Women in Law: Megha Wagh’s Story of Perseverance and Progress Amidst Gender Challenges

For many, the battle of equality is not just fought in the courtroom, but is a
constant reality.In a conversation with VUCCD, senior lawyer Megha Wagh
shared her insights, experiences, and thoughts based on the ongoing challenge
that women in the legal sector face.

Minnati Krishna (BA Second Year Student)

In a profession that prides itself on upholding justice, the scales often tip
unfairly towards women. Despite comprising nearly half of law graduates in
India, female lawyers continue to navigate a legal system where their mere
presence and competence is often questioned or met with scepticism, if not
outright bias.

For Megha Wagh, an advocate with a private practice of her own for almost
twenty years, the view on the fight against such prejudices and injustice is not
just professional but also personal. Megha Wagh started her law journey by
graduating with a law degree from the ILS (Indian Law Society) Law College in
Pune.

Her journey not only sheds light on the systematic biases present in industry but
also the resilience and determination required to rise above such biases to carve
out a successful legal career.

The legal profession in India started in the colonial era when the British started
legal education and institutions. However, from the very beginning, the field
had been overwhelmingly male-dominated. From the beginning women were
barred from practising law and legal education was inaccessible to them due to
societal norms.

Corneila Sorabji was the first woman to start practising law in the late 19th
century. She had to face tons of opposition, and despite her qualifications, was
not allowed to plead in court and had to work under male lawyers. It wasn’t
until the 20th century that women started entering this field, however, their
number remained limited and they were confined mostly to lower-status roles.

Lawyer Megha had to face certain prejudices. Due to her marriage and the
constant requirement to travel around the country, she had quite a big break in
her career.She would work part-time for law colleges when she was in Pune.
When she finally settled down in the city, she started her own private practice.
When asked about her career, she said, “The first thing they ask a woman about
is marital status and family credentials. This highlighted an employer’s attitude
towards a woman. The line of questioning in job interviews usually revolves
around a woman and her marriage and family or future aspiration to get married
and start a family. No man would ever be asked about his marriage or his
personal family life as the very first question in a job interview.”

She had to face quite a lot of prejudices and assumptions that she wasn’t very
serious with her work because of the huge career gap. She also faced many
prejudices based on her age. She started her career at a very late age and was
faced with many questions by her young peers about why she was working at
her age and why she wasn't just sitting at home. She says, “Many people
assumed that I was working just to waste the time and was not that serious
about my job. This not only demotivates a woman but also creates untrue
assumptions about her choices. It also questions her competence and her
qualifications. Women have to face several taunts especially in male dominated
areas where men look down on them.”

When asked about cases and their payments, she said, “Cases don’t differ as per
gender but the payment that they receive does differ. When it comes to
payments, clients often look down on women because they feel she is not
competent enough to ask for such an amount. Men tend to get a better fee and
often are not questioned about their rates. When it comes to cases, clients tend
to avoid taking big cases, like criminal cases, to her but would often take family
related cases as they feel that women are more sympathetic and understanding.
Female lawyers tend to get women-centric cases to a large extent. She had a
different view in this regard and does not support gender reinforcement.

“Women tend to go to female lawyers with their cases because they believe that
female lawyers have the same level of empathy and understanding as them.”
Another gender bias that is prevalent is the choice a woman has to make when it
comes to her career and her family. A woman can do some outstanding work

between 9-5 and then log out to handle her family. If she is given some work
during the afterhours and she refuses to complete it, she is immediately branded
incompetent despite her best work during the assigned work hours. “Women
have to constantly fight to prove their competence and their worth. Initially, a
woman’s salary is low but as she keeps proving her worth, she is open for
promotions. However, when it comes to men, they never have to try and
“prove” their competence or worth,” she claims.

Gender discrimination in India's legal sector remains a significant challenge,
rooted in a long history of male dominance and deep-seated biases. Through the
experiences of Advocate Megha Wagh, it becomes clear that while progress has
been made, the journey toward true equality is far from over. Her story reflects
the resilience and determination required to navigate a profession that still, too
often, views women as outsiders.