Gender Effects on Judicial Decision-Making in Chinese Divorce Cases: A Qualitative Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/1sf4am57Keywords:
Gender difference, Female judges, Divorce cases, Judicial decision‑making, Chinese judiciary, Ethic of care, Judicial justiceAbstract
After decades of feminist development and a growing number of women in the legal profession, scholars continue to debate whether gender influences judicial outcomes. Most existing research focuses on Western judicial systems, while studies on China remain limited. This paper explores gender differences among Chinese judges in divorce cases through 23 semi‑structured interviews. Findings show male and female judges differ in understanding marital breakdown, trial perspectives, stress coping, and mediation styles. Female judges tend to adopt a care‑oriented approach, while male judges lean toward a justice‑oriented, rule‑based stance. All interviewed judges confirm that gender does not undermine judicial fairness, as decisions remain grounded in law and discretion. This study supports Gilligan’ s “different voices” theory and reveals how gender shapes judicial practice in Chinese divorce proceedings.
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