Conversation date: 23 May 2022Host: Rukhshanda Naz, Ombudsperson, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistanGuest: Justice(Rtd) Nasira Iqbal, Former Justice of the Lahore High Court, PakistanJustice Nasira, with her profound experience in the judiciary of Pakistan, talks about how women can break the glass ceiling and join the much needed legal professions in the country. The conversation navigates through below discussion points.  What are the challenges for women to enter the legal profession? How do we incentivize women to be part of the judiciary as lawyers and judges? Only 17% of judges are women in Pakistan. The need for women judges is increasing. However, why are male lawyers often reluctant to appear before women judges? Women have to work hard twice as much as men in workplaces, especially in the judiciary. Yet, their upward mobility in their career is blocked by the glass ceiling due to the perception that women after marriage are not called for professional work and women’s physicality doesn't allow them to take much higher positions compared to men. How can we encourage women to overcome these challenges? Case studies on how having more women in the judiciary can impact access to justice for women in Pakistan as well as benefit the country as a whole.