Equality Between Women and Men

Abstract

This article addresses equality between women and men as a fundamental principle of the Rule of Law. The three interconnected dimensions of equality between women and men that are contained in the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) are here illustrated. CEDAW does not restrain its focus to the formal dimension of equality or equality before the law. It points to the need to address the substantive dimension of equality, or equality de facto, and indicates the positive measures needed to this end. The conception of equality contained in the CEDAW appeals to the transformative dimension of equality, that is to say, it aims to eliminate stereotypes and social structures that harm women and to transform society as a whole in egalitarian terms. Following recent recommendations of CEDAW Committee, the need to consider women’s discrimination as the result of the intersection of gender structures with other interconnected axes of inequality is finally pointed out.