{D} EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LEGAL SYSTEM IN ACHIEVING

EQUALITY FOR WOMEN IN SOCIETY.


As I have already stated, women have come a long way in the fight for equality. With

numerous legislation, only some of which I have mentioned above, the legal system

of today has been effective in striving to achieve equality for women.

Although women and men are still not posed as wholly equal, the role of women over

time has most definitely changed.

Consider this statement:

"The role of women in society has not changed, particularly in the domain of the

family. Women are still unequal, under the thumb of men, with the sole burden of

child rearing and housekeeping. The legal system has failed to make substantial

changes in correcting these inequalities."

I wholeheartedly disagree.

The role of women in society has indeed changed drastically. Women have gone

from being considered as stupid, housebound, child rearing objects for their relevant

man to own, to in some instances holding high positions in a traditionally male

dominated work environment and having the choice to marry and/or have children.

With the advancement of trade unions and lobby groups, anti-discrimination acts,

affirmative action in the workplace and equal access to education to say the least,

the legal system has obviously addressed the problem of inequality between sexes.

Women have come from having very little rights at all, to having the same access to

morality as men. Some men would argue that women are not under the thumb of

men, in fact in some relationships the situation is on the contrary, and the woman is

the dominant force.

The above statement declares that a woman still carries the sole burden of

child-rearing and housekeeping. In most modern homes, the workload is usually

shared between husband and wife when the matter of housework arises. With the

occurrence of maternity and paternity leave granted by most workplaces in our

society, the so-called 'burden' of child-rearing is shared between parents,...