The Equality Crisis: Some Reflections on Culture, Courts, and Feminism

Under current interpretations of the U.S. Constitution and civil rights law, women’s equality is protected in two respects. Statutory classification by sex is prohibited unless it bears a “substantial” relationship to an “important” government purpose. Moreover, discrimination against women in education and employment is prohibited. Still, questions remain about how feminists should interpret the goal of equality and how the courts should implement these prohibitions. Williams endorses a gender-neutral or androgynous conception of equality.