GUEST EDITORIAL

Equal representation in international arbitration

Rashda Rana SC
 

It’s true that now women have the vote, have the right to an education, can be granted degrees, have the right to work, to live independently of their husbands, fathers and brothers, they can take out loans without a male guarantor, they can be credible witnesses, they can be politicians, they can go down mines and fly into the skies. They can do almost anything a man can do. Everything is open to them as it is to men BUT even today, the doors are not opening, as widely for women as they are for men and when they are allowed into the club, women are not entitled to be paid the same as a man. In this environment, the high demand for arbitration services has driven many global law firms to deploy significant resources to meet both traditional and emerging regions. The expansion of international arbitration into new regions as well as steady growth in more established markets has not, however, been reflected in the greater participation of more women. Women in the law, but more particularly in the field of dispute resolution, are not getting the same opportunities as men, regardless of background. Why is it that the gate to true equality for women is still firmly shut? This article endeavours to explore that situation and suggest ways of levelling the playing field.

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