An equal society

In the UK it is against the law to treat someone unfairly because of their sex, or because they are married or not married. Men and women have equal rights at work, in owning property, and in marriage and divorce. When parents are married, the mother and father share equal responsibility for their children.

Today women make up about half of the people in work. On average, girls get better results at school than boys, and more women than men go to university.

Women have far more job opportunities than in the past. They work in every part of the economy, and more women than ever hold senior jobs, including in fields that used to be mostly male. At the same time, men now do a wider range of jobs than before. Nobody expects women to stay at home any more, and many carry on working after having children. In many families both partners work and share the childcare and housework.

It is a big change in a short time. A hundred years ago, women in Britain couldn't even vote: some women got the vote in 1918, and women only gained the same voting rights as men in 1928 (see The Two World Wars). Today the main law protecting people from discrimination is the Equality Act 2010, which protects nine "characteristics", including sex, age, race, religion, and marriage or civil partnership.

Chapter contents: The UK Today