Judicial Exceptionalism: Why Sector‐Neutral Gender Indices Miss Women on the Bench

Kaya Y. Ç., Kaya H., Kayar A.

Sexuality, Gender and Policy, cilt.9, sa.5, ss.1-15, 2026 (Hakemli Dergi)

Özet

This study asks whether sector-neutral gender equality indices explain women's representation in the judiciary across 21 OECD countries (2010–2020). Using biennial panel data and fixed-effects models, we test the Economist's Glass Ceiling Index (GCI), the World Bank's Women, Business and the Law Index (WBL), and the reversed UNDP Gender Inequality Index (GII_rev) across first-instance, appellate, and supreme courts. Results show that GCI does not predict women's judicial representation, while WBL is negatively associated at the entry level: A 10-point increase corresponds to a five-percentage-point decline in first-instance courts. By contrast, GII_rev displays a robust positive association at supreme courts: A 0.05 improvement predicts roughly a twelve-percentage-point increase in women's share. These findings suggest that professionalized, insulated judicial systems filter broad equality gains. Interpreted through feminist institutionalism and institutional resistance, the results highlight the need for judiciary-specific measures and reforms to ensure transparent appointments and gender-balanced career progression.