International Day of Women Judges

The 10th of March 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the International Day of Women Judges , a United Nations-recognised day to highlight the strides women have made as judges and judicial officers across the world. It is also a day to draw attention to the barriers to advancement that women still face in achieving equal representation in the judiciary . It is worth looking back at some of the progress South African women judges have made , especially in the last year. According to the Annual Judiciary Report 2024/25 , women now make up 49% (or 122) of the 251 judges in South Africa. This is from the low base of only two women out of about 150 judges in 1994. Women lead six of the 16 superior courts, occupying two of the top four leadership positions , including Chief Justice Mandisa Maya and Supreme Court of Appeal President Mahube Molemela . The numbers are even more impressive in the lower court judiciary, where women make up 54% of all magistrates, and ten of the 14 chief mag...

At the Judicial Leadership Colloquium for Women Judges in Indonesia, Dr. Nani Indrawati, Justice of the Supreme Court of Indonesia and Chair of the Indonesian Women Judges Association (BPHPI), emphasized the importance of building a judiciary that is not only legally sound, but also socially responsive and ethically strong. When Women Judges are supported to lead with compassion and integrity, justice becomes more inclusive, representative, and transformative. Co-agreed by the Supreme Court of Indonesia and UNDP, the Colloquium is part of the regional Shift Underway: Promoting Women's Leadership in the Judiciary in Asia, an initiative to increase women's representation in judicial leadership, strengthen institutional support for women judges , and enhance gender responsiveness across judicial systems. Together, we're ensuring that no woman judge feels isolated in her journey, and that justice delivers for all.