Gender equality is both a moral imperative and essential for fostering economic prosperity and societal wellbeing. While progress has been made, significant disparities persist and, at the current rate of change, closing these gaps remains a distant goal. This book examines the barriers to achieving a more equitable world, offering in-depth analyses and case studies from diverse contexts to illuminate the challenges.

This book is an ambitious exploration of gender inequality, providing robust evidence of State failures to achieve gender equality in the twenty-first century. With contributions from scholars from around the world, it offers an analysis of the challenges to achieving gender equality in many nations, spanning diverse fields such as law, criminology, sociology, gender studies, human rights and feminist theory, among others. This illustrates the multifaceted nature of the struggle for gender equality, encompassing legal, social and cultural dimensions, and highlights how deeply embedded structural inequalities intersect with personal identities, economic status and societal norms, underscoring the need for inclusive, context-specific approaches to achieve substantive equality. By addressing topics ranging from transgender pregnancy and women’s property rights to the eradication of gender stereotypes and violence, the debate confronts systemic discrimination while emphasising the diversity of gendered experiences. Importantly, the book also challenges the dominant view of discrimination as a single-axis issue, adopting an intersectional approach throughout, considering how class, race, sexual orientation and gender identity compound and intensify sex-based and gender-based inequality.

The Introduction by the editors examines States’ challenges in enforcing gender equality laws and the tension between international and domestic practices, using an interdisciplinary lens to analyse legislative changes and shifting social norms. The book is then divided into three parts.

Part I examines the purported neutrality of law, arguing that it often privileges men under the guise of gender neutrality. Olga Frańczak critiques the transformative potential of international human rights instruments in challenging gender stereotypes, highlighting the limitations of legal measures in driving substantive change despite their theoretical promise. Gillian Love explores the legal and social barriers faced by trans men during pregnancy and childbirth, using high profile cases to advocate for legal reforms that protect their reproductive rights while resisting essentialist views of gender and parenting. Finally, Sarah Grosso analyses Muslim divorce law in Tunisia during the Ben Ali regime, revealing the interplay between legal categories, ethical considerations and social customs, and demonstrating how litigants navigate the complexities of the system. Together, these chapters uncover the ways in which law both reflects and reinforces entrenched gender norms, while exploring pathways for meaningful reform.

Part II examines the coherence of gender equality laws within specific jurisdictions. Amna Rashid and Umar Rashid explore judicial progress and ongoing struggles in Pakistan regarding transgender rights, emphasising the need for reforms in education, property and societal attitudes to ensure dignity and equality. Pia Eskelinen analyses women’s land rights in rural China, focusing on how legislative gaps and social norms hinder empowerment and perpetuate inequality in land tenure and household registration systems. Gizem Guney critiques Turkey’s implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (commonly known as the Istanbul Convention), addressing the erosion of LGBTQI+ rights and the reassertion of traditionalist values, and underlining the necessity of substantive equality in combating gender-based violence. Jen Neller discusses hate speech laws, weighing the balance between freedom of expression and the protection of minority groups, and advocating for the recognition of gender-based hate crimes to strengthen the fight against inequality and harm, with a particular focus on the laws of England and Wales. Together, these chapters explore the interplay between legal frameworks and social norms in advancing or hindering gender equality.

Part III explores the practical application of gender equality laws, focusing on the gaps between legal frameworks and lived realities. Julia Winstone critiques the persistent barriers faced by women solicitors in England and Wales, including career stagnation and pay inequality, calling for systemic reforms to ensure diversity and fairness within the profession. Mary Frances Lukera advocates for a rights-based approach to sexual and reproductive health services for sex workers in Kenya, highlighting the challenges arising from constitutional reforms and the need to uphold human rights commitments. David Davies analyses Spain’s legislative and self-regulatory efforts to eliminate gender stereotypes in advertising, emphasising the broader impacts of these measures during the country’s democratic transition. The Conclusion reflects on the frictions between normative systems and their problematic approaches to issues like gender-based violence, arguing that coherent and comprehensive strategies are essential for meaningful progress in achieving gender equality.

In summary, the book is a comprehensive analysis of the pressing issue of gender inequality. It delves into the complexities of gendered legal systems, underlining the problems of the exclusion of LGBTQI+, perpetual gender stereotypes and limits in the discourse on gender plurality. The consideration of intersectionality contributes a highly necessary dimension to the discourse of gender equality in law. The book provides a critical analysis of the key challenges and issues from around the world, including the perspectives of diverse expert commentators. It is clear that the book has many strengths: a careful analysis of the key issues; a transnational perspective; and, importantly, an interdisciplinary approach with a focus on intersectionality.

However, the complexity of the subject-matter and the sophisticated analysis may render the book inaccessible to the lay reader unfamiliar with the legal terminology concerning the advancement of gender equality through law. In addition, despite considering diverse State practice, it lacks an overarching global perspective, which would further enrich the discourse. Overall, the book makes an excellent contribution to the debate on gender equality, advocating for fair, transparent and accountable legal systems. Its primary target audience includes, but is certainly not limited to, researchers, academics, lawyers, activists and policymakers.