Someone who is called to serve as a juror can apply to the Sheriff for an exemption. This might be on the grounds of religious belief, old age, or serious hardship that would be caused by having to serve. Also, there is usually a period of exemption after a person has served on a jury, during which he or she need not serve again. There can be no disqualification or exemption based on the person's sex. Jurors are paid nominal amounts to cover their time and travel expenses, but for many people these amounts will not be enough to make up for lost wages and other expenses.
Jury duty is a civic responsibility that is supposed to be accepted anyway, if at all possible.
The Panel Potential jurors are selected, typically at random from the electoral rolls or some other register of residents, and are served with notices requiring them to attend at the courthouse at a particular time. There has been a lot of debate over what that really means, and how to achieve it. The consensus seems to be that truly random selection from a broad geographical area is probably the best approach. That still leaves potential problems, though, as some classes of people, notably natives and the poor, are not always well represented in lists of residents such as telephone directories. There is a very strict rule that no-one with an interest in the case may communicate with any person called for jury duty, either before or during the trial.