The Supreme Court Bar Association’s report, “Documenting Voices of Women Legal Professionals in India,” surveyed 2,604 female lawyers nationwide, highlighting persistent gender bias. 81% feel their career path is tougher than male colleagues, and 34% report workplace discrimination.
The Supreme Court Bar Association’s report, “Documenting Voices of Women Legal Professionals in India,” surveyed 2,604 female legal professionals nationwide and paints a sobering, data-driven picture of persistent gender bias at the Bar.
The report revealed that 63.7% of respondents had found the legal profession discouraging at some stage.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant unveiled the report on March 22 during the first SCBA conference in Bengaluru.
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The survey revealed that 81.3% of respondents felt their career path was tougher than that of their male counterparts; within this group, 41.1% labeled it “much more difficult” and 40.2% described it as “slightly more difficult.”
This view persisted across experience levels: nearly 79% of women with over 15 years in practice still reported facing greater difficulty than men.
Additionally, 63.7% of participants said they had felt disheartened by the profession at some stage in their careers.
Impact of Marriage and Family on Legal Careers
A survey revealed that 71.5% of respondents felt their marital status affected their professional work, with 44.7% experiencing minor hardships and 26.8% major ones. Work-life balance (30.1%) and financial instability (29.6%) were the most common challenges. Among those seeking childcare support, 42.7% were denied assistance, and 55.2% reported difficulties in deferring work due to childbirth.
Family responsibilities limited professional opportunities for 30.3%, while only 18.9% felt having children positively influenced their careers. Career advice would not differ for daughters versus sons according to 72.1%, though 27.9% believed gender influenced guidance. Regarding career stability, 47.5% saw the Judiciary as offering more respect and security than the Bar’s informal hierarchies.
In Bar leadership, 64.7% felt women lacked equal opportunity. Key barriers included absence of women’s networks (65.5%), financial or time constraints (52.6%), family expectations (48.4%), and a hostile election culture (38.1%). While 76.4% were considering a judicial career, 37% aimed for law officer roles, 34.5% for the judiciary, and only 8.5% for Bar leadership. Despite this, 77.5% planned to explore leadership positions in Bar Councils or associations.
Workplace Safety and Harassment
The survey also examined the issue of sexual harassment within legal workplaces. About 16.1% of respondents reported having experienced sexual harassment, while another 12.7% chose not to disclose their experiences. The report highlighted that these numbers likely underrepresent the actual cases, as fear of professional repercussions often prevents women from speaking out.
Among those who did report harassment or sought redress, 57% experienced some form of retaliation, including exclusion from professional opportunities, loss of assignments, or hostile work environments. These challenges, the report noted, create a significant hesitation among women lawyers to come forward and report harassment.
Professional Advancement in the Legal Field
The survey highlighted a significant gender disparity in career growth within the legal profession. Around 53.9% of respondents felt that achieving senior positions was easier for men, compared to just 1.7% who thought it was easier for women.
Nearly two-thirds (64.5%) had never held any formal government role, and none had occupied top positions such as Attorney General, Solicitor General, or Additional Solicitor General at the Supreme Court level.
While 59.4% of participants supported mandatory minimum representation of women on legal services panels, an even higher 67.28% favoured a compulsory policy for appointing women as panel counsel or law officers. Over half (55.5%) believed government panel appointments were more accessible to men.
The survey also revealed that 83.1% of respondents were first-generation lawyers, highlighting a lack of inherited professional networks. Regarding areas of practice, women reported strong representation in civil law (71.3%), family law (65.4%), and criminal law (64.5%).
However, 56.9% said that their chosen specialisation had at times restricted professional opportunities due to gender-based stereotyping.
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Thirty-four percent of respondents said they personally experienced gender bias in professional settings such as chambers, court registries, police stations, and law offices with fee-related matters (fees, payments, or fee negotiations) emerging as the single most frequently reported area of bias (42.7%).
An additional 23.5% reported awareness of bias through colleagues, indicating these problems often extend beyond direct personal experience; only 29.4% said they had not encountered gender bias. Overall, the findings suggest nearly six in ten women have been subject to institutional gender bias within their professional environments.
The report identifies where bias is most commonly felt: seniors (including chamber heads and employers) were named by 27.3% of respondents and opposing counsel by 25.3%. Informal professional networks—such as briefing, referrals, and networking opportunities were cited by 19.4%, colleagues and peers by 18.0%, and court staff by 16.8%. Institutional and operational interactions offices, clerical staff, and police stations were noted by 15.4%, while judges or courtroom dynamics were cited by 15.3%.
Training and internships were highlighted by 17.3% of respondents, and limited access to mentorship or professional guidance by 13.2%. Media engagement or representation recorded the lowest incidence at 7.3%.
Other key findings from the survey include:
- Career difficulty: 81.3% (2,116 of 2,604) feel their professional path has been harder than that of male peers; 41.1% described it as much more difficult and 40.2% as slightly more difficult.
- Sexual harassment: 16.1% (420) reported experiencing sexual harassment in a professional setting; 12.7% preferred not to disclose. Among those who sought redress, 57% reported facing some form of backlash.
- Burnout and well-being: 84% said they experienced work-related stress or burnout at least occasionally in the 12 months before the survey; 26.1% reported very frequent burnout. Early-career advocates (0–5 years’ practice) were most affected, with about 94.4% reporting stress or burnout.
- First-generation lawyers: 83.1% of respondents are first-generation legal professionals with no immediate family members in the law.
The SCBA report offers a detailed, evidence-based account of the structural and cultural obstacles women continue to face in the legal profession, underlining that while entry of women into law has increased, significant barriers remain at multiple professional touchpoints.
Click Here To Read Full Survey Report