Does a judge's gender matter in rulings affecting women?

In a controversial decision last week, a woman High Court judge considering a gang rape case held that she was not bound by a judgment of the SCA, as reported in Legalbrief Today. That new decision is sure to cause consternation in the legal world because it appears to flout precedence. In her A Matter of Justice column on the Legalbrief site, Carmel Rickard questions whether women on the Bench always give decisions that enhance justice for women and suggests the question is more complex.

Mahlase v S

Ndlovu v S

A Matter of Justice