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JSC: Too few women judge nominees

26 Oct 2011

News24.com reports that the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) is still concerned at the low number of women being nominated as judges. "This concern is illustrated by the fact that of the 43 candidates that were shortlisted for the vacant positions, only 14 were women. Of the 14 recommended candidates, five were women," JSC spokesperson CP Fourie said.

Speaking at a news briefing to release the names of candidates recommended for judicial vacancies, and submitted to President Jacob Zuma for final approval, Fourie said the Constitution required that the bench be broadly representative of the race and gender composition of South Africa, hence the concern over women candidates. There were more women studying law, but they tended to not stay in the profession once they had graduated, making the pool of candidates smaller.

"A lot [went] into academics or became legal advisers and some don't want to continue with their careers [...] all we can do is get the message out and try and encourage women to stay in the profession," Fourie said.

Read the full article on www.news24.com.