Canadian Justice Minister: Women too busy bonding with kids

[Vivi_music]

This made the headlines this week in Canada. Conservative Justice Minister Peter Mackay said last week: the reason there are so few women appointed as judges in high federal courts is that too few apply.

 

At an event with the Ontario Bar Association last week, MacKay is reported to have backed up his statement by explaining that women have a closer bond to their children than men. Women lawyers simply don't apply because they fear that a job in a supreme court would cut them off from their children. What makes it worst is said a similar statement about visible minorities in federal courts. MacKay insisted that they simply are not applying.

 

Seriously? He's basically blaming the victim. Women have made up roughly 60% of law school classrooms since the 90s in Canada and you say none of them wants to apply to a superior judge position? And same thing goes for minorities? I also find it slightly insulting for men to assume that women are more loving and caring and want to spend more time with their children. I never was a fan of him, but now....

[julie paradox]

Ok, first of all:

Has he asked the relevant women why they aren't applying? because a guess based on what he thinks he knows is not worth much. To say nothing of the fact that the explanation obviously doesn't apply to the ethnic minorities involved.

Second:

Is there any actual evidence for the low rate of applications? In the UK an application process usually involves an anonymised survey of gender, sexuality, religion and ethnic grouping in order to track this. I'm quite prepared to believe that comparatively few women apply for such posts, if the evidence is available.

Third:

The next question is why? and the important one is what are they going to do about it?

[Coco]

And that applies to childless women how? :lol: (or older women whose children have outgrown the need for intense supervision)

With 60% of the law students being women, undoubtedly from all stages of life, his argument falls apart. :roll:

[Vivi_music]

Ok, first of all:

Has he asked the relevant women why they aren't applying? because a guess based on what he thinks he knows is not worth much. To say nothing of the fact that the explanation obviously doesn't apply to the ethnic minorities involved.

Second:

Is there any actual evidence for the low rate of applications? In the UK an application process usually involves an anonymised survey of gender, sexuality, religion and ethnic grouping in order to track this. I'm quite prepared to believe that comparatively few women apply for such posts, if the evidence is available.

Third:

The next question is why? and the important one is what are they going to do about it?

A bunch of women lawyers have actually stepped up and ask for the Justice Minister for a proof or a list of all the applications. There was no respond from his office at all. So either they don't want the list of applicants to go public (for whatever reason in the world) or it simply doesn't exist.

And I think you ask the right question, but don't look to Peter Mackay to find any answers. He says he'd like more women and minorities to be elected as judges but I don't trust him to take any action.

[Lawsome]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-de ... e19256607/

This is a good article debunking his argument. While the statistics might be a bit different in other provinces, in Ontario 47% of applicants were women. I imagine the statistics will continue to shift as time goes on, as the percentage of female law grads keep rising. My class that graduated this year was almost 70% female.