Key Messages by the Global Judicial Integrity Network Advisory Board on the occasion of the first International Day of Women Judges

 On the occasion of the first ever International Day of Women Judges on 10 March 2022, the members of the Advisory Board of the Global Judicial Integrity Network would like to share with the Network's audience their views on the importance of this International Day and the role of women judges in strengthening the judiciary and judicial integrity. The Advisory Board members invite all participants of the Network to join them in celebrating this International Day and reflecting on the ways to promote the full and equal participation of women at all levels of the judiciary. 

Path Towards Fair Gender Representation in the Judiciary of Bulgaria 

In the long 143-year history of the Supreme Court of Cassation of Bulgaria (SCC), the trends related to gender representation are clearly distinguished chronologically.

Over a long period of almost eighty years, the SCC was invariably composed of male judges. The first female supreme judge was only elected and appointed in 1957. After 1960, a trend towards increasing the number of female judges in the SCC could be identified, and in 1986, 15 out of 53 judges were women. After 1990, the trend of a gradual increase in the proportion of female judges intensified, and in 1996, their number rose to 37 out of a total of 55 judges. Since then, increased participation of women in the judicial profession has been observed. The current ratio is clearly shaped in favor of women: approximately 4:1, and currently only 21 of 91 SCC judges are men.