institutional discrimination against women of the law in the various cases that she has argued before the Supreme Court. She feels that diversity and equal representation have to be woven into the present fabric of the higher judiciary in India.
Female lawyers today face various forms of discrimination at work, be it the preconceived notions of ability and aptitude, inequality of pay, unavoidable breaks in their careers owing to family requirements and denial of deserved promotions. Most corporate organisations are unwilling to invest in their women employees and consider them to be unreliable.
According to senior advocate Pinky Anand, “Women in litigation have it harder as they have to face clients, lawyers and judges, most of whom are male, on a daily basis. In a way, they have to confront gender bias at several levels. If a woman raises her voice to make a point, she is said to be cantankerous, not

Pinky Anand

assertive. At times, this perception overshadows her merit and results in her being labelled aggressive.”
All said and done, it cannot be denied that women’s empowerment is forging full steam ahead. Female participation in the legal arena today is indeed commendable and she has broken the glass ceiling, with tireless efforts, to make her presence felt. The time has come for every legal professional to be judged on his or her ability alone and not on the basis of gender.

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