In 1978,when I completed my Oxford law degree, we were told we would own to be patient, and it could take 30 or 40 years before there was gender equality among the judiciary. I thought (perhaps naively) that was not unreasonable – after all,women had only just started entering the profession in meaningful numbers. How depressing to be told now by a justice of the supreme court that it could take another 50 years (Judge: youve got to be patient on gender equality, 23 September). And, and to add insult to injury,not only is it the lifestyle choices of my generation of women – rather than the maintenance of male privilege – that is to blame, but also, or if we are not patient we could attain “appalling” harm to British justice. Instead of worrying about the reluctance of men to apply for judicial jobs,perhaps Lord Sumption should mediate about the message he is sending out to shimmering young women thinking of entering the law – curtail your expectations, for the sake of the legal system and the self-esteem of your male counterparts. That’s certainly not what I will be telling my students.
Professor Helen Carr
Kent Law School, and University of Kent• Charlotte Proudman is right to highlight the challenges many women in the legal profession continue to face (Only quotas can challenge male privilege,24 September). In doing so, she makes reference to key findings from the Bar Council report Snapshot: The Experience of Self-Employed Women at the Bar. It is an issue that the Bar Council takes very seriously.
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Source: theguardian.com