*Says Practice Is Premised On Long-Dead Fiction That There Is No Lady At The Bar
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Senior Partner at Assizes Law Firm, Mr. Chinua Asuzu, has faulted the continuous use of male-related appellations when referring to female Judicial officers in Nigeria.
In a legal opinion titled “Linguistic Sexism”, Mr. Asuzu, described such appellations as quirky legal language, premised on a long-dead fiction that there is no lady at the bar.
“Some members of the Nigerian legal community also refer to female judges as he, his lordship, lords, their lordships. They also say sir to female judges.
“They use these sexist forms of address with the acquiescence and even eager support of allegedly educated and supposedly enlightened Nigerian women… They address female lawyers as gentlemen on the long-dead fiction that ‘there is no lady at the bar’; of course, there are ladies at the bar, and they deserve to be addressed as ladies.”
Asuzu, who doubles as the Dean of Write House, also faulted female judges who demand to be addressed as men, and not according to their gender, ‘so they opt for a linguistic sex-change operation. One would expect women to be proud of their sex and gender and be keen to be recognized for whom and what God has, in his infinite wisdom, made them.’
Providing a historical basis for the masculine appellation, Asuzu noted that the ‘sexist language originated in ancient England when, indeed, there were no females at the bar, let alone the bench, which he describes as contrary to present-day reality; one of open, clear, comprehensible, and user-friendly communication, with millions of ladies in the profession.
“Address a female judge as my lady or your ladyship. Speak of her as her ladyship. If you are a judge yourself, of either sex, address your female colleagues on the bench as my learned sisters. Drop the linguistic gender bender. Judges of both sexes are learned brothers and sisters, not learned brethren or learned brothers” he noted.
According to Mr. Asuzu, there is a need to completely review the linguistic sexism in the profession in Nigeria as obtainable in other climes, given the diversity that now exists.
“The UK Supreme Court today comprises 11 male members and 1 female member. The male members have the title of Lord; the sole female that of Lady.
In the Oscar Pistorius trial in South Africa, the female judge was addressed as my Lady. Male judges can always be addressed as sir. Female judges should welcome ma’am.
“Senior Advocates of Nigeria should refer to a male colleague of the inner bar as a brother silk, a female as a sister silk, and a mixed group as fellow silks.
According to Chinua Asuzu, the war against linguistic sexism, and discriminatory ‘isms’, based on age, caste, class, cultural background, disability, economic status, ethnicity, gender, marital status, race, religion, sex, sexuality, social standing, or should be fought holistically.
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