State Fragility and the Gendered Experiences of Judges: Insights from Haiti

This study of Haiti – one of the most fragile states in the world – explores the gendered experiences of being a judge in a fragile state. Through 70 interviews with women and men judges and other key informants, I find that women judges feel particularly vulnerable in an insecure and unstable context. This is exacerbated by the fact that women are treated as outsiders and are sidelined and excluded from shadowy and informal networks within male-dominated judiciaries, and thereby are also deprived of sorely needed security measures. The study contributes to the emerging literature on women judges by focusing on how aspects of state fragility – most notably insecurity and informal and shadowy practices – interplay with the masculine culture found in the judiciary, and society as a whole and shape specific gendered experiences for judges. It also contributes to the literature on fragile states by examining how fragility-related factors continue to impact the experiences of women once inside the formal state apparatus – with a particular focus on female judges.