Women and
the Law is a pioneering study of the way in
which the law has treated women - at work, in the family, in matters of
sexuality and fertility, and in public life. It was first published in 1984 by
Susan Atkins and Brenda Hoggett, then University teachers. The authors examine the
origins of British law's attitude to women, trace the development of the law and ways
in which it reflects the influence of economic, social and political forces and
the dominance of men. They illustrate the tendency, despite formal equality,
for deep-rooted problems of encoded gender inequality to remain.



Since 1984 the authors have
achieved distinguished careers in law and public service. This 2018 Open Access
edition provides a timely opportunity to revisit their ground-breaking analysis
and reflect on how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same.