notion of taboo comes up because of rampant sexual harassment in workplace, low pay scale, and unsafe conditions.
Law is one of the oldest professions known to humankind, so is the oppressive patriarchy that implies stringent rules on women about their lifestyle choices. The intervention of female lawyers and jurists in the legal community is relatively new and has a long way to go. Familial support both financially and emotionally will make this happen. In today’s world there is still an uncertainty around the freedom enjoyed by a woman.
First effort to change this dismaying scenario should start from our homes and then the workplace. Depriving someone from an opportunity that they totally deserve just because it is a man, or a woman is not conceivable. And even if you are deprived of the opportunity, you deserve just because of your gender, remember all it takes to break the glass ceiling is will power and determination.