IN BRIEF
/1
/2 /3 /4
Laws that establish women and men’s equal rights provide an important basis for demanding and achieving gender equality in practice. But equality before the law is not enough to ensure women’s enjoyment of their rights: power inequalities, structural constraints and discriminatory social norms and practices also need to be addressed. International human rights standards provide an understanding of gender equality—substantive equality for women—that goes beyond formal equality to emphasize women’s enjoyment of their rights in practice. Equality should be understood in relation not only to opportunities but also to outcomes. Unequal outcomes may result from indirect as well as direct discrimination, and ‘different treatment’ might be required to achieve equality in practice. Progress towards substantive equality for women requires public action on three interrelated fronts: redressing socioeconomic disadvantage; addressing stereotyping, stigma and violence; and strengthening agency, voice and participation. Transformation in women’s lives happens when actions along these three dimensions reinforce each other.