Despite the quest for parity and ascending number of groups aiming to create equality in designating women arbitrators, an incredibly small percentage of women are being appointed as arbitrators – depicting a strange diversity paradox that (almost) refuses to resolve. Diversity in arbitration needs to be critically analysed from a feminist lens. There persist several roadblocks – psychological/social and institutional barriers – in the quest for diversity (the infamous ‘pipeline plugs’). The article attempts to understand these pipeline plugs that underlie the underrepresentation of women in arbitration and presents a critical analysis of the present mechanism. e