Abstract
Women in legal practice in Zimbabwe are subjected to cultural and structural restrictions in the cause of their work. In this context, the paper argues that women are not passive recipients of thes...
Highlights
The legal profession has become increasingly diverse, the increase in the number of women
Compromise was more pronounced in slightly older respondents who are faced with the challenge of reconciling professional and private life
The paper explored ways through which women in practice in Zimbabwe negotiate structural and cultural restrictions placed upon them. It argued that women are not passive recipients of the systematic discrimination levelled against them, they come up with ways and mechanisms to cushion themselves
Summary
The legal profession has become increasingly diverse, the increase in the number of women. Within the Zimbabwean context, Michelson (2013) notes that 30% of practicing lawyers in Zimbabwe are women. On a related note, Stewart (2012) has it that for the year 2012–2013, first-year law students at the University of Zimbabwe were 133. 62% were women while the remaining 38% were men, clearly indicating that the former has dominated the enrolment of law students in Zimbabwe. Similar trends have been witnessed in Zimbabwe’s law school enrolments since 2006 due to affirmative action policies which reduced entry requirements for women pursuing tertiary education (Stewart, 2012). There has been a surge in the enrolment of women in law schools in recent years, the increase is less reflected on practicing women who remain dominated by men (Michelson, 2013; Southworth, 2017)
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