EPQ Dissertation
Abstract Summary
My aim was to study whether equal legal rights between the gender is the
equivalent to complete gender equality. The methods in which I researched
this was with mostly articles, parts from a book, and a TV show. My results
were that there is a correlation between of legal rights to the amount of
equality in society as they enable accountability for actions that are not
encouraging equality, but I concluded that even if there were complete equal
legal rights between the genders there still would be inequality because the
systematic oppression of women for centuries that have embedded sexist
norms and values that have been carried down in society. Legislation gives a
helping hand but is not the solution.
Introduction
During this dissertation I am going to be contemplating and discussing the
question of “Do equal legal rights between the different genders mean that
men and women are treated equally within the UK’s society, in 2021”. This
question is unarguably important as it is a relevant and consequential topic
with great weight from the long history of inequality between the genders, not
only throughout time but also throughout the world. For looking at this
question will teach us what to do next in regards of more gender equality and
whether this would involve the law.
My objective of this essay is to understand different points of views on gender
equality throughout the world and time, research and discuss different sides
on the question of gender inequality in past and modern day, and to review
the effects of legal rights on the genders to get a clearer answer on the initial
question.
Before I go further, I would like to clarify some definitions regarding my
dissertation essay to keep this as clear as possible.
Legal Rights- Something you are entitled to have through the law and the law
system in which it held up by.
Genders- Social and cultural differences and a range of characteristics relating
to either femininity or masculinity.
Inequality- Unfair situation and opportunities (or just lack of equality)
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Maisie Blackford
, EPQ Dissertation
Now I will need to look at the past, not only the present, to create a full picture
on how the question can be answered today. Some may say the biggest change
in the legal rights for women in the UK, were result of the Suffragettes. These
were women who aimed to gain the vote through protest during 1890-
1919.This is a crucial point in time as it was the first movement towards legal
change, to gain more gender equality in England. In this time, like today, many
questioned whether women should get more legal rights and whether there
was inequality at all. I will look at one of these people, Mary Ward, who was an
Anti-suffragette. Despite being a woman herself, she did not believe in
inequality but simply that people had separate roles. It is important to look at
more outspoken viewpoints such as this as it gives insight into society at that
time and what caused such a view and how, in ways, these viewpoints carry on
and why this is the case.
I will continue to give the reader perspective by comparing gender inequality
and the different legal rights they hold in different countries. Especially,
America during the second wave of feminism during the 1960’s, where the ERA
(Equal Rights Amendment) movement aimed to get that amendment through
Congress in which enabled more legal rights for women. What the ERA tried to
change will be discussed, but most relevant, how the amendments such as
these going through change power distribution between men and women.
You would think because of times changing from 1890 and America being the
‘Land of The Free’ you would think this amendment went through swimmingly,
but this was not the case. There was an Anti- ERA movement, like the Anti-
Suffragettes, that was ran by women that did not think women needed more
rights, but I will discuss how this was because they were women of their time
and that without changing societal views the laws would not change,
questioning that law is not actively tied to gender equality.
I will move on to how in Britain today the law effects the equality between the
genders. By acts such as the ‘The Sex Disqualification Act (Disqualification)’ in
1919, ‘The Equality Act’ (2010), and ‘Gender Pay Gap Information Regulations’
(2017). These acts all in their own individual way enabled women to have the
same opportunities as men when it came to their jobs, amount they got paid
as well as the overall discrimination against women. I will discuss how laws are
an important in the fight for equality as it forces accountability or even
punishment for those who refuse to make an effort to encourage gender
equality.
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Maisie Blackford
, EPQ Dissertation
Lastly, I will use an article from The Guardian on a survey done at Kings College
London to study perceptions of inequality and how the law can also negatively
affect equality as a large portion of the British population believe that equality
has been met through legislation, when this is not the case and hinders the
speed in which future gender equality will occur.
The last part of my dissertation will include the exploration of sexism that is
not related to the law. Here I will contemplate if inequality happens without
the law, how tied are they really? With examples such as The Glass Ceiling
effect that stop women getting as many promotions in the workplace and Rape
Culture that is more than the crime (Rape) Itself, but the culture caused by
actions and ways of life we use in society that normalise the culture and enable
horrific crimes such as rape to happen. I will argue that these happen due to
thousands of years of oppression of women that have enabled embedded
societal norms and values that have molded how men and women act in
society today and how even legislation will not be able to change that as it
cannot change large groups of thinking. Gaps within the law will also be
discussed (for example the Pink Tax and Misogyny not being made a hate
crime) to evaluate the opinion of many in the UK that equal rights have
happened due to legislation and that this can not be the case if there are still
gaps are still missing with in the UK law to make men and women equal in the
eyes of the law.
The Suffragettes and Anti- Suffragettes
The revolutionaries towards the start of equal legal rights for women were the
Suffragettes. The Suffragettes were women who through organised protest
advocated for the women’s right to vote, which they later succeeded. In the
early 20th century, there were ‘Suffragists’ that used peaceful methods to
campaign for the vote as ‘Suffragettes’ used any means necessary to get the
vote, even if it was violent. This included tying themselves to railings, jumping
in front of horses, and when imprisoned starting hunger strikes.
One Suffragette who participated in the hunger strikes were Emmeline
Pankhurst who was one of the initial organisers of the Suffragette movement.
Those who chose to do the hunger strikes once imprisoned were often force
fed by police officers or released until they were strong enough then re-
imprisoned, this was under the’ Cat and Mouse’ act in which the government
passed.
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Maisie Blackford
