Women, Sex, and the Law

Feminist scholars have long been concerned with how women and sexuality are perceived and treated by the American legal system. Feminists have put forth a variety of arguments seeking the causes and solutions to the class-based and sex-biased characteristics of the legal system that contribute to the victimization of women in contemporary society. No consensus within the women's movement has been achieved on a number of legal issues, such as pornography or prostitution, since approaches are often divided by political, economic, moral, or sexual ideology.Women, Sex, and the Law is a comprehensive survey and analysis of the legal and sexual issues important to women. Rosemarie Tong introduces the reader to the different feminist and legal perspectives on the causes and solutions for the problems of pornography, sexual harassment, prostitution, rape, and woman-battering. Tong clearly and concisely details and assesses the legal theory and practice for each issue, describs and critiques the various feminist debates surrounding these concerns, and offers her own thoughtful proposals for ameliorating the discriminatory tendencies and improving the effectiveness of our present legal system.