International Day of Women judges 2026

International Day of Women judges – Tracking change for the future

The 10th of March 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the International Day of Women Judges, a United Nations-recognised day to highlight the strides women have made as judges and judicial officers across the world. It is also a day to draw attention to the barriers to advancement that women still face in achieving equal representation in the judiciary.

It is worth looking back at some of the progress South African women judges have made, especially in the last year.

According to the Annual Judiciary Report 2024/25, women now make up 49% (or 122) of the 251 judges in South Africa. This is from the low base of only two women out of about 150 judges in 1994. Women lead six of the 16 superior courts, occupying two of the top four leadership positions, including Chief Justice Mandisa Maya and Supreme Court of Appeal President Mahube Molemela.

According to the Annual Judiciary Report 2024/25, women now make up 49% (or 122) of the 251 judges in South Africa. This is from the low base of only two women out of about 150 judges in 1994.

The numbers are even more impressive in the lower court judiciary, where women make up 54% of all magistrates, and ten of the 14 chief magistrates are women. Furthermore, five of the nine regional court presidents across the nine regions are women.

These strides have, of course, come at considerable effort from the leaders of the judiciary, including both the Magistrates Commission and the Judicial Service Commission.

Despite these strides, women still face structural barriers to their continued stay in the judiciary. One of these barriers is sexual harassment.

Despite these strides, women still face structural barriers to their continued stay in the judiciary. One of these barriers is sexual harassment. The 2024 Magistrates Survey, conducted by the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit at the University of Cape Town, revealed that one in eight magistrates indicated that either they or someone they knew was sexually harassed in court. Women magistrates were twice as likely to say that they know of at least one or two cases.

But there is hope.

On Women’s Day, 9 August 2025, Chief Justice Mandisa Maya introduced a new policy to combat sexual harassment in the judiciary. The new policy aims to create an environment that is intolerant of sexual harassment while offering wall-to-wall support for targets of harassment. (Read more here)

Download the Sexual Harassment Policy here.

Victims are given the option of raising a sexual harassment report through various channels, which vary in their degree of (in)formality. A victim may choose to raise an incident and receive only support or counselling. They may also prefer a more formal process where the perpetrator is spoken to. Alternatively, they may file a formal complaint through the Judicial Conduct Committee, which will investigate the complaint and issue sanctions.

The alleged perpetrator is also assured of the fairness of the process, as they have the option of direct engagement with the process themselves or through their legal representatives. Either way, their legal rights are protected.

What’s more, the Sexual Harassment Policy requires judicial officers to actively inform themselves of how sexual harassment manifests, and what they may do about it through regulating their own conduct or reporting that of others. This is done through a compulsory course or through voluntary group training and sensitisation.

These initiatives are meant to create a conducive environment for women to thrive in the judiciary and guarantee their continued stay and advancement. However, combating the harms related to sexual harassment is not a woman’s issue alone. After all, men can also be victims of sexual harassment.

…combating the harms related to sexual harassment is not a woman’s issue alone. After all, men can also be victims of sexual harassment.

International Women Judges’ Day is not only for women inside the judiciary. The pipeline of women talent also needs to be strengthened through combating sexual harassment and sexist attitudes.

As research by Dr Tabeth Masengu shows, women still face structural barriers in entering and remaining in the legal pipeline. Despite being qualified and talented, they still face sexist attitudes that inhibit their career advancement.

…women still face structural barriers in entering and remaining in the legal pipeline. Despite being qualified and talented, they still face sexist attitudes that inhibit their career advancement.

Niche legal areas such as commercial law, tax, pension funds law, shipping, and competition law are still a tightly knit boys’ club, with very few women making it to the top of the pecking order. It is from these legal areas that judges of the High Court are sorely needed, and our law is poorer for it.

As we celebrate the fifth edition of the International Day of Women Judges, we must acknowledge and celebrate the strides women have taken in a male-dominated environment such as the judiciary. At the same time, we must be clear-eyed about the challenges still confronting women’s advancement and retention. Hopefully, by the next International Day of Women Judges, a significant dent will have been made in many of these challenges.

Mbekezeli Benjamin is the Research and Advocacy Officer at Judges Matter.