Therefore, we shall focus on the law of the European Community, where the principle of equality in relation to labour and social security has been developed in several directives and in the case law of the European Court of Justice. From time to time, the development of European Community law will be compared with that in other international settings and with national developments, to highlight the different ways in which the various types of international law can influence the position of women. This inter-disciplinary course offers an introduction to the problem of sexual violence and considers the role, possibilities and limits of law as a weapon in cases of sexual violence. The subject of this course is the relation between the public and private sphere in the field of work. What is the meaning of national and international equal protection clauses against the background of the division of paid and unpaid work between men and women.
Attention is paid to legislation, case law, and feminist legal theory.
This course focuses on theories of equality and the impact of different approaches of equality on legal practice. Various conceptions of legal equality are being explored, especially the difference between a formal and substantive approach to equality. The course provides an overview of the influence of international law on the position of Dutch women in the area of family law and social law. As far as the first is concerned, article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights has been invoked successfully by Dutch unwed or divorced fathers to strengthen their legal position regarding their children and thus regarding these children's mothers. In the area of social law, international law is invoked to challenge direct and indirect discrimination against women.