low numbers of female advocates in regional India

Gender inequality persists among lawyers in India, with female lawyers accounting for just 8 per cent of the of 3,149 advocates registered with the Gurgaon’s District Bar Association. In the Faridabad district bar, female advocates account for 14 per cent of the 1,800 registered lawyers. Local Gurgaon lawyer Sunita Srivastava said: “Unlike Delhi where most law firms hire the young crop of lawyers at high salaries, not many corporate lawyers work in the Gurgaon court.” Twenty-four-year-old advocate Ayesha Matharu who lives in Gurgaon but practices in Delhi said: “I started my career from the local court here but moved to Delhi within a few days. I didn't like what I saw here. I wasn't comfortable and felt apprehensive since there are very few women lawyers. People would stare me down.”

low numbers of female advocates in regional India legallyindia.com Wed, Dec 28, 2011