KENSLEY BEHEL:

… Where are all the female judges in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (MAG)?

With 852 MAG Brevet level judges worldwide, only 13 are female. …

… It wasn’t until 2013 when Great Britian’s Nikki Hanley became the first woman to judge men’s gymnastics at the World Championships …

While Nikki was the first female MAG Brevet judge to judge at a world championships, Australia’s Kath Graham was the first known woman to pass the MAG Brevet exam. After passing the exam in 1989, and each successive 4 years after that, she was repeatedly denied accreditation by the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG). The FIG was contacted for comment and noted that they had no records regarding the first female Brevet judges.

Finally, in 2001, Kath was approved to begin judging, however, it wasn’t until 2005 that she became the first Brevet-level female to judge MAG internationally. Kath’s first assignment was the University Games in Izmir. The following year, she became the first female to judge the Commonwealth Games. …

History of Female Brevet Judges in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics

In my experience in Canada, females have always been welcome to judge boys.

I recall writing the FIG exam with Joanie Fortin from Quebec, one of the best judges in the room. Joanie got lots of respect from the old boys club there, most of whom scored lower.