A recent report by the Supreme Court Bar Association on women in the legal profession has highlighted widespread gender bias across professional settings, with a significant proportion of respondents reporting personal experiences of discrimination.
Titled “Documenting Voices of Women Legal Professionals in India”, the study surveyed 2,604 women lawyers and offered a data-driven analysis of structural and cultural barriers within the profession.
The findings indicate that 34% of respondents said they had personally faced gender bias in environments such as chambers, court registries, police stations and law offices. Among the most common areas of bias, 42.7% identified issues related to fees, payments and negotiations, Indian Express reported.
The report also noted that 23.5% of participants were aware of such bias through colleagues, suggesting that the issue extends beyond individual experiences, while only 29.4% said they had not encountered any bias. Overall, the data suggest that nearly six in ten women lawyers have faced institutional gender bias during their careers.
When asked about specific contexts, respondents pointed to work-life balance expectations imposed due to gender (39.5%) as a major concern. Issues involving clients, including trust and briefing, were cited by 32.8%, while 29.1% highlighted bias in panel appointments and designations. Additionally, 26.6% said they experienced discrimination in the allocation of high-profile or sensitive cases.
The report further indicated that bias manifests across multiple professional interactions. Around 27.3% of respondents attributed it to seniors such as chamber heads or employers, while 25.3% pointed to opposing counsel. Informal networks like referrals and briefing opportunities were flagged by 19.4%, followed by colleagues (18%) and court staff (16.8%).
Institutional spaces were also identified as areas of concern, with 15.4% citing office, clerical or police station interactions, and 15.3% pointing to judges or courtroom dynamics. Other areas included training and internships (17.3%) and access to mentorship (13.2%), while media-related bias was reported least frequently at 7.3%.
Regarding career progression, 81.3% of respondents said their professional journey had been more difficult compared to their male counterparts. Of these, 41.1% described it as significantly more difficult, while 40.2% said it was somewhat more challenging.
On the issue of workplace safety, 16.1% reported experiencing sexual harassment in professional settings, while 12.7% chose not to respond. Among those who sought redress, 57% said they faced some form of backlash.
The survey also highlighted concerns around well-being, with 84% of respondents reporting work-related stress or burnout at least occasionally over the past year, including 26.1% who experienced it very often. The incidence was particularly high among early-career lawyers with up to five years of practice, where about 94.4% reported such stress.
Additionally, the report found that a large majority, 83.1%, of respondents were first-generation lawyers without immediate family members in the legal profession, pointing to the challenges faced by newcomers entering the field.