ABSTRACT
Although almost 10 years old, this World Health Organization (WHO) quote remains relevant. Across cultures women currently face major inequalities in all aspects of life. As I write, the daily papers provide examples of the extremes of prejudice against women: the appalling rate of detection and conviction of perpetrators of rape;2 the extent of domestic violence;3 that women still earn less than men for doing the same job; the subsequent greater impoverishment of women;4 the lack of women in positions of power across all professions;4 the trafficking of women from various countries to the UK and elsewhere for forced prostitution.5 Today’s newspaper reports that 10 million baby girls are aborted or killed soon after birth in India because they are valued less than boys, who are seen as an asset to the family.6
