On 16 October 2026, Kateřina Šimáčková, Section President and judge elected in respect of the Czech Republic, delivered a keynote address at the international Women in Law conference in Vilnius, held to mark the 100th anniversary of the appointment of Lithuania’s first female judge, Elena Jackevičaitė.

In her keynote address, entitled Women on the Bench and Women Knocking on the Court Door, Section President Šimáčková highlighted that, by becoming Lithuania’s first female judge, Elena Jackevičaitė demonstrated that it was possible for women to enter the judiciary, paving the way for future generations. As she noted, “HERstory recognises that the achievements of women in the past have led us to where we are today.”

In her speech, judge Šimáčková highlighted that, although women currently account for 61% of judges in the Czech Republic, they remain underrepresented in positions of leadership, both within the higher courts and in senior roles within court administration. She also noted that many rules and procedures in the Czech legal system are not gender-neutral and, as a result, may disadvantage women, members of vulnerable groups and sexual minorities. Furthermore, she observed that a range of factors continue to prevent women from advancing in the judiciary as smoothly as their male counterparts, including gender discrimination and the fact that women often assume primary, or even sole, caregiving responsibilities.

Referring to the European Court of Human Rights, judge Šimáčková noted that one third of the Court’s judges are women, a higher proportion than in most European superior courts. She then presented the Court’s case-law on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic and sexual violence, and the gender pay gap, highlighting the Court’s role in protecting women’s rights across Europe.

Concluding her remarks, she stressed: “At the European Court of Human Rights, we strive to see the world through women’s eyes as well.”